[CNCF LFX Proposal] Headlamp Improving Kueue plugin for Headlamp

### CNCF Project

Headlamp

### Term

2026 Term 3 (Sep-Nov)

### Program Name

Improving Kueue plugin for Headlamp

### Program Description

## Description
[Headlamp](https://headlamp.dev/) is an extensible web UI for Kubernetes. [Kueue](https://kueue.sigs.k8s.io/) is a Kubernetes-native queueing system that controls when batch, AI/ML, and high-performance computing workloads are admitted and how they share resources.

This project builds on the existing [Headlamp Kueue plugin](https://github.com/headlamp-k8s/plugins/tree/main/kueue) and the previous project's foundational work. That work is expected to provide core resource views, status presentation, related-resource navigation, basic actions, tests, and documentation. This project will improve that foundation and develop advanced features based on user needs and Kueue's state at the start of the term.

Potential areas include visualizing workload progress through queueing, admission, execution, and completion; showing relationships among Kueue resources; and improving topology-aware scheduling views. MultiKueue work could help users understand manager and worker clusters, connectivity, workload nomination and routing, and the cluster selected to run a workload.

The feature set will be agreed after reviewing the plugin and gathering community feedback. The project will also polish current views, improve accessibility and internationalization, strengthen tests, and update documentation. The goal is a maintainable plugin that helps users and administrators understand and troubleshoot Kueue.

## Expected outcomes

By the end of the term, the mentee is expected to have:

- Reviewed the plugin and upstream work, gathered feedback, and agreed on a plan that does not duplicate the previous project.
- Delivered reviewed or review-ready improvements to existing views, navigation, status presentation, and error, loading, or empty states.
- Implemented advanced features or visualizations covering areas such as workload lifecycle, resource relationships, MultiKueue, or topology-aware scheduling.
- Improved accessibility, including keyboard operation, meaningful labels, non-color-only status communication, and accessible alternatives for visual information.
- Kubernetes blog post on the project outcome
- Improved internationalization by moving relevant user-facing strings into Headlamp's localization system and ensuring views accommodate translated content.
- Added focused automated tests, representative Kubernetes manifests or fixtures, and documentation for the implemented features.
- Collaborated with the Headlamp community through issues, design discussions, code reviews, and incremental pull requests, leaving the plugin in a maintainable state for future contributors.

### Technologies

TypeScript, React, (Optional) Kubernetes CRDs and Operators

### Skills same as Technologies?

- [x] Yes, the required skills are the same as the technologies listed above.

### Required/Desirable Skills

_No response_

### Mentors

Kevin Hannon |  @kannon92  | kehannon@redhat.com | kannon92
Rene Dudfield | @illume | renedudfield@microsoft.com | illume
Heba Elayoty | @helayoty | hebaelayoty@gmail.com | helayoty

### Upstream Issue URL

https://github.com/headlamp-k8s/plugins/issues/937

### Application Prerequisites

- [x] Resume
- [x] Cover Letter
- [ ] School Enrollment Verification
- [ ] Participation Permission from school or employer
- [ ] Coding Challenge
- [ ] Custom Prerequisite (fill in details below)

### Coding Challenge URL

_No response_

### Custom Prerequisite Name

_No response_

### Custom Prerequisite Description

_No response_

### Custom Prerequisite — File Upload

- [ ] Yes — completion of this task requires the mentee to submit a file.

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**LFX program:** [CNCF - Headlamp: Improving Kueue plugin for Headlamp (2026 Term 3)](https://mentorship.lfx.linuxfoundation.org/project/e5ab53ad-037e-4ca2-8246-58bf48d826ec)

Start by reviewing the existing Kueue plugin at https://github.com/headlamp-k8s/plugins/tree/main/kueue and the upstream issue https://github.com/headlamp-k8s/plugins/issues/937. Gather community feedback and agree on a feature plan that does not duplicate the previous project; done means delivering reviewed improvements and advanced features, with focused tests and documentation.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.