diff --git a/examples/kubernetes/README.markdown b/examples/kubernetes/README.markdown
index cd71681622..23104ed855 100644
--- a/examples/kubernetes/README.markdown
+++ b/examples/kubernetes/README.markdown
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ appropriate [Getting Started Guide](https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kuber
 to get Kubernetes up and running if you haven't already. We currently test
 against HEAD, so you may want to build Kubernetes from the latest source.
 
-## ZooKeeper
+## Starting ZooKeeper
 
 Once you have a running Kubernetes deployment, make sure
 *kubernetes/cluster/kubecfg.sh* is in your path, and then run:
@@ -43,3 +43,49 @@ To tear down the ZooKeeper deployment (again, with *kubecfg.sh* in your path):
 ```
 vitess$ examples/kubernetes/zk-down.sh
 ```
+
+## Starting vtctld
+
+The vtctld server provides a web interface to inspect the state of the system,
+and also accepts RPC commands to modify the system.
+
+```
+vitess/examples/kubernetes$ kubecfg.sh -c vtctld-pod.yaml create pods
+vitess/examples/kubernetes$ kubecfg.sh -c vtctld-service.yaml create services
+```
+
+To access vtctld from your workstation, open up port 15000 to any minion in your
+firewall. Then get the external address of that minion and visit http://<minion-addr>:15000/.
+
+## Issuing commands with vtctlclient
+
+If you've opened port 15000 on your minion's firewall, you can run *vtctlclient*
+locally to issue commands:
+
+```
+# check the connection to vtctld, and list available commands
+$ sudo docker run -ti --rm vitess/root vtctlclient -server <minion-addr>:15000
+
+# create a global keyspace record
+$ sudo docker run -ti --rm vitess/root vtctlclient -server <minion-addr>:15000 CreateKeyspace my_keyspace
+```
+
+If you don't want to open the port on the firewall, you can SSH into one of your
+minions and perform the above commands against the minion's local Kubernetes proxy.
+For example:
+
+```
+# log in to a minion
+$ gcloud compute ssh kubernetes-minion-1
+
+# run a command
+kubernetes-minion-1:~$ sudo docker run -ti --rm vitess/root vtctlclient -server $HOSTNAME:15000 CreateKeyspace your_keyspace
+```
+
+## Creating a keyspace and shard
+
+```
+$ alias vtctl="sudo docker run -ti --rm vitess/root vtctlclient -server <minion-addr>:15000"
+$ vtctl CreateKeyspace test_keyspace
+$ vtctl CreateShard test_keyspace/0
+```
diff --git a/examples/kubernetes/vtctld-pod.yaml b/examples/kubernetes/vtctld-pod.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1cecf1d995
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/kubernetes/vtctld-pod.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+apiVersion: v1beta1
+kind: Pod
+id: vtctld
+desiredState:
+  manifest:
+    version: v1beta1
+    id: vtctld
+    containers:
+      - name: vtctld
+        image: vitess/root
+        volumeMounts:
+          - name: syslog
+            mountPath: /dev/log
+          - name: vtdataroot
+            mountPath: /vt/vtdataroot
+        command:
+          - sh
+          - "-c"
+          - >-
+            echo "{\"test_cell\":\"$SERVICE_HOST:2181\",\"global\":\"$SERVICE_HOST:2181\"}" > /vt/zk-client-conf.json &&
+            chown vitess /vt/* &&
+            su -p -c "/vt/bin/vtctld -debug -templates $VTTOP/go/cmd/vtctld/templates -log_dir $VTDATAROOT/tmp -port 15000" vitess
+        env:
+          - name: ZK_CLIENT_CONFIG
+            value: /vt/zk-client-conf.json 
+    volumes:
+      - name: syslog
+        source: {hostDir: {path: /dev/log}}
+      - name: vtdataroot
+        source: {emptyDir: {}}
+labels:
+  name: vtctld
diff --git a/examples/kubernetes/vtctld-service.yaml b/examples/kubernetes/vtctld-service.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b4f1fe1d2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/kubernetes/vtctld-service.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+apiVersion: v1beta1
+kind: Service
+id: vtctld
+port: 15000
+containerPort: 15000
+selector:
+  name: vtctld
+labels:
+  name: vtctld