diff --git a/app/app.go b/app/app.go
index 2bdb1063a..fea925877 100644
--- a/app/app.go
+++ b/app/app.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"bufio"
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -116,6 +117,11 @@ func (c colimaApp) Start(conf config.Config) error {
 		log.Error(fmt.Errorf("error persisting runtime settings: %w", err))
 	}
 
+	// persist the kubernetes config
+	if err := c.setKubernetes(conf.Kubernetes); err != nil {
+		log.Error(fmt.Errorf("error persisting kubernetes settings: %w", err))
+	}
+
 	log.Println("done")
 
 	if err := generateSSHConfig(conf.SSHConfig); err != nil {
@@ -390,6 +396,15 @@ func (c colimaApp) setRuntime(runtime string) error {
 	return c.guest.Set(environment.ContainerRuntimeKey, runtime)
 }
 
+func (c colimaApp) setKubernetes(conf config.Kubernetes) error {
+	b, err := json.Marshal(conf)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return c.guest.Set(kubernetes.ConfigKey, string(b))
+}
+
 func (c colimaApp) currentContainerEnvironments(ctx context.Context) ([]environment.Container, error) {
 	var containers []environment.Container
 
diff --git a/environment/container/kubernetes/kubernetes.go b/environment/container/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
index 3f3d21c7e..7f4cf2e7f 100644
--- a/environment/container/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
+++ b/environment/container/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ const (
 	Name           = "kubernetes"
 	DefaultVersion = "v1.25.4+k3s1"
 
-	configKey = "kubernetes_config"
+	ConfigKey = "kubernetes_config"
 )
 
 func newRuntime(host environment.HostActions, guest environment.GuestActions) environment.Container {
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ func (c kubernetesRuntime) runtime() string {
 
 func (c kubernetesRuntime) config() config.Kubernetes {
 	conf := config.Kubernetes{Version: DefaultVersion}
-	if b := c.guest.Get(configKey); b != "" {
+	if b := c.guest.Get(ConfigKey); b != "" {
 		_ = json.Unmarshal([]byte(b), &conf)
 	}
 	return conf
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ func (c kubernetesRuntime) setConfig(conf config.Kubernetes) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("error encoding kubernetes config to json: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	return c.guest.Set(configKey, string(b))
+	return c.guest.Set(ConfigKey, string(b))
 }
 
 func (c *kubernetesRuntime) Provision(ctx context.Context) error {