diff --git a/cluster/addons.go b/cluster/addons.go
index 5a1a3c03..dbc93435 100644
--- a/cluster/addons.go
+++ b/cluster/addons.go
@@ -22,14 +22,14 @@ type ingressOptions struct {
 	NodeSelector map[string]string
 }
 
-func (c *Cluster) DeployK8sAddOns(ctx context.Context) error {
+func (c *Cluster) deployK8sAddOns(ctx context.Context) error {
 	if err := c.deployKubeDNS(ctx); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	return c.deployIngress(ctx)
 }
 
-func (c *Cluster) DeployUserAddOns(ctx context.Context) error {
+func (c *Cluster) deployUserAddOns(ctx context.Context) error {
 	log.Infof(ctx, "[addons] Setting up user addons..")
 	if c.Addons == "" {
 		log.Infof(ctx, "[addons] No user addons configured..")
diff --git a/cluster/cluster.go b/cluster/cluster.go
index 8932b023..b5e9cdcf 100644
--- a/cluster/cluster.go
+++ b/cluster/cluster.go
@@ -255,11 +255,11 @@ func (c *Cluster) getUniqueHostList() []*hosts.Host {
 	return uniqHostList
 }
 
-func (c *Cluster) DeployAddons(ctx context.Context) error {
-	if err := c.DeployK8sAddOns(ctx); err != nil {
+func (c *Cluster) deployAddons(ctx context.Context) error {
+	if err := c.deployK8sAddOns(ctx); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	return c.DeployUserAddOns(ctx)
+	return c.deployUserAddOns(ctx)
 }
 
 func (c *Cluster) SyncLabelsAndTaints(ctx context.Context) error {
@@ -297,3 +297,18 @@ func (c *Cluster) PrePullK8sImages(ctx context.Context) error {
 	log.Infof(ctx, "Kubernetes images pulled successfully")
 	return nil
 }
+
+func ConfigureCluster(ctx context.Context, rkeConfig v3.RancherKubernetesEngineConfig, crtBundle map[string]pki.CertificatePKI, clusterFilePath, configDir string) error {
+	// dialer factories are not needed here since we are not uses docker only k8s jobs
+	kubeCluster, err := ParseCluster(ctx, &rkeConfig, clusterFilePath, configDir, nil, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	kubeCluster.Certificates = crtBundle
+	err = kubeCluster.deployNetworkPlugin(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return kubeCluster.deployAddons(ctx)
+}
diff --git a/cluster/network.go b/cluster/network.go
index 85faaba5..cd759df4 100644
--- a/cluster/network.go
+++ b/cluster/network.go
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ const (
 	RBACConfig       = "RBACConfig"
 )
 
-func (c *Cluster) DeployNetworkPlugin(ctx context.Context) error {
+func (c *Cluster) deployNetworkPlugin(ctx context.Context) error {
 	log.Infof(ctx, "[network] Setting up network plugin: %s", c.Network.Plugin)
 	switch c.Network.Plugin {
 	case FlannelNetworkPlugin:
diff --git a/cmd/up.go b/cmd/up.go
index 4ff381c8..73eb71d5 100644
--- a/cmd/up.go
+++ b/cmd/up.go
@@ -97,17 +97,12 @@ func ClusterUp(
 		return APIURL, caCrt, clientCert, clientKey, err
 	}
 
-	err = kubeCluster.DeployNetworkPlugin(ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		return APIURL, caCrt, clientCert, clientKey, err
-	}
-
 	err = kubeCluster.SyncLabelsAndTaints(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return APIURL, caCrt, clientCert, clientKey, err
 	}
 
-	err = kubeCluster.DeployAddons(ctx)
+	err = cluster.ConfigureCluster(ctx, kubeCluster.RancherKubernetesEngineConfig, kubeCluster.Certificates, clusterFilePath, configDir)
 	if err != nil {
 		return APIURL, caCrt, clientCert, clientKey, err
 	}