Introducing Node Readiness Controller

The Node Readiness Controller is a new Kubernetes project that extends node scheduling readiness beyond the standard binary 'Ready' condition using declarative taint management.

• •Introduces the NodeReadinessRule (NRR) API to define custom scheduling gates for specific node groups and heterogeneous clusters
• •Supports two enforcement modes: continuous enforcement (monitors throughout the node lifecycle) and bootstrap-only enforcement (for one-time initialization steps)
• •Reacts to Node Conditions rather than performing health checks itself, enabling integration with Node Problem Detector and custom solutions
• •Includes a dry run mode to simulate taint actions and validate impact before enforcing rules across a fleet
• •Example use case shows CNI bootstrapping where a node stays unschedulable until a custom NetworkReady condition is met