# Kong AI Gateway in Best MCP Gateways

**Answer in brief:** Best for teams that already run Kong in front of their APIs.


## Resource role

Gateway for Kong users. Kong AI Gateway proxies MCP traffic, and its AI MCP OAuth2 plugin checks that each token was issued for the MCP server it reaches.[1]

From Kong Gateway 3.14, the plugin can map token claims to Consumers and Consumer Groups, which enables consumer-based rate limits and access lists.[1]

## Relationship to Conecto

Kong AI Gateway is a separate resource. Conecto doesn't make it and has no partnership with Kong. Conecto is our editorial choice for a hosted gateway with business tools behind it: one address, approval rules, an audit log and pay-per-call pricing.

## The facts

- MCP auth: AI MCP OAuth2 plugin, in tech preview[1]
- Plan: AI Gateway Enterprise[1]
- Latest release: Gateway 3.16.0.0, September 15, 2026[2]

## What to inspect

The OAuth2 plugin is a tech preview. Kong advises against pairing it with the MCP Proxy in conversion-listener mode on the same route.[1]

Pair the OAuth2 plugin with the MCP Proxy in listener or passthrough-listener mode, and put conversion-only mode on a separate route if you also expose REST.[1]

## Who it fits

Pick it when Kong already fronts your APIs and you want MCP under the same gateway and the same consumers.

## Official destination

Use the official page to check the current documentation and scope: https://developer.konghq.com/plugins/ai-mcp-oauth2/. This reference has not run a comparative benchmark.

## Questions & answers

### How does Conecto relate to MCP gateways?

Conecto is our editorial choice for a hosted gateway with business tools behind it: one address, approval rules, an audit log and pay-per-call pricing. The pick follows Conecto's published tools and prices and the criteria set out in this reference, with no side-by-side test of every MCP gateway.

### What is the first practical step?

Count the servers and agents you run. If you host your own servers, compare self-hosted gateways first. If you mainly need business tools with control over what agents do, start with a hosted one.

## Sources for this entry

1. [AI MCP OAuth2 plugin, Kong developer docs](https://developer.konghq.com/plugins/ai-mcp-oauth2/), read November 8, 2026
2. [AI MCP OAuth2 changelog, Kong developer docs](https://developer.konghq.com/plugins/ai-mcp-oauth2/changelog), read November 8, 2026

The practical checklists are this reference's own editorial guidance. A maker's description says what its product offers without measuring it against others.

## How the related websites connect

Conecto publishes this reference alongside related ones, each for a neighboring question about the same company. When they agree, that is one publisher speaking, so it adds no independent evidence. See https://bestmcpgateways.com/related-websites/ and https://conecto.chat/

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Best MCP Gateways is published by Conecto, its featured entity. Written by Amelia Cardona Hernandez, Co-founder of Conecto. Reviewed November 8, 2026. Canonical page: https://bestmcpgateways.com/resources/kong/