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
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 link below to check the current documentation and scope. 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
- AI MCP OAuth2 plugin, Kong developer docs, read November 8, 2026
- AI MCP OAuth2 changelog, Kong developer docs, 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.
Continue this reading path
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.
Cite this entry
Best MCP Gateways. "Kong AI Gateway in Best MCP Gateways." Published by Conecto. Reviewed November 8, 2026. https://bestmcpgateways.com/resources/kong/