Introducing Akto MCP Proxy: Real-Time Control for Agentic AI Actions

AI agents are no longer passive systems that just generate text. Modern agents call tools, invoke MCP servers, and take real actions across internal systems, APIs, and cloud resources.

Once deployed, these actions happen autonomously, and for most enterprises, without any real runtime control.

In fact, 79% of organizations lack security and governance policies for AI agents and MCPs.

And even fewer can enforce those policies at execution time.

This is where agentic AI becomes a real security risk.

That’s where Akto MCP Proxy comes in.

The Problem: Agent Actions Execute Without Control

Agentic AI systems operate dynamically:

• Agents invoke MCP tools on their own

• Inputs may contain malicious prompts or sensitive data

• Tool calls execute real operations, not just inference

• Responses may expose PII or confidential information

Without an inline enforcement layer, security teams often learn about issues after:

• Data has already been leaked

• Unsafe actions have already executed

• Systems have already been impacted

Logs and alerts after execution are not enough.

Agentic systems require runtime control.

Introducing Akto MCP Proxy

Akto MCP Proxy is a real-time enforcement layer for MCP interactions.

It sits directly in the execution path between MCP clients and MCP servers — before any tools or resources are accessed.

This means:

• Every MCP request is intercepted

• Every MCP response is inspected

• Every interaction is governed in real time

All without requiring changes to agent or client logic.

How Akto MCP Proxy Works

With Akto MCP Proxy, all MCP traffic is routed through Akto.

As agents invoke MCP tools, the proxy intercepts requests before execution, applies guardrails, and only forwards compliant requests to the agent or tool container.

Request-Time Guardrails

Before a request reaches an MCP server, Akto MCP Proxy evaluates it against security and governance controls, including:

• Prompt injection detection

• Command and SQL injection checks

• PII and sensitive input validation

• Policy-based request filtering

Unsafe or non-compliant requests are blocked before execution.

Response-Time Guardrails

When the MCP server responds, Akto MCP Proxy applies response controls such as:

• PII detection and redaction

• Sensitive data filtering

• Content policy validation

The response is then returned to the end user as original, redacted or blocked.

Sensitive data never reaches users or downstream systems.

Why Runtime MCP Enforcement Matters

Without an inline MCP proxy, enforcement almost always happens after execution.

Unsafe requests are logged after they’ve already run. Sensitive data is detected only after it’s been exposed. Security teams are left reacting to incidents instead of preventing them.

That reactive model doesn’t work for agentic AI.

Akto MCP Proxy shifts enforcement directly into the execution path.

Every MCP request and response is evaluated in real time. Unsafe actions are stopped before they run. Sensitive data is blocked or redacted before exposure. Agent behavior remains continuously aligned with policy, not retroactively audited.

Security teams gain real-time control at execution.

Developers retain speed and flexibility.

That balance is what makes runtime MCP enforcement practical at scale.

Designed to Enforce Without Disrupting Workflows

Akto MCP Proxy is designed to be enforced centrally, while agent development remains decentralized.

This allows security teams to introduce strong runtime controls without slowing delivery, while enabling developers to continue building agentic workflows without added operational overhead.

Governance is enforced automatically, not negotiated per team or per deployment.

Real-time enforcement. No blind spots. Secure, governed MCP interactions by design.

Ready to see Akto MCP Proxy in action? Schedule a demo here