# Kong alternatives when agent calls leave the gateway

DevFeed: [Kong alternatives when agent calls leave the gateway](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/kong-alternatives-when-agent-calls-leave-the-gateway-103587.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.swytchcode.com/content/kong-alternatives-for-outbound-agent-calls>)

Author: Swytchcode Team

Published: 2026-10-27T16:35:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Swytchcode](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/swytchcode.md>)

Topics: [gateway](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/gateway.md>), [API Logging](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/api-logging.md>), [LLM security](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/llm-security.md>), [API Governance](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/api-governance.md>), [agent to agent communication](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/agent-to-agent-communication.md>)

Tags: [000](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/000.md>), [2026](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/2026.md>), [admin](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/admin.md>), [agent](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agent.md>), [agent-runtimes](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agent-runtimes.md>), [agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agents.md>), [ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai.md>), [ai-agent](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai-agent.md>), [ai-agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai-agents.md>), [ai-gateway](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai-gateway.md>), [alternatives](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/alternatives.md>), [api](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/api.md>), [api-gateway](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/api-gateway.md>), [apis](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/apis.md>), [call](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/call.md>), [engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/engineering.md>), [gateway](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/gateway.md>), [llm](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/llm.md>), [mcp](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mcp.md>), [route](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/route.md>), [traffic](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/traffic.md>)

## AI overview

Kong governs calls routed through its gateway, including configured LLM, MCP, and agent-to-agent traffic; a provider SDK call made directly from an agent bypasses Kong's route and logs. The excerpt recommends keeping Kong for published APIs and routed traffic, while protecting direct provider calls separately with an allowlist, argument checks, and credentials stored outside the model prompt. It describes Swytchcode's workflow: install and initialize the CLI, find and add accepted method IDs, connect provider credentials in its local store, then validate a policy and run a dry run. A blocked call exits with code 6 before reaching the provider. Kong Plus counts gateway requests (one million monthly included, then $200 per extra million); Swytchcode counts live commands, with the excerpt listing 100 monthly on Free and one million for $149 monthly on Business. MCP ACLs can hide tools but do not inspect a bypassing provider call's body.

## Source excerpt

Kong governs traffic that hits a Kong route, including LLM, MCP, and agent-to-agent calls. A direct provider call from the agent never enters that route.