# Kong Gateway MCP for AI Agents AI Agent Connect > Kong Gateway MCP. Manage your API Gateway infrastructure by listing services, configuring routes, and managing consumers or plugins directly through your AI agent. You can handle everything from load balancing and SSL certificates to plugin configurations without leaving your workspace. It gives you a natural language interface for your Kong Admin API, making it easy to audit security, monitor node health, and deploy new traffic rules instantly. ## Overview - **Category:** friends-mcp - **Price:** Free - **Endpoint:** https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_YvcjgDsnuK2PnJrPLDW7o9w6piYUNvhDJHjFGlVO/ai-agent-connect - **Tags:** api-gateway, microservices, traffic-management, rest-api, infrastructure-as-code, load-balancing ## Description This Connector puts your Kong Gateway management system under the control of your AI agent. Instead of running manual commands or clicking through a dense dashboard to verify a route, you just tell your agent what needs to happen. You can build out new services, set up routing rules for your traffic, and manage your consumers in a single conversation. It handles the heavy lifting of infrastructure management, so you can focus on the actual logic of your applications. When you use this with the Vinkius catalog, you get a direct line to your gateway without the friction of traditional terminal tools. It's like having a dedicated DevOps engineer who knows your setup inside out and can make changes instantly. You can check if a node is healthy or update a certificate without ever leaving your current workspace. It turns a multi-step configuration process into a simple request, making it much faster to push changes to production. You can query your consumers to see who is hitting your endpoints or quickly update an upstream target if a node goes down. It removes the need to keep multiple browser tabs open just to check a simple configuration. You get a unified way to interact with your gateway that feels like a natural conversation rather than a series of technical hurdles. You'll spend less time wrestling with syntax and more time actually shipping features. It's about making your infrastructure approachable for anyone who knows what they want to achieve. ## Tools ### create_target Create a new Target for an existing Upstream. This allows you to define specific backend endpoints for load balancing. ### create_upstream Create a new Kong Upstream for load balancing. This groups multiple targets together for traffic distribution. ### delete_certificate Delete a Kong Certificate from your gateway. Use this to clean up old or expired security credentials. ### delete_plugin Delete a Kong Plugin that is no longer in use. This keeps your gateway configuration lean. ### delete_route Delete a Kong Route to remove a traffic path. Use this when you no longer need a specific endpoint exposed. ### delete_service Delete a Kong Service from your gateway configuration. This removes the service definition from your gateway. ### delete_sni Delete a Kong SNI from your configuration. Use this to remove specific hostnames from your gateway setup. ### delete_consumer Delete a Kong Consumer who no longer needs access. This helps keep your consumer list clean and secure. ### delete_target Delete a Target from an Upstream group. This helps you remove specific backend nodes from your load balancer. ### get_route Get the details for a specific Kong Route. This helps you verify how traffic is being directed. ### update_consumer Update an existing Kong Consumer's details. Use this to change permissions or metadata for a specific user. ### update_plugin Update an existing Kong Plugin configuration. This is the fastest way to adjust rate limits or auth rules. ### update_route Update an existing Kong Route's traffic rules. Use this to change where a specific endpoint points. ### update_service Update an existing Kong Service definition. Use this to change the upstream configuration for a service. ### create_certificate Create a new Kong Certificate for your gateway. This helps you manage your SSL and security requirements more easily. ### list_certificates List all Kong Certificates currently in your system. This allows you to see all active certificates at a glance. ### create_consumer Create a new Kong Consumer to manage API access. This helps you track individual users or applications. ### create_plugin Create a new Kong Plugin for features like rate limiting. This adds specific functionality to your gateway. ### create_route Create a new Kong Route to direct traffic to your services. This helps you manage how users reach your different backend endpoints. ### create_service Create a new Kong Service to define your upstream. This is the first step in exposing a new backend to your gateway. ### create_sni Create a new Kong SNI for secure connections. This helps manage how your gateway handles specific hostnames. ### delete_upstream Delete a Kong Upstream from your gateway. Use this to remove a group of targets from your load balancing setup. ### get_certificate Get the details for a specific Kong Certificate. This is useful for verifying certificate properties. ### get_consumer Get the details for a specific Kong Consumer. Use this to check the specific permissions of a user or app. ### get_info Retrieve general information about the Kong node. This gives you a high-level view of your gateway instance. ### get_plugin Get the details for a specific Kong Plugin. Use this to see the exact configuration of a plugin in use. ### get_service Get the details for a specific Kong Service. Use this to check the upstream configuration for a service. ### get_sni Get the details for a specific Kong SNI. Use this to verify host_header configurations. ### get_status Retrieve the current status of the Kong node. This provides real-time health data for your gateway. ### get_upstream Get the details for a specific Kong Upstream. Use this to check load balancing and target configurations. ### list_consumers List all Kong Consumers currently registered. This allows you to see who has access to your gateway at a glance. ### list_plugins List all Kong Plugins currently active. This helps you audit which features are enabled on your gateway. ### list_routes List all Kong Routes currently configured. Use this to see every endpoint your gateway is currently exposing. ### list_services List all Kong Services currently in your gateway. This gives you a quick overview of your upstream services. ### list_snis List all Kong SNIs currently configured. Use this to see all hostnames your gateway is currently handling. ### list_targets List all Targets for a specific Upstream. This shows you all the individual backend nodes in a group. ### list_upstreams List all Kong Upstreams currently active. Use this to see your load balancing groups. ### update_certificate Update an existing Kong Certificate in your system. Use this to refresh your SSL credentials without recreating them. ### update_sni Update an existing Kong SNI configuration. Use this to change host_header rules for your gateway. ### update_upstream Update an existing Kong Upstream configuration. Use this to modify your load balancing groups. ## Prompt Examples **Prompt:** ``` What's the current status of my Kong Gateway node? ``` **Response:** ``` The Kong node is currently healthy. Here is the status: | Metric | Status | | :--- | :--- | | Database | Reachable | | Active Connections | 124 | | Uptime | 14 days | Would you like me to check any specific upstream targets? ``` **Prompt:** ``` Create a new service called 'auth-api' pointing to 'http://auth.internal'. ``` **Response:** ``` I have successfully created the service 'auth-api'. It is now configured to point to 'http://auth.internal' on port 80. **Next Steps:** - Create a route for this service - Add plugins for authentication - Configure load balancing Should I create a route for this service now? ``` **Prompt:** ``` List all active consumers and their plugins. ``` **Response:** ``` I've retrieved the list of active consumers for your gateway: * **User_Alpha**: Rate Limiting, Logging * **App_Beta**: Rate Limiting, Auth * **Partner_Gamma**: Logging Would you like me to pull the specific configuration for any of these? ``` ## Capabilities ### Create and update routes Set up traffic rules for your services using natural language. ### Manage API consumers Query and track which users or apps are hitting your gateway. ### Configure load balancing Manage upstreams and health-checked targets to distribute traffic. ### Handle SSL certificates List, create, and update certificates to keep your endpoints secure. ### Monitor system health Get real-time status updates on your Kong node and active connections. ## Use Cases ### Quickly adding a new microservice A developer needs to expose a new auth service. They ask the agent to create a service and a route, and the agent handles the Kong configuration immediately. ### Emergency traffic rerouting A node goes down. An engineer tells the agent to update the upstream targets to shift traffic to a healthy cluster. ### Security audit for new clients An architect asks the agent to list all active consumers and check if they have the correct rate-limiting plugins attached. ### Bulk certificate updates An admin needs to refresh SNIs across multiple endpoints. They ask the agent to list certificates and update the specific ones that are expiring. ## Benefits - Stop running manual commands for every small change. Use `create_route` or `update_service` to make instant updates to your gateway without leaving your chat window. - Audit your security faster. Use `list_consumers` and `list_plugins` to see exactly who has access and what authentication rules are active across your entire setup. - Speed up your deployment cycle. Backend developers can use `create_service` and `create_route` to spin up new endpoints during development without waiting for a manual ticket. - Maintain high availability with ease. Use `create_upstream` and `create_target` to manage load balancing and health checks through simple instructions to your agent. - Simplify certificate management. Use `list_certificates` and `update_certificate` to manage your SSL/TLS requirements without hunting through the Kong Admin UI. ## How It Works The bottom line is you get a natural language interface for your gateway management that handles the heavy lifting of infrastructure tasks. 1. Subscribe to this Connector via the Vinkius Marketplace. 2. Provide your Kong Admin URL and an optional Admin Token. 3. Start asking your agent to create routes, check node status, or manage consumers. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Can I use the Kong Gateway MCP to manage my production traffic?** Yes, this Connector connects to your Kong Admin API, allowing your agent to create routes, update upstreams, and manage traffic rules in real time. **Does the Kong Gateway MCP support SSL certificate updates?** Yes, you can use the Connector to list, create, and update certificates, making it easy to manage your SSL and security requirements through conversation. **Who is the best audience for the Kong Gateway MCP?** It is designed for DevOps engineers, backend developers, and API architects who need to manage gateway infrastructure without jumping between different dashboards and terminal windows. **How do I connect my Kong Gateway to my AI agent?** Once you subscribe to the Connector, you just need to provide your Kong Admin URL and an optional Admin Token to start managing your gateway. **Can I use Kong Gateway MCP to check my gateway's health?** Yes, the Connector can retrieve the real-time status of your Kong node, including database reachability and active connection counts. **Does this Connector help with load balancing?** Yes, it allows you to manage upstreams and targets through your agent, making it simple to configure how traffic is distributed across your backend. **Is the Kong Gateway MCP safe for my infrastructure?** The Connector uses your existing Kong Admin API credentials. It only performs the actions you specifically request through your AI agent. **How can I check if my Kong Gateway instance is running correctly?** You can use the `get_status` tool. It will return the current status of the Kong node, including database connectivity and server metrics. **Can I list all the plugins currently enabled on my gateway?** Yes! Use the `list_plugins` tool to retrieve a complete list of all configured plugins across your entire Kong instance. **Is it possible to create a new service and its route through the AI?** Absolutely. You can use `create_service` to define your upstream and then `create_route` to specify how traffic should reach that service.