---
title: "MCP gateway: definition and example | Agent MCP Directory"
description: "MCP gateway: A proxy in front of MCP servers that authenticates callers, injects upstream credentials. Defined with a sourced example."
canonical: https://agentmcpdirectory.com/glossary/mcp-gateway
site: "Agent MCP Directory"
last_updated: 2026-11-04
section: "Glossary"
---

# MCP gateway: definition and example | Agent MCP Directory

> MCP gateway: A proxy in front of MCP servers that authenticates callers, injects upstream credentials. Defined with a sourced example.

Source: https://agentmcpdirectory.com/glossary/mcp-gateway
Site: Agent MCP Directory
Last reviewed: 2026-11-04

# MCP gateway

MCP gateway: A proxy in front of MCP servers that authenticates callers, injects upstream credentials, filters tools and logs calls. Example: Portkey's MCP Gateway logs every tool call with user, parameters and response. Next in the glossary is MCP host: The LLM application that starts client connections and asks the user for consent.

## Definition

A proxy in front of MCP servers that authenticates callers, injects upstream credentials, filters tools and logs calls.

## Example, with source

Portkey's MCP Gateway logs every tool call with user, parameters and response. ([portkey.ai](https://portkey.ai/docs/product/mcp-gateway), read 4 November 2026)

## Where it appears on this site

-   [MCP](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/standards/mcp/)
-   [Hosts and gateways compared](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/hosts/)
-   [Tool descriptions and agent success](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/guides/tool-descriptions-and-agent-success/)

## Neighbouring terms

-   [MCP client](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/glossary/mcp-client/): The connector inside a host application that holds one connection to one MCP server.
-   [MCP host](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/glossary/mcp-host/): The LLM application that starts client connections and asks the user for consent.
-   [MCP registry](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/glossary/mcp-registry/): A catalog of MCP server metadata that clients and directories read; the official one is registry.modelcontextprotocol.io.

Edition

4 November 2026

Method

[How rows are verified](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/method/)

Data

[CSV and JSON](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/data/)

Markdown

[This page as markdown](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/glossary/mcp-gateway/index.md)

## Sources

-   [Source for the MCP gateway example](https://portkey.ai/docs/product/mcp-gateway), read 4 November 2026

Last reviewed 4 November 2026