Guide
MCP security checklist for production AI agents
Use this checklist before connecting AI agents to MCP servers that can reach code, databases, shells, SaaS APIs, browsers, logs, payments or production infrastructure.
Checklist item
Risk if missing
Control to implement
Inventory every MCP server and tool
Unknown tools become silent capabilities for agents.
Maintain a registry of MCP servers, discovered tools, schemas, capabilities and risk levels.
Use default-deny authorization
New agents or tools can run before security reviews happen.
Block calls without explicit allow policy and require approval for high-risk actions.
Issue separate credentials per agent
Shared tokens make attribution and revocation weak.
Give each agent its own credential, environment and trust level.
Route sensitive actions to approval
Production deploys, database writes and payment actions can execute automatically.
Use one-time, expiring approvals with replay protection and audit records.
Redact secrets before logging
Keys, tokens and customer data can leak into logs and model context.
Inspect arguments and record redacted metadata instead of raw sensitive values.
Record append-only audit evidence
Incident response fails when logs are scattered or mutable.
Record every allow, deny, approval-required and error decision centrally.
Force traffic through the gateway
Agents can bypass controls if direct MCP endpoints remain reachable.
Use network policy, client configuration and deployment standards to make AgentGate the required path.
Monitor risk alerts and approval SLA
Blocked actions and pending approvals can be missed until users complain.
Track open risk alerts, pending approvals, denial spikes and fail-closed errors.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the most important MCP security control?
- Default-deny runtime authorization is the foundation because it prevents unknown agents and tools from executing without explicit policy.
- Do MCP servers need audit logs?
- Yes. MCP tool calls can affect production systems, so teams need audit records that show the agent, tool, decision, risk score, reason and approver.
- How does AgentGate help with this checklist?
- AgentGate combines MCP server registry, tool inventory, per-agent credentials, default-deny policy, approvals, redaction, risk alerts and audit exports in one control plane.
Turn this checklist into runtime enforcement
Start a live workspace and validate the checklist against one MCP server.