Enterprise-grade authorization for MCP servers
Safely expose tools to agents without compromising control, reliability, or auditability, using fine-grained permissions.
IAM is changing
MCP servers are a hidden security risk
Every MCP server is a new backdoor
MCP servers are being created in a way that allows them to bypass traditional API gateways, authentication layers, and access controls.
Rogue agents wreak havoc
AI agents operate "on behalf of users," but blur the lines of identity. They act without oversight, impersonating users and making destructive decisions.
AI agents break trust perimeters
To perform their tasks, AI agents need access to many services, forcing organizations to grant broad permissions that attackers can exploit.
“1,000 organizations exposed through a single line of code”
- Asana, June 2025
Built for enterprises
Fine-grained authorization for MCP servers with Cerbos
A centralized, scalable solution for dynamically controlling tool availability.
1
Define access rules
Write simple, declarative rules that define under which conditions users or workloads can access specific MCP tools, and authorize downstream service to service requests.
2
Deploy Cerbos PDP
Run Cerbos PDP with your policies managed by Cerbos Hub. The stateless service provides an API for MCP servers to query for authorization checks.
3
Integrate authorization checks
When clients connect, your MCP server calls Cerbos to check which tools are permitted for that user and context, then enables/disables tools accordingly.
4
Test and iterate
Verify policies work across different roles. Update permissions by modifying policies without touching the MCP server code - Cerbos supports live policy reloading.
Manage access for every identity — human or machine
Workforce
Partners
Customers
Microservices
Workloads
API clients
AI agents
AI workflows
MCP servers
Cerbos Hub Update
Spotlight webinar
Securing MCP servers
Learn about attack surfaces, fine-grained authorization, and your MCP security roadmap.
Access management for your stack
The Cerbos approach to future-proof authorization
Build your MCP server IAM strategy
Define, manage, and enforce access policies for all identity types:
Powerful ABAC, RBAC, and PBAC for your MCP servers and AI agents.
Full control over AI agents in cloud, on-prem, or hybrid environments.
Support Zero Trust with least privilege and continuous verification for every machine identity.
Seamless scalability and flexible run-time authorization.
Handle authorization at the API gateway, in the service mesh, and microservices
Prevent over-permissioned services with policy-based authorization — one policy engine for both user and service identities.
Enforce least privilege access control among services.
Secure MCP server communication using policy-based access control for delegated service calls.
Implement a principal identity-based delegated authorization strategy.
Apply consistent authorization across cloud-native, containerized, and distributed environments.
Predictable performance at scale driven by the stateless architecture.
Safeguard AI agents, MCP servers, and RAG pipelines
AI agents are non-human identities that access systems autonomously. Govern their actions and control data access to prevent leakage, injection, and overreach.
Secure agentic workflows with centralized policies.
Dynamic, policy-driven prompt filtering to add additional layers of control.
Control what context an LLM is provided with permission-aware data filtering for vector stores.
Enhance RAG architectures using data restricted to the user's permissions.
Get full visibility into MCP server and AI agent actions
Centralized audit trails for all non-human identity access decisions across all your applications. Stay compliant with SOC2, ISO27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and GDPR.
Capture every authorization check, across services, agents, and APIs, with structured logs that enable full traceability, compliance readiness, and forensic investigations.
Track which AI agent, API client, or workload accessed what, when, on behalf of whom, and which policy granted access, ensuring no identity operates unchecked.
Remove MCP compliance risks with full visibility into your agents actions.
Seamless integration
Perfectly fits into your tech stack
Integrations
SDKs
Deployment models
Secure MCP servers at scale
“We got the foundation set. Now we can scale and include more complex policies. And we can grow in the right direction and with the right security.”
Edgar Rivera
CEO @4gcapital
Saved per year by switching authorization services.
Policies are updated in minutes when requirements change.
Why enterprises choose Cerbos
Centralized policy management
Manage and enforce authorization consistently across all identity types through one central hub.
Manage and enforce authorization consistently across all identity types through one central hub.
Authorize anywhere
Run your authorization logic anywhere - in the cloud, on the edge, or directly on user’s devices.
Run your authorization logic anywhere - in the cloud, on the edge, or directly on user’s devices.
Grows with your architecture
Support evolving org structures, MCP server and AI agent growth, and complex access models - without rewriting access logic.
Support evolving org structures, MCP server and AI agent growth, and complex access models - without rewriting access logic.
Full auditability
Capture every request and decision in standardized audit logs. Stream to existing log management.
Capture every request and decision in standardized audit logs. Stream to existing log management.
Learn more about MCP server guardrails
eBook
Zero Trust for AI: Securing MCP Servers
Webinar
Adding fine-grained authorization to MCP servers
Article
How to secure your FastMCP server with permission management
Article
MCP permissions. Securing AI agent access to tools
Guide
Dynamic authorization for AI agents. A guide to fine-grained permissions in MCP servers
Article
AI agents, the Model Context Protocol, and the future of authorization guardrails
Article
MCP authorization: Securing Model Context Protocol servers with fine-grained access control
Article
MCP security & AI agent authorization. A CISO and architect’s guide to securing the new AI perimeter
Dynamic authorization at scaleReady to secure your MCP servers?
Our engineers will demonstrate how Cerbos can help you safely expose tools to agents.