Gravitee manages API traffic, event streams, and LLM routing. Willow governs employee AI tools with shadow AI discovery, scoped access, runtime approvals, and audit trails.
Willow and Gravitee address different operational layers in enterprise AI adoption. Organizations can deploy both to secure AI tools: Willow enforces AI access control and posture governance across employee workstations, while Gravitee manages high-throughput backend API traffic, event streams, and LLM provider connections.
Willow operates as an employee AI governance control plane. It scans local developer environments for unmanaged MCP servers, skill folders, and configuration files. It injects guard hooks into coding agents such as Claude Code and Cursor, checks web prompts through a browser extension, provides self-service access to sanctioned tools, and supports human approval workflows for configured tool calls.
Gravitee operates as an in-line network gateway and policy enforcement point. Built on a reactive event engine, Gravitee manages API traffic, Kafka topics, and LLM calls between consumers and backends. Its Gamma architecture unites API Management, Event Stream Management, and Agent Management in a single catalog, converting existing OpenAPI specifications into MCP tools and evaluating wire-level policies with an embedded Policy Decision Point.
The primary architectural difference centers on the enforcement boundary. Willow protects the employee surface: the laptop, IDE, terminal, and browser where workers invoke AI models and tools. Gravitee protects the backend network pipe: the ingress and egress boundaries where internal microservices and external LLM APIs communicate.
In developer tool governance, both systems interact with coding agents, but through separate mechanisms. Gravitee provides an Edge Daemon preview on macOS (distributed via Kandji MDM) for network-based shadow-AI detection, local pre-egress checks, and routing supported model traffic (such as Claude Code via the Anthropic API). However, the preview is not production-ready and daemon-to-gateway traffic currently uses plain HTTP without transport encryption or authentication. Gravitee does not inspect local configuration files or repositories. Willow uses a lightweight background service to discover local mcp.json files, prompt templates (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md), and installed skills across macOS, Windows, and Linux, applying allow, warn, or block rules directly on the operating system.
For tool execution security, Gravitee applies MCP capability-level policies controlling tools, resources, and prompts, where an attached ACL policy with no rules denies those capabilities. Gravitee Gamma also provides human-in-the-loop review for MCP tool calls alongside gateway authorization, holding matching calls in an approval inbox, and provides in-gateway ONNX text classification and PII filtering on routed payloads. Willow complements gateway authorization with client guard hooks that enforce least privilege for AI agents. In Willow, gateway approvals hold tool inputs and can require retrying the approved call, while client hook coverage depends on configured matchers and fails open on timeout or loss of connectivity.
Willow gives administrators visibility into shadow AI by scanning employee devices on macOS, Windows, and Linux. The Scan Agent inventories local MCP server definitions, skills, plugins, and configuration files, reporting unmanaged integrations to a centralized dashboard. Security teams define policy rules to automatically allow sanctioned tools, warn users about unvetted servers, or block unauthorized integrations before they connect to corporate resources.
For web-based AI usage, Willow deploys Prompt Guard via a browser extension. It monitors prompts submitted to consumer AI interfaces including ChatGPT and Claude, scanning text and attachments for sensitive data. Teams can configure warn or block policies to prevent confidential code, customer records, or credentials from leaking into unauthorized cloud platforms.
Willow supports human approval for configured Willow-mediated tool calls. When a client invokes a tool configured for review, Willow pauses execution and creates a pending approval record with a review link. In gateway deployments, approving the request allows an identical tool call to be retried. On developer workstations, guard hooks inspect file operations and prompts, with coverage varying by client and matcher settings. Coding-agent hooks fail open if a hook times out or Willow becomes unreachable.
Willow also manages autonomous background agents and machine users. Each machine user receives dedicated credentials with scoped permissions establishing distinct agent identity. Willow logs requests it handles, with configurable payload retention and external SIEM forwarding to platforms such as Splunk, Loki, and CrowdStrike for security compliance and an Enterprise AI audit trail.
Consider Gravitee when specific backend API gateway, event streaming, or network proxying requirements guide the architecture:
Gravitee licensing depends on the chosen product, version, and module. Classic APIM setup guides for the LLM Proxy and Token Rate Limit specify an Enterprise license, while Gamma Agent Management requires an enterprise license with the agent-management pack. Gravitee offers Agent Management availability across every commercial tier, with its entry Planet tier starting at $2,500 per month for a single production and non-production gateway (limited to one module), alongside consumption-based options. Operationally, running Gravitee Guard Rails requires Debian-based Docker containers (as default Alpine images lack ONNX Runtime support) and substantial Java heap allocation.
Willow offers a free plan for up to 15 users. For enterprise environments, Willow quotes custom annual per-seat licensing covering Client Guard Hooks, Prompt Guard browser protection, machine user governance, and runtime security features. Willow deploys as a multi-tenant cloud service, a hybrid control plane, or a fully self-hosted instance inside customer infrastructure.
Selecting between Willow and Gravitee is not an either-or decision. Modern security programs require controls at both the endpoint and the network layer. Deploying an API gateway like Gravitee centralizes model connectivity and turns backend microservices and Kafka topics into governed tools. Deploying Willow ensures that developer workstations, local MCP servers, browser chat tabs, and autonomous background agents operate within corporate guardrails.
Gravitee does not inspect developer filesystems. Its Edge Daemon observes workstation network connections and uses transparent DNS redirection to steer calls to known AI model providers into the AI Gateway. It does not scan for local mcp.json files, skill definitions, or instruction templates. Willow deploys a lightweight Scan Agent across macOS, Windows, and Linux specifically to discover local MCP servers, inspect prompt files, and apply device-level posture rules.
Willow is not a general-purpose replacement for Gravitee's API and event-management platform. Gravitee manages high-throughput REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and Kafka traffic between distributed microservices, providing wire-level rate limiting and OpenAPI-to-MCP translation. Willow governs the employee interaction surface, ensuring that workers using tools like Claude Code, Cursor, and web chat models connect only to sanctioned resources under strict policy enforcement.
Both platforms provide human review mechanisms, but apply them across different execution boundaries. Gravitee Gamma provides a Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) review workflow for MCP tool calls, holding matching calls at the gateway waiting for human review in an approval inbox and logging decisions in a Decisions view. Willow supports human authorization on configured Willow-mediated tool calls: when an agent invokes a guarded tool, Willow holds the inputs and generates an approval link, requiring an identical call to be retried once approved. On developer endpoints, Willow provides client guard hooks that fail open if connectivity is lost.
Gravitee licensing depends on the specific feature and architecture. Classic APIM guides specify an Enterprise license for LLM Proxy and Token Rate Limit policies, while Gamma Agent Management requires an enterprise license with the agent-management pack. Commercially, Gravitee offers Agent Management starting on its Planet tier ($2,500 per month for a single gateway deployment, alongside consumption-based options), rather than restricting it solely to top-tier contracts.
Yes. Gravitee and Willow operate as natural complements. Gravitee exposes backend enterprise APIs and Kafka topics as structured MCP tools and manages external LLM provider traffic. Willow secures the employee endpoints where engineers and knowledge workers invoke those tools, enforcing device posture, browser DLP, and human-in-the-loop approvals before sensitive actions execute.
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