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Keel

Claimed

Enforce action-level rules before AI agents execute calls

Free, no paid tier
Free Security Identity & Access
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Tracked since 2026
Verified vendor

The Bottom Line

Best for
Teams whose agents take consequential actions (payments, writes, messages) and who must show afterward that each action was authorized.
Price
Free, no paid tier. Compare plans

Key facts

  • Checks each supported agent action before it runs: allow, deny, throttle or review
  • Human approval is tied to the exact request, not a blanket permission
  • Signed decision records you can check offline with the open-source keel-verifier

Pros

  • Decides on the specific action and its arguments, not just the agent's identity
  • A review holds the action until a person approves that exact request
  • Works alongside your identity provider, gateway and observability tools
  • Open AI Permit specification (Apache-2.0) and MIT-licensed verifier

Cons

  • Covers only actions routed through Keel; agents and tools it can't see aren't governed
  • Requires integrating Keel's SDK or API; it isn't a drop-in agent
  • A product from a small team

What is Keel?

Keel (keelapi.com) decides whether an AI agent's action should run before it runs. Teams send supported actions, such as model calls and MCP tool calls, through Keel's SDK or API. Keel checks each one against rules for identity, scope, arguments, budget, rate limits and required human approval, and returns one of four outcomes: allow, deny, throttle or review. Only allow lets the action execute. A review holds the action until a person approves that exact request. Each decision is recorded as an AI Permit, a signed record made before the action runs. Permit decision, review and closure records can be checked offline against Keel's published keys with keel-verifier, an open-source MIT command-line tool on PyPI. Keel works alongside your identity provider and gateways rather than replacing them. They decide who the agent is and which systems it can reach; Keel decides whether this specific action should run.

Available on: Web, API

Data compiled by Toolradar How we evaluate
Source keelapi.com

Preview

Key Features

  • Pre-dispatch decisions on supported paths
  • Review outcome with approval evidence
  • Offline verification with the MIT-licensed keel-verifier

Pricing

Free

Keel is completely free to use with no hidden costs.

View pricing

Is Keel worth the price?

Great value

Keel is currently free with no paid tiers, which is extremely generous compared to competitors that charge per seat or per action.

This makes it an unbeatable value for teams needing AI agent safety controls without upfront costs. Best for early adopters and budget-conscious organizations.

Full Keel pricing: every plan, hidden costs and alternatives

Keel by the numbers

Keel compared with 107 Identity & Access tools on Toolradar, as of Oct 2026
Metric Keel Peer median Position (1 is best)
Free plan Yes 60% have one n/a
Integrations listed 3 2 #5 of 14 (joint) tools with at least one integration recorded

Each position is counted among the tools that have data for that row, as noted under it. All Identity & Access data · How we compute this. Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position.

Cite this: Toolradar, “Keel by the numbers”, Oct 2026.

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Best Keel Alternatives

Top alternatives based on features, pricing, and user needs.

Cerbos logo
Cerbos Freemium

Fine-grained, contextual, and continuous authorization for enterprise software and AI systems.

4.9
Oso logo
Oso Freemium

Secure and authorize AI agents and applications with fine-grained controls and audit trails.

Permit.io logo
Permit.io Freemium

End-to-end authorization platform for the AI era, with no-code policy editing and GitOps.

OpenFGA logo
OpenFGA Free

Fine-grained authorization inspired by Google's Zanzibar, built for scalability and flexibility.

Open Policy Agent logo
Open Policy Agent Free

Unify policy enforcement across your entire software stack with a high-performance policy engine.

See all security tools →

Still deciding?

Most buyers shortlist 2 or 3 tools before committing. Pull a side-by-side comparison or browse the full alternatives shortlist below.

Keel vs Cerbos Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins Keel vs Oso Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins Keel vs Permit.io Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins

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Keel FAQ

How does Keel help teams enforce budget limits on AI agent actions?

Keel checks each action against rules for budget, among other criteria. If an action would exceed the set budget, Keel returns a deny outcome, preventing the action from executing. This allows teams to control costs associated with model calls and tool usage.

How does Keel differ from Permit.io in governing AI agent actions?

Unlike Permit.io, Keel evaluates each action based on its specific arguments and context, not just the agent's identity. Additionally, Keel can return a review outcome that holds the action until a person approves that exact request, providing human oversight.

What are the trade-offs of using Keel to govern AI agent actions?

Keel only governs actions that are routed through its SDK or API; any actions it cannot see are not subject to its rules. Additionally, integrating Keel requires adding its SDK or API to your workflow, so it is not a drop-in solution.

Which teams would benefit most from integrating Keel into their AI agent workflow?

Teams that need fine-grained control over each AI agent action, such as enforcing budgets, rate limits, or requiring human approval for sensitive operations, would benefit from Keel. It is especially useful for security and identity teams that want to add an action-level policy layer alongside their existing identity provider and gateway.

Does Keel include a free tier for teams to start with?

Yes, Keel is free to use with no paid plan required. Teams can start using it immediately without any cost.

How does Keel record decisions for offline verification?

Each decision is recorded as an AI Permit, a signed record made before the action runs. These permits, along with review and closure records, can be checked offline using the open-source keel-verifier tool and Keel's published keys.

Can Keel work alongside existing identity providers and gateways?

Yes, Keel is designed to work alongside your identity provider and gateways rather than replacing them. The identity provider determines who the agent is and which systems it can reach, while Keel decides whether the specific action should run.

Source: keelapi.com

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