How can we audit AI traffic without breaking developer tools?

Start with DNS logs and a maintained list of known AI service domains. That can show which endpoints are being contacted without intercepting encrypted traffic. Make sure you understand which devices use your logged resolvers, since traffic using other DNS paths can leave gaps.

The limitation is pretty big, though. A DNS lookup doesn't tell you what was sent, how much was sent, or even reliably map every request to a particular person. It is a discovery signal, not proof of a data leak.

Once you have an inventory, pick services you can provision and manage, then set an acceptable-use policy for code and other sensitive material. Block unapproved services where practical, but give developers a supported option first. Otherwise a blanket block is likely to become a workflow problem.

Check what your existing endpoint security tools can report before adding another proxy. Endpoint network telemetry may give you device-level connections, and a cloud app discovery product may be able to classify some known AI services.

Coverage matters here. Verify what agents and policies support Windows, macOS, and Linux, and test the actual browsers and IDEs in use. Classification and connection records still won't show the contents of an encrypted prompt.

An LLM gateway is worth considering for approved API use. It can provide a common place to control access and record activity for requests routed through it. It won't automatically capture browser tools or extensions that connect directly to their own providers, so treat it as a supported path rather than a complete discovery solution.

I'd keep TLS inspection as a separate decision, not the first step. Inspecting content can require trusted certificates, capacity planning, application exceptions, privacy controls, and ongoing maintenance. Some tools may fail when they don't accept the inspection certificate or use certificate pinning.

If content visibility is genuinely required, test it with a small set of tools and define the scope and retention rules first. It gives you more visibility than DNS, but it comes with a real operational cost.