An apparatus includes an input interface to receive incoming packets from a first network device and an output interface to send outgoing packets to a second network device. Media access control security (MACsec) circuitry is coupled between the input interface and the output interface. Bypass flow-control (FC) circuitry is coupled between the input interface and the MACsec circuitry. The bypass FC circuitry is to detect an FC packet in the incoming packets and pass the FC packet passively to the output interface to enable end-to-end flow control directly between the first network device and the second network device.