The gut microbiome produces a plethora of metabolites that influence host metabolism. In a recent article published in Cell, Nie and colleagues reveal that 3-succinylated cholic acid, a microbe-derived bile acid, protects against metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease. The authors show that an increased abundance of the beneficial commensal microbe Akkermansia muciniphila, rather than enhanced bile acid signaling, drives this protective phenotype.