Give every AI agent—and every independently privileged component—its own identity, owner, purpose, and lifecycle. Keep authentication separate from authorization: an agent may propose an action, but deterministic application and identity policies must decide whether it is allowed. Prefer managed or federated workload credentials where the host and target support them; protect any static keys that remain as secrets.
Separate the identities in an agent workflow
An agent workflow can involve several principals: the initiating user, the host application, the agent, a callable tool, and the resource being accessed. Model these separately so a permission grant or audit event can be tied to the principal that actually used it. Google Cloud IAM describes agent identities for generative AI agents; Microsoft’s guidance likewise treats agent identity as a distinct design concern. Google Cloud IAM: agent identity · Microsoft: agent identity fundamentals
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Decide whether each operation runs as the application or on behalf of a user. For user data, preserve user-level authorization unless app-only access is an explicit, controlled product decision. Record each identity’s owner, purpose, approved data access, and tool dependencies in an inventory or the identity record. Avoid one shared, powerful account or secret for an entire workflow: it makes access harder to constrain and actions harder to attribute.
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Choose a credential pattern that fits both ends
A credential method is only viable if the workload host can issue or obtain it and the target API accepts it. Managed identity is not universally available: support depends on the hosting environment and the target resource. Microsoft recommends managed identity when the workload, host, and resource support it. Google recommends choosing a more secure alternative to service-account keys when possible, and AWS recommends temporary credentials for AWS access.
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| Pattern | When to consider it | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Managed or provider-issued workload identity | The workload runs on a compatible provider platform and the target accepts that identity. | Confirm support in the exact host and target service, then grant only the required resource permissions. Microsoft: managed identities overview |
| Federated workload identity or another short-lived token mechanism | Containers, CI/CD, external workloads, or deployments spanning environments need credentials without a long-lived key. | Constrain the trusted issuer, subject, and audience to the intended workload, and check the target’s federation support. Google Cloud: workload identity federation |
| Static API key or user-managed service-account key | A third-party API or integration requires a static secret and offers no compatible short-lived alternative. | Treat it as a residual secret: restrict retrieval, store it in a secrets or key-management service, audit access, and plan rotation and emergency revocation. AWS Well-Architected: identities and secrets |
For AWS workloads, consult its guidance on temporary credentials and secure secret use rather than embedding access keys in source or configuration. AWS Well-Architected calls embedding keys in source code, configuration files, or mobile apps a common anti-pattern. AWS IAM: temporary security credentials · AWS Well-Architected: store and use secrets securely
Enforce least privilege at every hop
Give each component only the actions it needs on the specific resources it must use. Separate identities when components have different access requirements, and review effective permissions across the agent, tools, and downstream services—not just the first token in the chain. Scope tokens to the narrowest practical audience and permissions, and use the shortest practical duration supported by the platform.
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Every tool call needs an authorization check outside the model. Apply stronger controls when an action can write or delete data, spend money, cross a tenant boundary, or expose sensitive information. Use temporary privilege elevation or an approval gate for exceptional high-impact work instead of leaving broad privileges permanently attached to an agent. OWASP’s guidance for LLM applications discusses risks around excessive agency and the need to constrain what systems can do. OWASP GenAI Security Project: LLM Top 10
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If an integration requires a static key or private key, store it in a purpose-built managed secrets service or secure key store. Do not put it in source code, ordinary configuration, container images, prompts, or logs. Restrict and audit which workload identities can retrieve it; the agent should receive only the access needed for the specific call, not broad access to the secret store.
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For every remaining secret, document its owner, consumer, purpose, storage location, retrieval identity, rotation method, and emergency revocation path. Automate rotation where the integration permits it, and ensure consumers can reload the replacement credential. Google notes that user-managed service-account keys create risk and that their holders are responsible for protecting and managing their lifecycle. No single rotation interval is appropriate for every provider and integration; set a schedule based on the secret’s exposure, available automation, and operational requirements rather than treating an arbitrary interval as universal.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Log actions and rehearse revocation
Correlate each request with the authorization decision, tool execution, resource accessed, and outcome. Capture the agent identity, action, effective scope, and relevant initiating-user or request context. These records should let responders distinguish an agent action from a human or host-application action without recording the secret itself.
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Review effective permissions and remove unused access. Rehearse how to disable an agent, revoke or rotate its secrets, invalidate issued tokens where supported, and remove stale roles. When an agent is retired, deprovision its identity and clean up its remaining grants. Microsoft’s agent identity guidance and OWASP’s GenAI security material provide further context for identity and agent controls. Microsoft: agent identity fundamentals · OWASP GenAI Security Project: LLM Top 10
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Implementation checklist
- Map principals: identify the user, host, agent, tools, and target resources; decide whether calls are app-only or delegated.
- Choose credentials: verify that both the host and target support managed identity or federation before adopting it. If neither fits, document the static secret as an exception.
- Constrain access: create distinct identities for independently privileged components, scope permissions to required actions and resources, and authorize each tool call independently.
- Protect secrets: place residual keys in a managed secret or key store, limit and audit retrieval, and test rotation and emergency revocation.
- Operate the lifecycle: log attributable actions, review access, rehearse disablement and token invalidation, and deprovision retired agents.
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