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Store an AI agent’s credentials as narrowly scoped workload credentials: restrict which identities and Pods can access them, enable encryption at rest for Kubernetes Secret data, and prefer short-lived projected ServiceAccount tokens when the agent needs Kubernetes API access. For external credentials, use a supported secrets-store integration where it fits. A rotation is complete only after the new value reaches the agent, the agent uses it successfully, and the old value is retired using the external service’s supported procedure.
Choose where each credential belongs
Start by identifying what the agent needs to authenticate to: the Kubernetes API, a cloud API, or another external service. Keep credentials out of container images, source control, ConfigMaps, and places the agent does not need to read. A Pod that never calls the Kubernetes API should not receive a Kubernetes API token.
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Kubernetes Secret objects
Kubernetes Secret objects are a built-in way to hold confidential values such as passwords, OAuth tokens, and SSH keys. Their values are base64-encoded in the API representation; base64 is not encryption. Kubernetes documents that Secret data is stored unencrypted in etcd by default and advises configuring encryption at rest for Secret data. That API-data protection is distinct from disk-level or etcd-cluster encryption.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsUse role-based access control (RBAC) to give each workload or controller only the access it needs. Avoid broad list and watch permissions on Secrets: either can expose more secret data than a workload needs. Also consider who can create Pods or Deployments in a namespace. Someone with that ability may be able to create a workload that indirectly accesses a Secret available there.
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External secret stores
An external secrets manager can be the authoritative source while an integration delivers values to authorized Pods. The Kubernetes Secrets Store CSI Driver, for example, mounts retrieved values into a Pod through a CSI volume. Depending on the integration, values may also be synchronized into Kubernetes Secret objects. Synchronization can be convenient, but it creates a copy in the Kubernetes API and etcd, so account for that in your storage and access controls.
Choose an integration that your cluster and provider support, and review how it authenticates, what permissions it needs, where it puts the resulting value, and how updates reach the application. Official examples include HashiCorp’s Vault CSI provider and Vault Secrets Operator, AWS Secrets Manager integrations, Microsoft’s AKS Key Vault CSI provider, and Google Cloud Secret Manager synchronization. These are implementation options, not a universal ranking.
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Give the agent the right identity
For Kubernetes API access
A Pod’s ServiceAccount is its Kubernetes identity. Use a dedicated ServiceAccount with only the permissions needed for the agent’s tasks rather than relying on a broadly privileged identity. For Pods that do not need the Kubernetes API, set automountServiceAccountToken: false.
For Kubernetes v1.22 and later, Kubernetes recommends TokenRequest and projected ServiceAccount token volumes as short-lived token approaches; projected tokens rotate automatically. Do not create new workloads around legacy ServiceAccount token Secrets, which do not expire or rotate.
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For cloud and external APIs
When the agent needs cloud access, prefer a provider-supported workload identity or federated identity integration over a static cloud key embedded in an image or manifest. The exact setup depends on the cloud and cluster. For example, Microsoft documents an AKS CSI flow that exchanges a Kubernetes token for a Microsoft Entra token. Give the identity only the provider permissions the agent requires.
Deliver secrets in a form the agent can handle
Mounted files or CSI volumes are often easier to constrain than environment variables. Kubernetes’ Secrets guidance notes that environment variables may be more prone to leakage through logs or crash dumps and recommends volume injection where appropriate. Whichever delivery method you choose, make the application’s update behavior part of the design.
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- Mounted file: the integration may update the file when the source value changes, but the agent must detect the change and reload or reopen the file. A process that reads the file only at startup will continue using the old value until it reloads or restarts.
- Environment variable: an already-running process does not automatically receive a changed environment value. Arrange a controlled Pod restart after the updated value is available.
- Synchronized Kubernetes Secret: check the integration’s update behavior and ensure the workload is restarted or reloads its mounted value as appropriate. A synchronized copy is still a Kubernetes Secret and needs the corresponding access and at-rest protections.
Rotate an application credential without cutting off the agent
Rotation is an end-to-end workload change, not just an update in a password manager. Before starting, identify the owner, authoritative store, delivery mechanism, application reload method, validation check, and recovery procedure. Whether both credentials can remain valid at once—and for how long—depends on the external service; there is no universal safe overlap interval.
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- Create or update the new credential in the authoritative store using the external service’s supported rotation procedure. Do not revoke the current credential yet.
- Confirm the integration can read the new version and has only the permissions it needs. Check its status or logs using the provider’s documented method.
- Wait for delivery to the workload. Verify that the mounted file or synchronized Secret contains the new version before asking the agent to use it.
- Make the agent load the new value. Use its supported file-reload mechanism, or perform a controlled Pod restart if it consumes the credential through an environment variable.
- Validate and monitor. Confirm the agent can authenticate and perform its intended task with the new credential. Watch for authentication failures and follow the service’s recovery plan.
- Retire the old credential only when the new one is working and the service-specific overlap and recovery plan allow it. Confirm that dependent workloads have moved before revocation.
Provider refresh timing is not a Kubernetes-wide guarantee. Microsoft’s AKS Key Vault CSI autorotation documentation, accessed in 2026, says the provider polls for changes every two minutes by default; that is an AKS provider default and may be configurable. Google Cloud’s documentation likewise describes periodic synchronization and requires applications to detect or reload changed values. Check the current documentation and configuration for the integration you actually run.
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Keep application rotation separate from encryption-key rotation
Rotating an agent’s API key or password is different from rotating the key Kubernetes uses to encrypt API data at rest. Kubernetes documents a staged process for encryption-key rotation: add the new key so control-plane instances can decrypt data, make it the active encryption key, rewrite existing Secret objects, then remove the old key only after confirming re-encryption and keeping a secure backup. Removing the old decryption key too early can make data encrypted with it unreadable.
Compare the delivery patterns against your workload
| Pattern | Where the source value lives | How it reaches the agent | What to plan for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kubernetes Secret | Kubernetes API and etcd | Typically a mounted volume or environment variable | Encryption at rest, narrow RBAC, and application reload or Pod restart behavior |
| External store with CSI | External secrets manager; a Kubernetes copy is not inherent to a mount | Mounted CSI volume | Provider authentication and permissions, refresh behavior, and file reload behavior |
| Operator or synchronized Secret | External store, with a Kubernetes Secret copy when synchronization is used | Operator-managed delivery, often through a volume or Secret reference | Copy location, operator permissions, supported workload types, update behavior, and restart or reload needs |
For each option, verify the authoritative copy, Pod authentication method, provider permissions, update path, audit requirements, and your team’s ability to operate the integration. Features and defaults vary by provider and can change; check current provider documentation against the target cluster version and region.
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