Least Privilege and Capability Containment Designing Agents That Cannot Exceed Their Mandate

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Every tool you hand an agent is a loaded gun pointed at your infrastructure. Not because the agent is malicious. Because it will use whatever you give it, sometimes in ways you didn’t anticipate, and sometimes in response to inputs you didn’t control. An agent with write access to a production database, unrestricted shell access, and the ability to send emails will eventually combine those capabilities in a way you didn’t intend.

Capability-Containment on Engineering Notes

Least Privilege and Capability Containment Designing Agents That Cannot Exceed Their Mandate