Tool permission boundaries in Agentic Ai

Introduction

Tool permission boundaries help control what actions an AI agent can perform, keeping it safe and focused.

When you want an AI agent to use only certain tools and avoid others.

When you need to protect sensitive data from being accessed by AI tools.

When you want to limit AI actions to prevent mistakes or harmful behavior.

When managing multiple AI tools with different access levels.

When ensuring AI agents follow rules in a shared environment.

Syntax

Agentic_ai

tool_permission_boundaries = {
    "tool_name": {
        "allowed_actions": ["action1", "action2"],
        "restricted_data": ["data1", "data2"]
    }
}

Define which actions each tool can perform inside 'allowed_actions'.

List any data or resources the tool should NOT access in 'restricted_data'.

Examples

This example allows the email_sender tool only to send emails and blocks access to user passwords.

Agentic_ai

tool_permission_boundaries = {
    "email_sender": {
        "allowed_actions": ["send_email"],
        "restricted_data": ["user_passwords"]
    }
}

Here, the file_manager can read and write files but cannot access system files.

Agentic_ai

tool_permission_boundaries = {
    "file_manager": {
        "allowed_actions": ["read_file", "write_file"],
        "restricted_data": ["system_files"]
    }
}

Sample Program

This program creates two tools with specific permissions. It shows which actions are allowed or blocked based on the permission boundaries.

Agentic_ai

class Tool:
    def __init__(self, name, permissions):
        self.name = name
        self.permissions = permissions

    def perform_action(self, action):
        if action in self.permissions.get("allowed_actions", []):
            return f"{self.name} performed {action}"
        else:
            return f"{self.name} is not allowed to perform {action}"


# Define permission boundaries
permissions = {
    "calculator": {
        "allowed_actions": ["add", "subtract"],
        "restricted_data": []
    },
    "file_tool": {
        "allowed_actions": ["read"],
        "restricted_data": ["secret.txt"]
    }
}

# Create tools
calculator = Tool("calculator", permissions["calculator"])
file_tool = Tool("file_tool", permissions["file_tool"])

# Test actions
print(calculator.perform_action("add"))
print(calculator.perform_action("multiply"))
print(file_tool.perform_action("read"))
print(file_tool.perform_action("write"))

Important Notes

Always clearly define what each tool can and cannot do to avoid unexpected behavior.

Permission boundaries help keep AI agents safe and trustworthy.

Review and update permissions regularly as your AI system grows.

Summary

Tool permission boundaries limit what actions AI tools can perform.

They protect sensitive data and prevent harmful actions.

Setting clear boundaries helps build safer AI systems.