# How to keep an AI agent secure: a 9-step checklist

Keep an AI agent secure by limiting what it can reach, not by trusting it. A 9-step checklist: least access, its own accounts, no secrets in chat, approvals, spending caps, logs, and a fast way to cut it off.

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## Steps

1. **Give it the least access that does the job.** Turn on only the tools and connectors (links to outside apps) that one job needs, and start read-only. See connect only what you need.
2. **Give it its own accounts.** A separate email inbox, a separate browser profile, and separate logins, so it never sits inside your personal banking or main email. See give your agent its own inbox and separate browser profile for the agent.
3. **Never paste secrets into chat.** Passwords, API keys (application programming interface keys, the codes one program uses to log in to another), and wallet recovery phrases do not belong in a conversation. Use the product’s built-in connection or a password manager such as 1Password that can share one login without showing it. See never paste API keys in chat.
4. **Require your approval for anything that leaves the building.** Sending, posting, buying, deleting, and sharing files should wait for your yes. See which AI agent actions need a human OK for the full sort, and review before place for trades.
5. **Cap the money.** If it must pay, use a virtual card or small wallet with a hard limit, never your main card. See AI agent spending limits.
6. **Treat outside content as untrusted.** Tell the agent that instructions found inside web pages, emails, or files are information, not orders. Then back that up with step 4, because a rule in the prompt alone is not enough.
7. **Keep a log you actually read.** Pick an agent that records what it did, and skim it after each job. See receipt log after the session.
8. **Turn off what you are not using.** Disconnect idle connectors and end recurring jobs that no longer have a purpose. See revoke connectors when idle.
9. **Know your off switch.** Write down, before anything goes wrong, how to pause the agent, revoke each connector, and freeze its card. See revoke before you debug.

## FAQ

### Are AI agents safe to use?

They are as safe as the access you give them. Limit what they can reach, require approval for sends and purchases, cap spending, and know how to cut access fast.

### What is the biggest security risk with AI agents?

Too much access combined with outside content it cannot fully trust. A web page or email can carry hidden instructions, so the agent should not be able to send, buy, or delete without your approval.

### Should I give an AI agent my passwords?

No. Use the product’s built-in connection or a password manager that shares a login without revealing it. Never paste passwords or keys into a chat.

### Can an AI agent be hacked?

The model itself is rarely hacked in the usual sense, but it can be tricked by instructions hidden in content it reads. Limiting access is what keeps a trick from becoming a loss.

### How do I stop an AI agent quickly?

Pause or end the session, revoke its connectors, freeze its card, and change any password it could reach. Write these steps down before you need them.