Everyday agent safety habits

Also called: staying safe with agents, agent hygiene

DEFINITION

The small routines that keep a personal agent safe: connect the least access, gate the actions you'd regret, be wary of asking it to act on unfamiliar web pages or messages, and check its work on anything that matters.

WHY IT MATTERS

An agent that browses or reads your mail can be steered by hidden instructions in the content it reads (indirect prompt injection). Everyday habits — narrow access, a checkpoint on sends and payments — protect you without needing to understand the attack.

COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH

A settings toggle you flip once. Agent safety is a few ongoing habits, because the tasks and the content it reads keep changing.