Read/write is not enough: A four-dimensional risk model for AI agent permissions
Harshit-24 · reddit · 2026-07-31
The author argues that dividing AI agent permissions into simple "read" and "write" buckets is risky. For instance, reading a paid database could exhaust financial credits, while sending an irreversible email carries different weight than a standard write operation.
He proposes that agent permissions should evaluate at least four dimensions:
- Reversibility: Can the action be undone?
- External impact: Does it affect someone outside the system?
- Resource consumption: Does it consume money or limited credits?
- Confidence: How reliable is the underlying information?
Furthermore, tool capabilities and operational rules should be separated. Every consequential action needs a "receipt" (request, evidence, tool, arguments, and permission reason) for auditing and debugging purposes.
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