What is least agency?
Least agency is the principle of giving an AI agent only the autonomy, tools and access it needs for its task, extending least privilege from permissions to actions.
In practice
Least privilege limits what an identity is allowed to access. Least agency also limits what an agent may decide to do with that access: which tools it can call, which actions need a human, and how far it can act without review. OWASP describes the underlying risk as excessive agency.
In practice, least agency starts with knowing an agent’s data reach. You cannot limit autonomy sensibly without knowing what the agent could reach.
Least agency is the principle of giving an AI agent only the autonomy, tools and access it needs for its task, extending least privilege from permissions to actions.
How it works. Step by step.
The parts that make it up, in an environment with AI agents.
Give the agent only the tools its task needs.
Require a human for destructive or irreversible actions.
Use a dedicated identity with the narrowest access that works.
Check what the agent could reach before deciding how much autonomy it gets.
Questions, answered.
Short answers about Least agency.
What is the difference between least agency and least privilege?
Least privilege limits what an identity may access. Least agency also limits what an agent may decide to do: which tools it can call, which actions need a human and how far it can act on its own.
What does OWASP say about agency?
The OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications lists excessive agency as a risk: an LLM-based system given more functionality, permissions or autonomy than it needs.
Where do you start with least agency?
With the agent’s data reach. You cannot decide sensibly how much autonomy an agent gets without knowing what it could reach if it acted on its own.
Related terms.
Terms that belong to the same picture.
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