Secure MCP: How to Limit AI Agent Permissions

MCP connects AI agents to tools and data. That is powerful, but every new tool also becomes a new risk surface.

Separate action types

• Read: docs, tickets, files, and databases.
• Write: create records, update data, and open tasks.
• Execute: trigger deploys, payments, messages, or external processes.

The higher the impact, the stronger the control should be.

Good practices

Use least privilege, detailed logs, separate environments, human approval for sensitive actions, and execution limits.

Conclusion

Secure MCP is an architecture decision. Define clear limits before connecting agents to internal tools.