Reference · How-to · ~10 min
How to add a tool allowlist
Last updated
Agents should only call tools you explicitly enable — with argument validation.
Agents should only call tools you explicitly enable — with argument validation.
#Prerequisites
- Inventory of tools the agent might need
- Sensitivity ranking (read-only vs side-effect)
- Logging sink for tool calls
#Steps
1. **List** candidate tools; drop anything not required for the job.
2. **Allowlist** names in config (not in the prompt alone).
3. **Schema-validate** arguments; reject unknown fields.
4. **Require confirmation** for destructive actions (send, delete, pay).
5. **Treat tool output as untrusted** text (prompt-injection surface).
6. **Log** name, args hash, latency, and success/fail for every call.
#Mini example
Allow: get_order, search_docs
Deny: send_email, refund_charge (human approval required)
On unknown tool name: refuse and escalate