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August 24, 2026

Define the agent boundary before the tools

A useful agent specification names permissions, exceptions, evidence, and human review before implementation.

Vandoko Editorial
Vandoko Editorial
1 min read

Define the agent boundary before the tools

An agent is not defined by the number of tools it can call. It is defined by the decision it supports, the evidence it may use, the actions it may take, and the points where a person must review.

Start with the decision

Name the owner, the cost of a wrong action, and the signals that indicate success. Then identify which steps are deterministic, which require judgment, and which cannot be delegated.

Record the boundary

The delivery record should include allowed tools, denied actions, secret access, cost limits, escalation paths, and evaluation cases. Production access follows that record; it does not create it.

Review status

This first-party operating note is suitable for template demonstration. Add external claims only through the capture, adversarial review, refinement, research, and approval workflow.