Expose capabilities rather than credentials
Keep secrets in controlled server-side storage and let tools use them without placing them in model prompts or browser-delivered code. Limit each credential to the required service and operations. Avoid logging secret values in errors, request traces or generated explanations. Rotation and revocation should be possible without rewriting the workflow's content.
Worked example
Illustrative scenario; not a claim of measured client results.
An agent may need to create a ticket through an integration. The tool can authenticate internally and return the ticket identifier; the model does not need the API key. If an error includes a credential-bearing URL, sanitize the error before it reaches logs or chat. Test this path with harmless test values so leakage is detectable.
Checks, limitations and next decisions
Review where secrets can appear during development, debugging and deployment, not only in the final application. If exposure occurs, follow the responsible revocation and incident process rather than merely deleting the visible text. Keep credentials out of reusable templates and public archives. The design should allow the agent to request an authorized operation while minimizing access to the authentication material itself.
A practical starting point
Work through these checks in order. Use the results to decide what needs to change in your own workflow.
- Use the platform's supported secret storage.
- Limit credentials to the required service and scope.
- Prevent secrets from appearing in logs, errors or generated output.
A mistake to avoid
Do not paste API keys into instructions as a shortcut.
How to check progress
Review access scope and test that failures do not reveal sensitive configuration.
Your action checklist
Use this checklist while reviewing your own setup. Checkmarks are temporary and stay in this open page.
For the wider decision process, read Choosing an agent when a workflow is not a fixed script.
Further reading
Official background resources for this topic. The workflow above is general guidance, not a guarantee of a particular result.
AI-assisted editorial content. Examples are illustrative, not client case studies. Read our editorial policy or report a correction.