Agent Manifest — Security Review Context
Agent Manifest is not an enforcement framework.
It is a declaration layer designed to reduce ambiguity during security and governance review of autonomous systems.
This document explains how Agent Manifest can be referenced in risk evaluation processes.
The Structural Gap
Autonomous agents increasingly:
- Execute external API calls
- Trigger infrastructure workflows
- Interact with production systems
- Access or process sensitive data
- Operate with partial autonomy
Most architectures define:
- Identity
- Capability
- Runtime configuration
Few define, explicitly and before execution:
- Declared negative scope (what the agent must not do)
- Stopping authority (who can halt it and how)
- Audit posture (what is logged and reconstructable)
- Data handling commitments
- Autonomy level boundaries
This gap creates structural ambiguity during security review.
What Agent Manifest Provides
Agent Manifest introduces a standardized declaration surface for:
- Identity
- Purpose
- Forbidden actions
- Autonomy level
- Risk posture
- Data handling commitments
- Stopping authority
- Audit surface
It does not enforce behavior.
It declares boundaries.
How It May Be Used in Review Processes
Security or governance teams may:
- Request an Agent Manifest prior to production deployment
- Evaluate declared autonomy against actual runtime capability
- Review stopping authority design
- Assess declared audit posture
- Identify mismatches between purpose and forbidden actions
- Detect missing negative scope declarations
The Manifest does not replace technical review.
It structures it.
Risk Reduction Mechanism
Undeclared systems create ambiguity:
- Who is accountable?
- What are the limits?
- Can it be halted?
- What can be reconstructed?
Declared systems reduce ambiguity before execution.
This improves:
- Review clarity
- Accountability mapping
- Revocation planning
- Governance documentation
- Cross-team communication
Important Clarification
Agent Manifest:
- Does not certify safety
- Does not guarantee compliance
- Does not replace governance frameworks
- Does not enforce runtime behavior
It creates structured declaration.
Enforcement belongs to separate systems.
Positioning
Agent Manifest may be referenced as:
- A pre-execution declaration requirement
- A structured boundary checklist
- A governance documentation artifact
- A risk conversation accelerator
Its purpose is clarity before autonomy.