Secure AI Credential Management
Your agents need credentials to work. They should never see them.
The Problem: Why Raw Credentials Are Dangerous
AI agents are most useful when they can act on your behalf -- calling APIs, processing payments, connecting to services. But every credential you hand to an agent becomes an attack surface.
A compromised agent with raw API keys can exfiltrate data, drain accounts, or make unauthorized purchases. Even well-behaved agents store credentials in memory, logs, or configs where they can leak. The industry's current answers -- "just trust the agent" or "never give it access" -- leave you choosing between productivity and safety.
Common Credential Risks
Hardcoded API Keys
Embedding API keys in prompts, configs, or environment variables means any agent compromise exposes every connected service. Keys cannot be rotated without redeploying the agent.
Shared Payment Credentials
Giving agents credit card numbers or wallet private keys creates unlimited spending exposure. A single prompt injection can trigger unauthorized charges.
Secrets in Agent Memory
Agents that receive credentials in plaintext hold them in context windows, logs, and debug traces -- all of which can be extracted or persisted beyond the session.
Pre-funded Account Balances
Loading wallets or prepaid accounts with large balances means the entire balance is at risk if the agent or its runtime is compromised.
How AgentPMT Manages Credentials Safely
Encrypted Credential Vault
Credentials are encrypted at rest and in transit. Agents reference credential IDs -- never raw secrets. Even if an agent's context is leaked, no usable credentials are exposed.
Proxy Execution
AgentPMT executes API calls and service connections on behalf of your agents. The credential is decrypted server-side at the moment of use and never enters the agent runtime.
Enforceable Spending Controls
Payment credentials are governed by budget limits enforced cryptographically via smart contracts and server-side rules. Agents physically cannot exceed the caps you set.
Human-in-the-Loop Approval
Sensitive operations trigger push notifications to your mobile device. You review the exact action, merchant, and amount before biometric approval. Card details never touch the agent.
Complete Audit Trail
Every credential access, API call, and payment attempt is logged with timestamps, agent identity, and outcome. Review activity from the dashboard at any time.
Instant Revocation
Revoke any credential or agent's access in one click from the dashboard. No agent code changes, no redeployment, no coordination. Access stops immediately.
Approaches Compared
| Approach | Credentials Exposed | Spending Limits | Revocation Speed | Audit Trail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw credentials to agent | Yes -- full plaintext | None unless hand-coded | Requires agent redeployment | Manual / none |
| Self-hosted proxy | Reduced, but you maintain infra | Custom implementation required | Depends on your setup | Custom implementation |
| AgentPMT | Never -- encrypted vault + proxy | Built-in, contract-enforced | Instant, one-click | Built-in, every action logged |