AI Security Best Practices for Agent Systems

The Threat Landscape

AI agent systems face unique security challenges: prompt injection (malicious instructions hidden in data), data exfiltration (agents leaking sensitive information), supply chain attacks (malicious skills or MCP servers), and privilege escalation (agents accessing systems they should not).

The Dual-Gate Review Process

Before installing any third-party skill or tool, run a two-gate review. Gate 1 (Security): check for telemetry, hardcoded credentials, phone-home behavior, and license compatibility. Gate 2 (Quality): verify maintenance health, documentation, community traction, and relevance.

Hook-Based Safety

Use automated hooks to enforce safety checks. Pre-commit hooks prevent pushing to main. File-change hooks log all modifications. Context-change hooks save state before compaction. These run automatically — no human intervention needed, no way to skip them.

Secret Management

Never hardcode API keys in source code. Use environment variables loaded from .env.local (gitignored). Rotate keys regularly — especially if they were ever shared in chat. Use separate keys for development and production. Monitor API usage for anomalies.