Your coding agent has access. How much does it need?
An agent’s working environment should reflect the task it is performing.
What you might notice
Routine development shares credentials or permissions with production operations. It is difficult to tell which tools can reach customer data or make external changes.
An example
In a fictional project, a local environment file contains both test credentials and a production database key. A routine debugging task can therefore access more than its development scope requires.
Why it matters
An accidental command or misleading input may have effects beyond the intended task. The actual exposure depends on the credentials, permissions, and environment boundaries.
How we check
We inventory the relevant tools, credentials, and access boundaries without copying secrets into the report. We examine how changes are approved and how development differs from production.
What a fix should achieve
Separate environments, narrow access to the task, and keep secrets out of instructions and logs. Add explicit review points for production changes, and document how access is revoked or rotated.