Ecosystem Boundaries

Agent Policy is a horizontal standard. It touches many systems but should not absorb them.

Boundary	Rule
Runtime	Runtime enforces; Agent Policy decides and explains.
UI	UI renders approval and risk; Agent Policy defines the approval contract.
Evidence	Evidence records trust graph; Agent Policy supplies decision facts.
Knowledge	Knowledge supplies source material; Agent Policy can constrain source access and memory.
Tool	Tool systems expose capabilities; Agent Policy constrains tool use and parameters.
Artifact	Artifact systems store outputs; Agent Policy constrains export, redaction, and retention.
Identity	Identity authenticates actors; Agent Policy evaluates agent actions in context.
Observability	Telemetry records runtime behavior; Agent Policy emits traceable decisions and refs.

Anti-patterns

• Embedding full secret payloads in policy traces.
• Treating not_applicable as implicit allow.
• Hiding a denied decision after a waiver.
• Letting UI approval text become the only machine-readable policy record.
• Treating a token scope as proof that a specific agent action is safe.
• Duplicating artifact bytes, knowledge documents, or trace logs inside policy records.