OpenAI Agents SDK tool authority

Wrap the local function tool and protect the payment API itself.

01 / Principal and identity

Who acts, and what can the platform identify?

The running agent and the originating application user are distinct principals.

The application owns user and run context; the tool handler receives structured arguments.

Trace the proposed action
  1. 01Originating task
  2. 02Agent or workload
  3. 03A function tool submits a vendor payment.
  4. 04Observed effect

02 / Action-time control

Where can an unauthorized effect be stopped?

Wrap the local function tool and protect the payment API itself.

Bind user approval, task, vendor, amount and expiry to one call.

SubjectVerified caller and task
RequestOperation, target and values
OutcomeDecision, attempt and state

Delegation constraint

An agent-as-tool handoff must not inherit payment authority merely because the parent can delegate work.

03 / Worked denial

Test a request outside the grant.

An agent may match invoices up to $5,000; it proposes $7,200 for a new vendor.

Adversarial verification

Invoke the same function tool first with a permitted vendor and then with a new payee. Confirm the local handler and payment service use the exact normalized amount and recipient from the decision.

04 / Review and responsibility

What should the audit trail prove?

Run ID, user, tool arguments, approval digest, decision and payment status.

Hosted tools and direct API access need separate enforcement paths; an SDK wrapper is not a universal control.

Platform primary source

Check the current execution model

Architecture discussion

Map one consequential action in your environment.

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