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Agents need credentials to access external services. Depending on the integration, credentials are handled in different ways—some require no setup, others need API keys, and some use OAuth to connect your personal accounts.
Three capabilities showing different credential patterns: Slack with user-entered token, Web Search with no credentials needed, and Google Drive with a connected personal token

Three credential patterns

Platform-provided

Some capabilities work out of the box with no credentials required. The platform uses its own accounts and you pay through credits. Example: Web Search uses Perplexity under the hood. You just enable the capability and start using it—credits are deducted for usage.

User-entered credentials

For services where you bring your own account, you enter credentials directly in the capability settings. Typically this means pasting an API token or key. Example: Slack requires a bot token and app ID from your Slack workspace. You create a Slack app, copy the credentials, and paste them into the capability settings.

Personal tokens (OAuth)

For services that access your personal data, you authorize via OAuth. This creates a personal token tied to your account. Example: Google Drive requires access to your Google account. You click “Connect” and authorize through Google’s OAuth flow. The resulting token is yours—other users who interact with the agent can trigger actions, but only within the scope you authorized.

Managing personal tokens

Personal tokens are managed in your profile settings under Personal Tokens. You can see all your connected services, add new tokens, and revoke access.
Personal Tokens page showing connected Google Drive and Calendar tokens
When you add a new personal token, you choose the service and authorize access:
Add Personal Access Token modal showing available OAuth services
Currently supported OAuth services:
  • Google Drive
  • Google Calendar
  • Gmail
  • SharePoint
  • Outlook
Once created, a personal token can be used across multiple agents. You don’t need to re-authorize for each agent—just select your existing token when configuring the capability.

How credentials are secured

MeasureDescription
Encrypted storageStored encrypted in database—not readable even with database access
Key separationDecryption keys stored separately from encrypted data
Access controlOnly authorized agents can use specific credentials
No LLM exposureCredentials are never included in prompts or visible to the LLM
Auto-refreshOAuth tokens are automatically refreshed before they expire
The LLM never sees your credentials. It only knows which capabilities are available (e.g., “Gmail - Read and send emails”). When an agent calls an external API, the platform injects authentication after the LLM has generated the request. This prevents credentials from leaking through model outputs or logs.

Best practices

Use least privilege. When creating API keys or OAuth grants, give only the permissions the agent actually needs. A read-only key is safer than one with write access. Rotate after team changes. When someone leaves your team, rotate any credentials they might have had access to through agents. Revoke unused tokens. In your Personal Tokens page, remove tokens for services you no longer use. Never put credentials in instructions. Credentials in agent instructions would be visible to anyone with access to the agent and potentially exposed in logs. Always use the credential system.

If a credential is compromised

If you suspect a credential has been compromised:
  1. Revoke immediately — For personal tokens, go to your Personal Tokens page and disconnect the service. For user-entered credentials, regenerate the API key at the source (e.g., Slack, GitHub).
  2. Update agents — Any agents using that credential will lose access until you reconnect with new credentials.
  3. Review activity — Check the activity log for any suspicious actions taken before the credential was revoked.
Need the same credential available to all agents in your organization? Contact support@abundly.ai to set up organization-wide credentials.

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