Agent permissions

By default, an agent can do what the person who asked can do. Agent permissions let an organization admin limit that: which actions agents may take for each role, in which projects, and for which people. Limits only reduce what agents can do. They never give a person more access than their roles allow. Agent identity decides who agents run as in the warehouse. Agent permissions decide what agents may do in Lightdash.

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Turn on limits

Agent permissions are in the Permissions section of Organization settings → Agent identity, after the identity rules. To turn the limits off, turn off the switch and confirm Turn off limits. Agents then follow each person’s permissions again, and the project and people limits no longer apply. If another admin saves first, the page says so and offers to reload. Lightdash refuses a save made from an out-of-date page.

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What agents can do for each role

The matrix has one row for each role and one column for each capability. An agent can do something only when the person’s role allows it and the matrix allows it for that role.

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Raw SQL needs the warehouse confirmation

Raw SQL lets an agent run SQL outside the data models, so Lightdash also needs a project admin to confirm that the warehouse limits what the agent’s identity can read. Each project has a Raw SQL for agents card on Project settings → Agent identity, for every warehouse: The card shows Not confirmed, Confirmed with who confirmed and when, or Expired when the connection changed after the confirmation. Select Remove confirmation to withdraw it. Raw SQL also needs to be allowed by the agent’s role and the organization limits.

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Allowed projects

Under Allowed projects, choose All projects, or Only these projects and select the projects. Agents run only in the allowed projects.

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Who can use agents

Under Who can use agents, choose:

• Everyone the roles allow. Every person’s agent can run, within the role limits.
• Only these people. Only the agents of the selected people can run, on top of the role limits. A person who leaves the organization drops out of the list.

When you save Only these people with no one selected, a warning opens: “No one’s agents can run”. If you confirm, no agent runs for anyone. Cancel keeps the previous list. To allow agents again, add people or choose Everyone the roles allow.

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Custom roles

Enterprise Custom roles have an Agent permissions group in the AI Features section of the role editor, with the 11 capabilities above. A new custom role starts with Read and discover, Query data, Export results and Raw SQL on.

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Personal access tokens

Personal access tokens are not limited. An agent that uses a person’s personal access token, for example through MCP, has that person’s access.