Agent Governance Toolkit
Ship agents to production without losing sleep
🚀 Quick Start · 📋 Specifications · 📦 PyPI · 📝 Changelog
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Important
Public Preview -- production-quality public preview releases. May have breaking changes before GA.
Policy enforcement, identity, sandboxing, and SRE for autonomous AI agents. One pip install, any framework.
The Problem
Your AI agents call tools, browse the web, query databases, and delegate to other agents. Once deployed, they make decisions autonomously. You need answers to three questions:
1. Is this action allowed? An agent with access to send_email and query_database should not be able to drop_table. OAuth scopes and IAM roles control which services an agent can reach, not what it does once connected.
2. Which agent did this? In a multi-agent system, five agents might share a single API key. When something goes wrong, "an agent did it" is not an incident response.
3. Can you prove what happened? Auditors and regulators need tamper-evident records of every decision: what policy was active, what the agent requested, and why it was allowed or denied.
Prompt-level safety ("please follow the rules") is not a control surface. It is a polite request to a stochastic system. OWASP LLM01:2025 states this explicitly: "it is unclear if there are fool-proof methods of prevention for prompt injection." The published numbers back this up. Andriushchenko et al. (ICLR 2025) report 100% attack success rate on GPT-4o, GPT-3.5, Claude 3, and Llama-3 using adaptive attacks with logprob access and suffix optimization, evaluated against the JailbreakBench benchmark (Chao et al., NeurIPS 2024). Microsoft's own AI Red Teaming Agent formalizes Attack Success Rate (ASR), the rate of policy violations under adversarial input, as the canonical metric for this class of failure. Lessons from Red Teaming 100 Generative AI Products reinforces the point: "mitigations do not eliminate risk entirely" and red teaming must be a continuous process because model-layer defenses are probabilistic by construction.
AGT does not try to win that fight inside the prompt. Every tool call, message send, and delegation is intercepted in deterministic application code before the model's intent reaches the wire. Actions the AGT kernel denies are not "unlikely." They are structurally impossible. That is the difference between asking an agent to behave and making it incapable of misbehaving.
Quick Start
Prerequisites: Python 3.10+
pip install agent-governance-toolkit[full]Use the [full] extra for the quick-start imports below. The base
agent-governance-toolkit wheel installs the compliance CLI only; the governance
modules live in the consolidated core distribution. The agentmesh quick-start
import remains the current wrapper API. The agent_os PolicyEvaluator example
below is legacy compatibility: importing agent_os currently emits a
DeprecationWarning because the old agent-os-kernel distribution is deprecated.
Use agent-governance-toolkit-core (or the [full] extra that includes it) as
the replacement distribution, and prefer the AGT 5 agt-policies/ACS APIs for
new policy-engine host code.
For Claude Code, add AGT as a plugin marketplace and install the governance plugin:
/plugin marketplace add microsoft/agent-governance-toolkit
/plugin install agt-governance@agent-governance-toolkit
Govern any tool function in two lines:
from agentmesh.governance import govern
safe_tool = govern(my_tool, policy="policy.yaml") # every call checked, logged, enforcedThat's it. safe_tool evaluates your YAML policy on every call, logs the decision, and raises GovernanceDenied if the action is blocked.
# policy.yaml
apiVersion: governance.toolkit/v1
name: production-policy
default_action: allow
rules:
- name: block-destructive
condition: "action.type in ['drop', 'delete', 'truncate']"
action: deny
description: "Destructive operations require human approval"
- name: require-approval-for-send
condition: "action.type == 'send_email'"
action: require_approval
approvers: ["security-team"]>>> safe_tool(action="read", table="users")
{'table': 'users', 'rows': 42}
>>> safe_tool(action="drop", table="users")
GovernanceDenied: Action denied by policy rule 'block-destructive':
Destructive operations require human approvalOr use the full PolicyEvaluator API for programmatic control:
PolicyEvaluator example
from agent_os.policies import (
PolicyEvaluator, PolicyDocument, PolicyRule,
PolicyCondition, PolicyAction, PolicyOperator, PolicyDefaults
)
evaluator = PolicyEvaluator(policies=[PolicyDocument(
name="my-policy", version="1.0",
defaults=PolicyDefaults(action=PolicyAction.ALLOW),
rules=[PolicyRule(
name="block-dangerous-tools",
condition=PolicyCondition(
field="tool_name",
operator=PolicyOperator.IN,
value=["execute_code", "delete_file"]
),
action=PolicyAction.DENY, priority=100,
)],
)])
result = evaluator.evaluate({"tool_name": "web_search"}) # Allowed
result = evaluator.evaluate({"tool_name": "delete_file"}) # BlockedTypeScript / .NET / Rust / Go examples
TypeScript
import { PolicyEngine } from "@microsoft/agent-governance-sdk";
const engine = new PolicyEngine([
{ action: "web_search", effect: "allow" },
{ action: "shell_exec", effect: "deny" },
]);
engine.evaluate("web_search"); // "allow"
engine.evaluate("shell_exec"); // "deny".NET
using AgentGovernance;
using AgentGovernance.Extensions.ModelContextProtocol;
using AgentGovernance.Policy;
var kernel = new GovernanceKernel(new GovernanceOptions
{
PolicyPaths = new() { "policies/default.yaml" },
});
var result = kernel.EvaluateToolCall("did:mesh:agent-1", "web_search",
new() { ["query"] = "latest AI news" });
// MCP server integration
builder.Services.AddMcpServer()
.WithGovernance(options => options.PolicyPaths.Add("policies/mcp.yaml"));Rust
use agent_governance::{AgentMeshClient, ClientOptions};
let client = AgentMeshClient::new("my-agent").unwrap();
let result = client.execute_with_governance("data.read", None);
assert!(result.allowed);Go
import agentmesh "github.com/microsoft/agent-governance-toolkit/agent-governance-golang"
client, _ := agentmesh.NewClient("my-agent",
agentmesh.WithPolicyRules([]agentmesh.PolicyRule{
{Action: "data.read", Effect: agentmesh.Allow},
{Action: "*", Effect: agentmesh.Deny},
}),
)
result := client.ExecuteWithGovernance("data.read", nil)CLI tools:
agt doctor # check installation
agt verify # OWASP compliance check
agt verify --evidence ./agt-evidence.json --strict # fail CI on weak evidence
agt red-team scan ./prompts/ --min-grade B # prompt injection audit
agt lint-policy policies/ # validate policy filesFull walkthrough: quickstart.md -- zero to governed agents in 5 minutes. 🌍 Also in: 日本語 | 简体中文 | 한국어
How It Works
Agent ──► Policy Engine ──► Identity ──► Audit Log
(YAML/OPA/Cedar) (SPIFFE/DID/mTLS) (Tamper-evident)
│ │
├── Allowed ──► Tool executes │
└── Denied ──► GovernanceDenied │
▼
Decision Record
Every layer is optional. Start with govern() and add layers as your risk profile grows. Most teams run policy enforcement + audit logging and never need the full stack.
Packages
| Package | Description |
|---|---|
| Agent OS | Policy engine, agent lifecycle, governance gate |
| Agent Control Specification (README) | Stateless, deterministic, fail-closed policy decision runtime (Rust core) backing the AGT policy layer |
| Agent Mesh | Agent discovery, routing, and trust mesh |
| Agent Runtime | Execution sandboxing with four privilege rings |
| Agent SRE | Kill switch, SLO monitoring, chaos testing |
| Agent Compliance | OWASP verification, policy linting, integrity checks |
| Agent Marketplace | Plugin governance and trust scoring |
| Agent Lightning | RL training governance with violation penalties |
| Agent Hypervisor | Execution audit, delta engine, in-memory commitment tracking, command denylist enforcement |
Additional Capabilities
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| MCP Security Gateway | Tool poisoning detection, drift monitoring, typosquatting, hidden instruction scanning (Spec) |
| Shadow AI Discovery | Find unregistered agents across processes, configs, and repos (Discovery) |
| Governance Dashboard | Real-time fleet visibility for health, trust, and compliance (Dashboard) |
| PromptDefense Evaluator | 12-vector prompt injection audit (Evaluator) |
| Contributor Reputation | PR/issue author screening for social engineering. Reusable GitHub Action (Action) |
Install
| Language | Package | Command |
|---|---|---|
| Python | agent-governance-toolkit |
pip install agent-governance-toolkit[full] |
| TypeScript | @microsoft/agent-governance-sdk |
npm install @microsoft/agent-governance-sdk |
| Copilot CLI | @microsoft/agent-governance-copilot-cli |
npx @microsoft/agent-governance-copilot-cli install |
| Claude Code | @microsoft/agent-governance-claude-code |
claude --plugin-dir ./agent-governance-claude-code |
| OpenCode | @microsoft/agent-governance-opencode |
npm install @microsoft/agent-governance-opencode |
| .NET | Microsoft.AgentGovernance |
dotnet add package Microsoft.AgentGovernance |
| .NET MCP | Microsoft.AgentGovernance.Extensions.ModelContextProtocol |
dotnet add package Microsoft.AgentGovernance.Extensions.ModelContextProtocol |
| Rust | agent-governance |
cargo add agent-governance |
| Go | agent-governance-toolkit |
go get github.com/microsoft/agent-governance-toolkit/agent-governance-golang |
All five language SDKs implement core governance (policy, identity, trust, audit). Python has the full stack. Copilot CLI and Claude Code are first-party developer surfaces built on the TypeScript SDK. See Language Package Matrix for detailed per-language coverage.
Python distributions (v4.1.0 — consolidated)
As of v4.1.0, 45 packages have been consolidated into 5 top-level distributions:
| Distribution | PyPI | What's included |
|---|---|---|
agent-governance-toolkit-core |
agent-governance-toolkit-core |
Policy engine, capability model, audit, MCP gateway, zero-trust identity, trust scoring, A2A/MCP/IATP bridges |
agent-governance-toolkit-runtime |
agent-governance-toolkit-runtime |
Privilege rings, saga orchestration, termination control, execution plan validation, command denylist enforcement |
agent-governance-toolkit-sre |
agent-governance-toolkit-sre |
SLOs, error budgets, chaos engineering, circuit breakers |
agent-governance-toolkit-cli |
agent-governance-toolkit-cli |
agt CLI, OWASP verification, integrity checks, policy linting |
agent-governance-toolkit[full] |
agent-governance-toolkit |
Meta-package installing all of the above |
Previous package names (agent-os-kernel, agentmesh-platform, agentmesh-runtime, agent-sre, agent-discovery, agent-hypervisor, agentmesh-marketplace, agentmesh-lightning) remain installable as stub packages that redirect to the consolidated distributions.
Prerequisites
- Python: 3.10+
- Node.js: 18+ / npm 9+ (TypeScript SDK)
- .NET: 8+
- Go: 1.25+
- Rust: 1.70+
- Optional:
AZURE_CLIENT_ID,AZURE_TENANT_ID,AZURE_CLIENT_SECRETfor Azure-integrated features
Framework Support
| Framework | Integration |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Agent Framework | Native Middleware |
| Semantic Kernel | Native (.NET + Python) |
| AutoGen | Adapter |
| LangGraph / LangChain | Adapter |
| CrewAI | Adapter |
| OpenAI Agents SDK | Middleware |
| Claude Code | Governance plugin package |
| Google ADK | Adapter |
| LlamaIndex | Middleware |
| Haystack | Pipeline |
| Mastra | Adapter |
| Dify | Plugin |
| Azure AI Foundry | Deployment Guide |
| GitHub Copilot CLI | Governance installer |
Full list: Framework Integrations · Quickstart Examples
Examples
| Example | Framework | What it demonstrates |
|---|---|---|
| openai-agents-governed | OpenAI Agents SDK | Policy-gated tool calls with trust tiers |
| crewai-governed | CrewAI | Multi-agent governance with role-based policies |
| smolagents-governed | HuggingFace smolagents | Lightweight agent governance |
| maf-integration | MAF | Microsoft Agent Framework integration |
| mcp-trust-verified-server | MCP | Trust-verified MCP server implementation |
| cedarling-governed | Cedar/Cedarling | Janssen Cedarling policy engine integration |
| governance-dashboard | Streamlit | Real-time fleet visibility dashboard |
Specifications
Every major component has a formal RFC 2119 specification with conformance tests. These specs define the behavioral contract: what implementations MUST, SHOULD, and MAY do.
| Specification | Scope | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Agent OS Policy Engine | Policy evaluation, rule merging, fail-closed semantics | 68 |
| Agent Control Specification | Stateless intervention-point policy runtime, verdicts, transform, fail-closed | -- |
| AgentMesh Identity and Trust | Credentials, trust scoring, delegation chains | 135 |
| Agent Hypervisor Execution Control | Privilege rings, saga orchestration, kill switch | 80 |
| AgentMesh Trust and Coordination | Peer trust negotiation, mesh-wide policy | 62 |
| Agent SRE Governance | SLOs, error budgets, chaos, circuit breakers | 111 |
| MCP Security Gateway | Tool poisoning, drift detection, hidden instructions | 127 |
| Agent Lightning Fast-Path | RL training governance, violation penalties | 100 |
| Framework Adapter Contract | 10 adapter integrations, interceptor chain | 152 |
| Audit and Compliance | Merkle audit, compliance mapping, Decision BOM | 157 |
| AgentMesh Wire Protocol | Message format, routing, serialization | -- |
992 conformance tests ensure code stays aligned to specs. 29 Architecture Decision Records document why.
Standards Compliance
| Standard | Coverage |
|---|---|
| OWASP Agentic AI Top 10 | All ASI risk categories mapped with deterministic controls |
| NIST AI RMF 1.0 | Full GOVERN, MAP, MEASURE, MANAGE alignment |
| EU AI Act | Compliance mapping with automated evidence |
| SOC 2 | Control mapping with audit trail export |
| AARM Extended | All R1–R9 requirements satisfied; verified Jun 14, 2026 |
| ATF | All five elements mapped: Agent Mesh (identity), Agent OS (policy), Agent Compliance (governance), Agent Runtime (sandboxing), Agent SRE (incident response) |
Security
AGT enforces governance at the application middleware layer, not at the OS kernel level. The policy engine and agents share the same process boundary.
Production recommendation: Run each agent in a separate container for OS-level isolation. See Architecture: Security Boundaries.
| Tool | Coverage |
|---|---|
| CodeQL | Python + TypeScript SAST |
| Gitleaks | Secret scanning on PR/push/weekly |
| ClusterFuzzLite | 7 fuzz targets (policy, injection, MCP, sandbox, trust) |
| Dependabot | 13 ecosystems |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Weekly scoring + SARIF upload |
See Known Limitations for honest design boundaries and recommended layered defense.
Documentation
| Category | Links |
|---|---|
| Getting Started | Quick Start · Tutorials (60+) · FAQ |
| Architecture | System Design · Threat Model · ADRs (29) |
| Specifications | All Specs (10 formal specs, 992 conformance tests) |
| API Reference | Agent OS · AgentMesh · Agent SRE |
| Compliance | OWASP · EU AI Act · NIST AI RMF · SOC 2 · AARM Extended · ATF |
| Deployment | Azure · AWS · GCP · Docker Compose |
| Extensions | VS Code · Framework Integrations |
Contributing
Contributing Guide · Community · Discord · Security Policy · Changelog
Using AGT? Add your organization to ADOPTERS.md.
Governance
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| GOVERNANCE.md | Decision-making, roles, contributor ladder |
| CHARTER.md | Technical charter (LF Projects format) |
| MAINTAINERS.md | Maintainers and organizations |
| SECURITY.md | Vulnerability reporting and response SLAs |
| CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md | Microsoft Open Source Code of Conduct |
| ANTITRUST.md | Competition law guidelines for participants |
| TRADEMARKS.md | Trademark usage policy |
Important Notes
If you use the Agent Governance Toolkit to build applications that operate with third-party agent frameworks or services, you do so at your own risk. We recommend reviewing all data being shared with third-party services and being cognizant of third-party practices for retention and location of data.
Official Sources
The only official sources for the Agent Governance Toolkit are:
| Resource | Location |
|---|---|
| Source code | github.com/microsoft/agent-governance-toolkit |
| Documentation | microsoft.github.io/agent-governance-toolkit |
| Python packages | pypi.org/user/agentgovtoolkit |
| npm packages | @microsoft/agent-governance-sdk on npmjs.com |
| NuGet packages | Microsoft.AgentGovernance.* on nuget.org |
| Rust crates | agent-governance, agent-governance-mcp on crates.io |
The project team does not maintain or endorse any third-party websites, packages, or documentation sites claiming to be official. If you encounter a suspicious site or package using the Agent Governance Toolkit name, please report it through the channels described in SECURITY.md.
License
This project is licensed under the MIT License.
Trademarks
This project may contain trademarks or logos for projects, products, or services. Authorized use of Microsoft trademarks or logos is subject to and must follow Microsoft's Trademark & Brand Guidelines. Use of Microsoft trademarks or logos in modified versions of this project must not cause confusion or imply Microsoft sponsorship. Any use of third-party trademarks or logos are subject to those third-party's policies.
