---
title: "Agent mandate: definition | KYA glossary"
url: https://knowyouragent.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/agent-mandate
lang: en
updated: 2026-10-12
license: © Innopulse Consulting GmbH
---

# Agent mandate

An agent mandate is a [principal](https://knowyouragent.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/principal)'s signed, machine-readable authorization for an AI agent that defines which actions are allowed, to what extent and until when.

A verifiable mandate names at least the issuer, the agent, the principal, the allowed action types and a validity period. Amount limits, permitted counterparties and a revocation mechanism make it precise. As an [SD-JWT VC](https://knowyouragent.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/sd-jwt-vc), a mandate can disclose its scope without revealing every detail about the principal.

## Example

A customer grants her agent a mandate: purchases and subscriptions up to CHF 50 per action, valid until year end, revocable through a [status list](https://knowyouragent.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/status-list). Every order of the agent can then be checked against exactly these details.

## How it differs

An API key grants access without limits and without reference to the principal. [Blanket authority](https://knowyouragent.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/blanket-authority) allows almost anything. An agent mandate sets action types, limits, counterparties and validity, and it is signed, hence verifiable.

## In practice

- Describe exactly one task per mandate with clear action types instead of allowing an agent everything at once. Several narrow mandates are easier to verify than a broad one.
- Always set an amount limit, permitted counterparties and an expiry date. If one of these limits is missing, the mandate quickly turns into blanket authority.
- Reference a status list in the mandate so you can revoke it at any time, for example if an agent is compromised or the engagement ends.

## Role in KYA

KYA checks whether the mandate was in force at the time of the action, whether the action stayed within its limits and whether it was revoked. Each of these questions has a check of its own.

Related check: [Mandate validity](https://knowyouragent.ch/en/method/checks) (`mandate_validity`). Was the mandate valid at the time of the action?

Mandates of this kind are issued, for example, by the reference implementation [Mandact](https://mandact.com/en/protocol?utm_source=knowyouragent.ch&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=glossar-agenten-mandat) (from the operator of KYA); KYA verifies them regardless of who issued them.

[Verify now: open a matching example](https://knowyouragent.ch/en/verify?beispiel=paket)

## Frequently asked questions

### What does an agent mandate contain?

At least issuer, agent, principal, permitted action types and validity, often also amount limits, permitted counterparties and a reference to a status list for revocation.

### How does a mandate differ from conventional authority?

A mandate carries the idea of granting authority into a machine-readable, signed format with precise limits that machines and verifying parties can evaluate independently.

### Can an agent mandate be revoked?

Yes, if the mandate references a status list. The [verifying party](https://knowyouragent.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/verifying-party) then checks whether the mandate was still valid at the time of the action.

### Who issues an agent mandate?

The principal itself or a service on its behalf. What matters is that the verifying party trusts the issuer and knows its key.

## Sources

- [SD-JWT VC (IETF)](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ietf-oauth-sd-jwt-vc/)
- [KYA verification profile](https://knowyouragent.ch/en/standard/verification-profile)

## Related terms

- [Principal](https://knowyouragent.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/principal)
- [Blanket authority](https://knowyouragent.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/blanket-authority)
- [Status list](https://knowyouragent.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/status-list)
- [SD-JWT VC](https://knowyouragent.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/sd-jwt-vc)

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Quelle: https://knowyouragent.ch/en/knowledge/glossary/agent-mandate · KYA – Know Your Agent