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Access Request MCP Overview

AI agents are no longer passive tools - they can trigger workflows, change infrastructure, and access sensitive resources. This autonomy introduces new risks:

  • Agents may hallucinate actions or overreach their intended permissions.
  • Prompts can be vague or misleading, leading to unintended consequences.
  • Actions might lack proper audit trails or human approval.

Human-in-the-loop (HITL) workflows solve this by inserting deliberate checkpoints where human reviewers must explicitly approve critical actions.

Permit.io’s Access Request MCP is a framework designed to enable AI agents with the ability to request sensitive actions, while allowing humans to remain the final decision-makers.

What Is the Permit Access Request MCP?​

The Permit.io Access Request MCP Server bridges the gap between AI actions and human judgment, enabling AI agents to ask for permission before executing sensitive tasks.

The MCP server provides tools that let agents:

  • Propose access requests (e.g., “Can I access this document?”)
  • Submit operation approval requests (e.g., “Can I delete this resource?”)
  • Route these decisions to real human reviewers via UI or API
  • Act only once a decision has been made

With support for fine-grained access control and real-time interrupt/resume patterns, the MCP server becomes the foundation for secure agent workflows.

When to Use HITL with Permit MCP​

Use the Permit MCP when your agent:

  • Operates in sensitive environments where actions must be logged and approved.
  • Interacts with multiple roles or users, and decisions require accountability.
  • Needs dynamic permissions, driven by user identity, context, or custom policies.
  • Cannot be fully trusted to act independently, especially in production.

Common use cases include:

  • AI copilots for developers or security engineers
  • Customer support bots making account-level changes
  • Internal assistants triggering infrastructure updates
  • AI agents in regulated environments (e.g. SOC 2, HIPAA)

Explore the Full HITL Stack​

Permit MCP Technical Implementation Guide
A detailed walkthrough of installing, configuring, and extending the Permit MCP Server.

Building a Family Food Ordering CLI Tool With Permit MCP
A step-by-step tutorial demonstrating how HITL works in a real-world agentic system using Gemini, FastAPI, and the MCP server.

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