Autonomy Levels

Autonomy levels are how Opbox controls what an AI Agent or external MCP client is allowed to do. Every API key carries an autonomyLevel (0-3) set at creation. The MCP router enforces it before dispatching any tool call.

The Four Levels

Level	Meaning	Examples
L0	Read-only	`search`, `list_`, `get_`, `agent_queue_list`, `get_notifications`, `execute_sql` (read-only), `search_system_docs`
L1	Read + internal writes	`create_invite`, `mark_notifications_read`, `agent_queue_claim`, doc-gen patcher reads, `add_subtask`, `add_comment`
L2	Read + mutations with external side effects	`call_api_endpoint` (GET only), `run_saved_query`, billable workflow runs, sending notifications
L3	Full	All registered tools, subject to per-tool gate flags (some tools are L3-only by their declaration)

Default for new keys: L0. Admins must explicitly raise the level when minting the key.

Enforcement

Tool registration declares its required level. The MCP router checks before dispatch:

if (tool.minAutonomyLevel > ctx.autonomyLevel) {
  return { error: 'AUTONOMY_LEVEL_REQUIRED', ... }
}

The same autonomy enforcer is used by both the in-process Agent Worker and the MCP HTTP router, so the rule is identical regardless of execution path.

Denied calls are audit-logged. The AUTONOMY_LEVEL_REQUIRED security event records the tool name, the calling key, and the level required vs supplied.

Why Tiers Are Coarse

The four levels are deliberately coarse. We considered per-tool grants but rejected them:

Operator cognitive load - admins can reason about “read-only” or “full” much faster than ticking 405 boxes.
Forward compat - new tools land regularly. A coarse tier auto-classifies them via minAutonomyLevel. A fine-grained ACL would require a manual edit on every release.
Audit clarity - “this key is L1” is a stronger story than “this key has these 47 tools.”

Per-tool gating still happens, but inside each level. For example, execute_sql is L0 (it’s read-only) but also requires the workspace ADMIN role at the API boundary - so even an L3 key from a non-admin user can’t run it.

Choosing the Right Level

Use case	Level	Rationale
Developer using Claude Code on their laptop for read-only investigation	L0	Can’t accidentally write. Safe default.
Personal automation - drafting comments, taking notes	L1	Internal writes only - no external side effects.
Agent Bridge running production doc-gen	L1 or L2	Doc-gen needs `agent_queue_claim` (L1). Cloud fire-and-forget hits webhooks (L2).
CSP firm overseer running cross-workspace audits	L0	Read-only across the whole client base. Lots of leverage, no risk.
Full automation - end-to-end matter completion	L3	Trusted internal tooling only.

OpenClaw Bidirectional Auth

When the OpenClaw provider is configured, the same bearer that opbox uses to call OpenClaw also authenticates inbound MCP calls (OpenClaw → opbox). The autonomy level for those inbound calls is set separately on the org config:

Setting	Default	Effect
Inbound autonomy level (`openclawInboundAutonomyLevel`)	L3 (full)	What tools OpenClaw can invoke when calling `/api/mcp/*` with the bearer. L0-L3 same matrix as above.

The OpenClaw bearer authenticates as the OpenClaw principal user (auto-seated as OPBOX_AGENT role on the org when OpenClaw is enabled). All the same role / autonomy / cell-locking gates apply - the bearer just supplies an alternative credential, not new privileges. Audit log entries carry apiKeyId = openclaw:<orgId> to distinguish bidirectional activity from cp_live_* MCP keys.

Crossing Tenant Boundaries

The _targetWorkspaceId cross-workspace swap does not change the autonomy level. An L0 overseer key remains read-only against subordinate workspaces. The autonomy level is a property of the key, not of the target.

This means an overseer can run “look at my client base read-only” without having to mint a separate per-client key per workspace.

L3 Per-Tool Gates

Some tools are L3-only by declaration regardless of caller. Examples:

bulk_update_dashboard - bulk widget rewrite.
set_dashboard_config - replace entire config.
delete_table / delete_column - destructive schema changes.
update_document (full structured-JSON replace) - destructive content overwrite.

These are L3-only because their blast radius is large enough that a “full automation” justification is the right minimum bar.

Rotating Levels

You can change the autonomy level on an existing key without rotating the secret:

PATCH /api/agent/api-keys/[id]
{ "autonomyLevel": 2 }

Requires ADMIN/OWNER role + CSRF. The change is audited. New tool calls immediately respect the new level - in-flight calls finish on the old level.

API Key Creation

Endpoint	Method	Purpose
`POST /api/agent/api-keys`	Mint a new key	ADMIN/OWNER only. JSON body with `name` and `autonomyLevel`. Returns the cleartext key once - it’s not retrievable again.
`GET /api/agent/api-keys`	List existing keys (masked)	ADMIN/OWNER.
`PATCH /api/agent/api-keys/[id]`	Update name / autonomy / disabled state	ADMIN/OWNER + CSRF.
`DELETE /api/agent/api-keys/[id]`	Revoke	ADMIN/OWNER + CSRF.

The cleartext key is shown once at creation. Copy it to your env / MCP config immediately. It’s stored hashed in the DB; the cleartext is unrecoverable.

What L0 Can Still Do

Even L0 (the most restrictive level) is meaningfully powerful in Opbox:

Full search across CRM, matters, documents, KB.
Read-only SQL against the workspace database.
Page through audit logs (admin-gated separately).
Run RAG queries against extracted content.
Read the full doc-gen briefing for any matter step.
Cross-tenant reads if the home workspace has oversight.

A common production pattern: one L0 overseer key per analyst, doing the entire reading job; a small L3 service account for the unattended automations.