Result
Discovery first
In short: you cannot govern agents you cannot see. When nobody knows how many agents exist or who owns them, buy discovery first. Look for read-only connectors across identity providers, clouds, SaaS, code and endpoints, plus owner mapping so every agent has an accountable person.
Identification
Autonomous agents and their credentials are spread across teams, and no inventory exists. You start with discovery and owner mapping before any enforcement.
Field marks: what does this look like in practice?
- Teams build agents in several platforms without telling security.
- Service accounts and API keys have no listed owner.
- Local MCP servers run on developer laptops.
- An incident would take days to scope.
What should I require from a product?
- Discovery works through read-only integrations without teams registering agents.
- Coverage includes identity providers, clouds, SaaS and AI platforms.
- Local agents and MCP servers on endpoints are found.
- Each agent is mapped to an accountable human owner.
- Credentials each agent holds are listed with age and scope.
- The inventory updates continuously, not as a one-off scan.
Which products fit?
Listed by fit to the requirements above, using each vendor's public material. This is not a ranking.
| Product | What it documents for this requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Astrix Security | Four discovery methods, including AI platform integrations and EDR and browser sensors; owner mapping. | Astrix at RSAC 2026, read 2026-11-03 |
| SailPoint Entro | Inventory across cloud, SaaS, SDLC and endpoints; owner mapping. | SailPoint agentic AI security, read 2026-11-03 |
| Clutch Security | Connectors across clouds, SaaS, code, CI/CD, vaults, endpoints and AI platforms; traces the deploying person. | Clutch Security platform, read 2026-11-03 |
| Token Security | Discovers agents and MCP servers across on-premises, hybrid and cloud; defined human owner. | Token Security home page, read 2026-11-03 |
| Silverfort | Discovers sanctioned and rogue agents through read-only APIs; binds a human owner. | Silverfort: AI agent security, read 2026-11-03 |
| NewCore | Read-only discovery without registration; links agents to a person across identity providers and HR systems. | NewCore: Discover, read 2026-11-03 |
What is this result confused with?
- Workload identity and secretless access: Pick that once you know your agents and want to remove their secrets.
- Per-action policy with evidence: Pick that when the inventory exists and auditors need per-action evidence.
What does your identity provider already cover?
- Okta for AI Agents imports agents from Salesforce Agentforce, Amazon Bedrock AgentCore and ServiceNow. Okta for AI Agents general availability, read 2026-11-03
- Entra Agent ID records a sponsor per agent. What is Microsoft Entra Agent ID, read 2026-11-03
An agent governance layer runs alongside your identity provider, never instead of it.
Questions buyers ask
Can my identity provider find all agents?
Okta imports agents from some platforms. Agents created outside those platforms usually need separate discovery.
Is discovery enough?
No. Discovery shows the problem. Removing standing credentials and checking actions come next.
Who should own an agent?
A named person accountable for its access, usually the one who deployed it or their manager.