An agent control plane is the management layer that registers AI agents, assigns identities, grants and limits permissions, watches their activity, and revokes access when needed. It sits above the agent runtime and decides what tools, data, and services an agent can use. In practice, it works like a governance hub for autonomous software.
This matters because an AI agent can take actions, not just generate text. If a prompt injection or compromised connector steers an agent with broad access, the damage can include email actions, file access, or workflow changes. Defenses focus on least privilege, scoped service accounts, approval gates, and audit logging so every action is traceable. A strong control plane also makes it possible to isolate, pause, or shut down risky agents quickly.