AI coding agent safety checklist: 10 rules before you let it run commands

The checklist

1. Work in a git repository and commit before a big task, so any change can be undone.
2. Read a command before you allow it, especially anything with rm, sudo, curl | sh, or a path outside the project.
3. Keep permission prompts on rather than skipping them. See why skipping is risky.
4. Make answering fast, so you are never tempted to switch prompts off. A popup you can answer with one key helps.
5. Give each job its own folder so one agent cannot touch another project.
6. Keep secrets out of the chat. Do not paste keys, tokens or passwords into a prompt.
7. Review the diff of what changed before you merge or deploy it.
8. Pre-approve only what is truly safe, and keep the rest on ask.
9. Do not leave requests unanswered for long. A request you did not read is a request you should deny.
10. Know how to turn it off. Learn each agent's stop or interrupt, and how to disconnect any tool that hooks into it.

Where Herdbell fits

Herdbell does not make an agent safe by itself. It helps with the human part: you see every request the moment it happens, risky commands ask twice, and an unanswered request falls back to the agent's own prompt instead of being approved. The judgement stays yours.

Common questions