Merchant Allowlists for AI Agents
A merchant allowlist is a restrictively curated list of API endpoints an agent is allowed to pay. Any payment attempt to an endpoint not on the list is automatically blocked.
The allowlist is the single most effective control against agent payment abuse. Even a compromised agent cannot spend on unapproved endpoints. Combined with circuit breakers, it creates a defense-in-depth payment security model.
Sipi Bot's allowlist supports wildcards (e.g., api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions), rate limits per endpoint, and time-based access (only allow billing during business hours).
How restrictive should allowlists be?
As restrictive as possible. Start with exactly the endpoints the agent needs. Add new endpoints as requirements emerge, not preemptively.
Can agents request new allowlist entries?
Yes, through Sipi Bot's policy API. The request is logged, and an admin can approve it via the dashboard. This allows dynamic scaling without compromising security.