Access Inventory

The Problem

AI agents default to hedging. When they're unsure whether they have access to a tool, API, or service, they say "I don't have access" or "I'd need an API key for that" — even when the key is sitting in a config file two directories away.

This isn't a capability problem. It's an uncertainty problem. The agent doesn't know what it has, so it defaults to the safe answer: "I probably don't."

The Fix

Two things in your AGENTS.md:

1. The Override Rule

## ⚠️ ACCESS — NEVER CLAIM YOU LACK IT

**HARD RULE: NEVER say "I need an API key", "I don't have access", or
"I can't do that" for any tool or service.**

Instead: just TRY IT. Run the command. Read the key file. Hit the API.
If it actually fails, report the error. The answer is almost always
"you already have it."

**Default assumption: you have access to everything listed below.
Act accordingly.**

2. The Inventory Table

### Authenticated CLIs
| Tool           | Status | Notes                        |
|----------------|--------|------------------------------|
| gh (GitHub)    | ✅     | Logged in as youruser        |
| himalaya       | ✅     | you@company.com (Fastmail)   |
| stripe         | ✅     | Key in ~/.config/stripe/     |
| supabase       | ✅     | Needs `link` per project     |

### API Keys
| Service     | Location                    |
|-------------|-----------------------------|
| Anthropic   | ~/.config/anthropic/api_key |
| OpenAI      | ~/.config/openai/api_key    |
| Replicate   | ~/.config/replicate/api_key |
| Resend      | ~/.config/resend/api_key    |

### If something's NOT listed above
1. `env | grep -i <service>`
2. `ls ~/.config/<service>/`
3. `which <tool>`
4. `brew list | grep <tool>`
5. **Only then** ask the user

Why This Works

The rule removes the escape hatch — the agent can no longer punt with "I don't have access" without actually trying. The inventory removes the uncertainty — the agent knows exactly what's available and where to find it.

Together, they eliminate the most common and most frustrating agent failure pattern.

Setup Checklist

1. Copy the override rule into your AGENTS.md
2. Run a discovery scan of your system:
   • ls ~/.config/ — find API keys
   • brew list or which — find installed CLIs
   • env | grep -i key\|token\|secret — find env vars
3. Build your inventory table from what you find
4. Add any authenticated web services (logged-in browsers, OAuth tokens)
5. Update the inventory whenever you install or authenticate something new

Maintenance

Review monthly. New tools get installed, keys rotate, services change. An outdated inventory is almost as bad as no inventory — it gives the agent false confidence about stale credentials.

Add this to your nightly or weekly heartbeat:

## Access Inventory Refresh (weekly)
1. Scan for new CLIs and API keys
2. Verify existing credentials still work
3. Update AGENTS.md inventory table
4. Remove any revoked or expired entries