Description
Token usage, lineage, and the coming token sprawl
Before even getting into mechanics, I think it may be worth explicitly calling out the token sprawl that is coming and, in many cases, already starting. As enterprises move toward agent-to-agent communication, agent-as-a-service models, orchestrator-led systems, and swarms of task-specific agents, token proliferation becomes unavoidable.
Tokens are no longer just authentication artifacts. They increasingly represent execution authority, cost attribution, and audit boundaries.
▫️ Multiple tokens per agent, often dynamically created
▫️ Tokens scoped differently for tools, MCP servers, data sources, and delegated tasks
▫️ Human-issued, system-issued, delegated, and ephemeral tokens coexisting
▫️ Each token potentially carrying different RBAC and CRUD permissions
Without explicit token metadata and lineage, enterprises struggle to answer fundamental governance questions:
▫️ Which token executed which action
▫️ What RBAC and CRUD context was active at the time
▫️ Whether delegation chains were expected or anomalous
▫️ How accountability, risk, and cost should be attributed
A clear callout acknowledging token sprawl, followed by lightweight token lineage metadata, would materially strengthen “auditability”, guardrails, and risk assessment as agent ecosystems expand.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/doug-shannon_token-agentic-ai-activity-7374072291858513920-oSeT?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAF6qd8Bd3jO_IHfLUm3EsSIG7EoRhZCR-Y
The Law of Artificial Lineage:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/doug-shannon_law-agentic-ai-activity-7370810674081382402-eJ0Y?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAF6qd8Bd3jO_IHfLUm3EsSIG7EoRhZCR-Y
Raised by
Doug Shannon
Description
Token usage, lineage, and the coming token sprawl
Before even getting into mechanics, I think it may be worth explicitly calling out the token sprawl that is coming and, in many cases, already starting. As enterprises move toward agent-to-agent communication, agent-as-a-service models, orchestrator-led systems, and swarms of task-specific agents, token proliferation becomes unavoidable.
Tokens are no longer just authentication artifacts. They increasingly represent execution authority, cost attribution, and audit boundaries.
▫️ Multiple tokens per agent, often dynamically created
▫️ Tokens scoped differently for tools, MCP servers, data sources, and delegated tasks
▫️ Human-issued, system-issued, delegated, and ephemeral tokens coexisting
▫️ Each token potentially carrying different RBAC and CRUD permissions
Without explicit token metadata and lineage, enterprises struggle to answer fundamental governance questions:
▫️ Which token executed which action
▫️ What RBAC and CRUD context was active at the time
▫️ Whether delegation chains were expected or anomalous
▫️ How accountability, risk, and cost should be attributed
A clear callout acknowledging token sprawl, followed by lightweight token lineage metadata, would materially strengthen “auditability”, guardrails, and risk assessment as agent ecosystems expand.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/doug-shannon_token-agentic-ai-activity-7374072291858513920-oSeT?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAF6qd8Bd3jO_IHfLUm3EsSIG7EoRhZCR-Y
The Law of Artificial Lineage:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/doug-shannon_law-agentic-ai-activity-7370810674081382402-eJ0Y?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAF6qd8Bd3jO_IHfLUm3EsSIG7EoRhZCR-Y
Raised by
Doug Shannon