Thesis: Least-Privilege Tool Use for Coding Agents

Coding agents can modify repositories, install packages and change CI settings, creating risks when their permissions are too broad. This thesis explores how least-privilege policies can restrict agent tool use while still supporting everyday development. It will assess the balance between blocking risky actions and introducing friction for legitimate tasks.

The assignment

• Map the tools and permissions needed for common coding-agent maintenance tasks and identify capabilities that can be disabled by default.
• Investigate how repository writes, package installation and CI configuration changes can be controlled independently.
• Build a proof-of-concept policy layer in a controlled lab, agreeing the agent runtime, CI platform, language ecosystems, policy mechanisms and tasks with the supervisor.
• Compare restrictive policies with a broad-permission baseline using ordinary tasks and a predefined set of risky actions, including secret access, CI permission changes and downloads from unapproved sources.
• Measure legitimate tasks blocked or delayed, risky actions allowed or denied, approval requests and additional time spent.
• Explore how policy decisions can be communicated usefully to developers through channels such as CI logs or pull-request comments.
• Evaluate the approach as a method and prototype rather than a production-ready product, excluding model poisoning, new sandbox bypasses and compromised build infrastructure.

Who we are looking for

• Bachelor’s or master’s student in Computer Engineering, expecting to graduate in June 2027.
• Interest in software security, developer tools and CI/CD.
• Fluent in both Swedish and English, in writing and speech.

What we offer

• Supervisor involvement in defining the technical setup and evaluation scope.

Practical details

Based at the Sundsvall office. Start in January or March 2027. Apply through the company’s careers page as soon as possible, no later than 30 November 2026. Questions can be sent to johanna.edstrom@knightec.se.