Revoke an AI Agent’s Access to Your Accounts and Files

Revoking an AI agent’s access stops it from using connected accounts, cloud files, and other permissions you granted. Start with the service that provided the agent and the accounts it connected to; removing the agent from one app may not cancel access tokens or copies already stored elsewhere.

What You’ll Need

• Access to the AI agent’s settings or the service where you installed it.
• Sign-in access to connected accounts, such as email, cloud storage, calendars, or workplace tools.
• A device you trust, and your account recovery method if you need to change passwords or enable multifactor authentication.
• A list of connected services, if available. Check the agent’s activity or integrations page before you begin.

Step-by-Step

1. Pause the agent and stop its scheduled work. In the agent’s settings, pause it, disable automations, and cancel pending or recurring tasks. If it is managed by a workplace, ask the administrator to suspend it. This reduces the chance that it will continue acting while you revoke access. Do not assume that deleting a chat or closing a browser tab stops background tasks.
2. Find every connection the agent uses. Review its integrations, connected apps, permissions, and activity history. Note the account name and service for each connection, including any secondary account you authorized. Check whether the agent connects directly or through a platform, browser extension, automation tool, or workplace administrator. Record what you need to reconnect later, but do not copy or share secret keys or access tokens.
3. Revoke access from each account provider. Sign in to each connected service directly, using its official website or app. Look for settings named Security, Privacy, Connected apps, Third-party access, Authorized apps, or Sessions. Select the agent or integration and choose Remove access, Revoke, or the equivalent. Review the confirmation carefully: you want to remove the agent’s authorization, not delete your account or files. Menu names differ, so use the provider’s help page if the setting is not obvious.
4. Remove access to files and shared folders. In cloud storage and collaboration services, inspect both app permissions and sharing settings. Remove the agent’s account from shared folders, files, workspaces, and links if it was added as a user or collaborator. Revoking an app connection may not remove a separate invitation or public link. If the agent created files you want to keep, download or transfer them before removing access, following your organization’s data-handling rules.
5. Revoke credentials and tokens you supplied yourself. If you pasted an API key, password, webhook secret, or access token into the agent, remove it from the agent’s configuration and replace or revoke it at the service that issued it. Changing a password alone may not invalidate every token or application password, so check the provider’s security settings for active sessions, app passwords, tokens, and recovery options. Never paste a replacement secret into a chat or support message.
6. Remove the agent’s local or installed components. Uninstall any related browser extension, desktop app, mobile app, or automation connector you no longer need. Check browser extensions and connected devices as well as the agent’s own settings. Uninstalling software does not necessarily revoke permissions already granted to an online account; complete the provider-side steps above too.
7. Secure the accounts if activity seems unfamiliar. If you see actions you did not authorize, change the affected account password from its official site, sign out other sessions, and enable multifactor authentication where available. Review recent sign-ins, forwarding rules, recovery details, and account activity. If the account is managed by an employer or school, contact its administrator promptly rather than changing settings that could disrupt managed access.
8. Verify that access is gone. Reopen each provider’s connected-app or permissions page and confirm the agent is no longer listed. Check recent activity for new actions, and confirm scheduled jobs are stopped. If access remains or the agent reappears, remove it again and contact the account provider or your administrator. Keep a note of what you revoked and when, without recording passwords or secrets.

Common Mistakes

• Deleting the agent but leaving its authorization active. The service may retain permission until you revoke it at the account provider.
• Removing only one connection. An agent can have separate permissions for storage, email, calendars, and other services. Review each account independently.
• Confusing a shared file with an app permission. Remove both the app authorization and any direct invitation, shared-folder membership, or access link that should no longer work.
• Assuming a password change revokes everything. Some sessions, tokens, or app passwords may remain valid. Use the provider’s controls to revoke them explicitly.
• Deleting useful work before checking it. Preserve files you need before removing the agent or its access, while respecting workplace policies.

Tips

• Use the account provider’s official app or website, not a link in an unexpected email or message.
• Revoke permissions at the source account first, then remove the integration and local software.
• Prefer the narrowest permissions when reconnecting a tool. Avoid granting access to an entire drive if a specific folder is sufficient.
• Periodically review connected apps and active sessions, especially after testing a tool or changing who manages it.
• For a shared or workplace account, coordinate with its owner or administrator so revocation does not interrupt essential services or violate retention rules.

Troubleshooting

The agent is not listed: Check every account you may have used, including a work or school sign-in. Look in both connected-app permissions and user or folder-sharing settings. The connection may appear under the platform or automation service that relayed access rather than the agent’s name.

The revoke option is missing or disabled: You may not be the account owner, or an administrator may control the integration. Contact the owner or administrator and ask them to remove the authorization. Do not try to bypass managed controls.

The agent can still access something: Confirm that the correct account was changed and check for another authorization, active session, shared link, or token. Revoke those separately, then review activity. If the provider does not offer a clear way to invalidate access, contact its support team.

You cannot sign in or suspect account compromise: Use the provider’s official account-recovery process from a trusted device. Secure your email account too, since it may be used for password resets. For a managed account, notify the administrator or security team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does deleting an AI agent revoke access automatically?
Not always. The account provider may keep the authorization active, so remove the agent from the provider’s connected-app or permissions settings.

Will revoking access delete my files?
Usually, revocation stops future access rather than deleting files, but behavior varies by service. Check the provider’s confirmation and preserve anything you need before removing the connection.

Is changing my password enough?
It may help, but it may not invalidate every token, session, or app password. Revoke those through the account’s security settings as well.

Can the agent still use information it already accessed?
Revoking access prevents future retrieval, but it cannot guarantee deletion of information already processed, saved, or exported. Review the agent provider’s data and deletion controls if you want stored information removed.

What if I connected the agent through another service?
Revoke access both in the service that provided the agent and at each account provider. Also check the intermediary’s integrations and scheduled automations.

How can I tell whether access was successfully revoked?
Confirm the integration is absent from the provider’s permissions list, check that shared access is removed, and review recent activity for unexpected actions.

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