Identity Brief

Issue 01 · 2 October 2026

Flow 07 · Privilege

It already knows when it ends.

Just-in-time access isn’t a wire protocol. It’s a habit. The operator, or the agent, starts with nothing on the target. Policy lends a narrow right, and the target takes it back when the window closes.

Watch for

  • The request names one action, one target, and why. “Make me an admin” is a standing role with a form in front of it.
  • Write down which rule said yes. Otherwise a review is just archaeology.
  • Same shape for a person or an agent. If an agent is the caller, the grant should name the agent and the person who delegated.

Failure modes

  • Adding someone to a permanent group and filing a ticket to take them out later. The ticket gets lost.
  • A shared break-glass account for the on-call rotation. The log says “break-glass,” not who was holding it.
  • Auto-approval with no limit. That’s standing access that files a request on the way in.