Giving software access to a business system can begin with a simple API key. Keeping track of that key after it enters configuration files, developer tools and automated workflows is a different problem. Agents create another class of actor that needs access without necessarily needing possession of the underlying secret.
Postman announced Passport’s general availability on September 15. According to its release, the product keeps real API credentials inside the customer’s environment while developers and agents receive governed access. The announcement describes identity-bound references, granular permissions and task-scoped agent identities. Co-founder and CEO Abhinav Asthana framed secure API access as increasingly important as agents perform more work.
GlobalFounderTimes analysis: this is an expansion into the infrastructure surrounding an existing customer activity. Developers already use APIs; the difficult question is how access should behave when calls originate from people, machines and delegated agents. A company can find a new product opportunity by examining what becomes unsafe or unmanageable when an established workflow scales.
The distinction is practical. Storing a credential securely does not by itself determine which actions an agent should be allowed to take. A customer may want an agent to read a record but never delete it, or act on one task without receiving lasting authority over an entire account.
For founders integrating agents into their own products, access design should therefore begin with the job. Identify the minimum action required, the system involved and when permission should expire. Logging and revocation should be considered before the first autonomous workflow is offered to customers.
Passport’s announcement does not remove the need for deployment-specific security review, and the release’s performance or adoption claims should remain attributed to Postman. The broader business story is nevertheless clear: as new actors enter a workflow, control becomes a product category. The companies that make access understandable may find demand beside the companies that make agents more capable.