Coinbase adds Agent Controls for AI trading

Coinbase has introduced Agent Controls in Coinbase for Agents, letting users set limits on how AI agents trade on their behalf.

The controls form part of Coinbase for Agents, the company’s MCP that allows users to conduct research and execute trades through AI agents. With the update, users can define trading limits, set the conditions under which an agent stops trading, and, at a later stage, restrict the product categories an agent can access. Coinbase has framed the release as a set of safeguards intended to protect users and their assets as trading increasingly takes place through AI tools.

The service brings research, strategy, and trade execution into a single workflow within the AI tools users already rely on, shortening the path from an initial idea to a placed order. Agent Controls adds a layer that defines the boundaries within which that workflow operates.

A central design choice concerns where the controls sit. According to the company, the limits run on Coinbase’s servers rather than inside the agent, so the agent cannot bypass them. Settings are managed in the Coinbase app or on the web through the user’s logged-in account, which is protected by a password and two-factor authentication. As a result, an agent cannot change its own permissions. Users can also ask their agent to show them where the controls are located.