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Capability Matrix

Permission inspector showing allowed and denied capabilities.

Install

npx ax-depute@latest add capability-matrix
pnpm dlx ax-depute@latest add capability-matrix
yarn dlx ax-depute@latest add capability-matrix
bunx ax-depute@latest add capability-matrix

Overview

Capability Matrix is the "Agent Handshake." As products explicitly declare their tools to agents via frameworks like WebMCP, humans need to see that exact programmatic contract. This component visualizes what an agent is capable of doing in the current specific operating context.

Agent Permissions

sysadmin-bot-01
3 allowed2 denied
Observability
Full Accesslogs.readRead system logs
Operations
Conditionalservices.restartRestart running servicesif requires 2FA
Deniedservices.stopStop running services
System
Write Onlyconfig.writeModify configuration
Storage
Denieddb.dropDrop database tables
Interactive StorybookView all states, toggle props, and test edge cases.

Basic Usage

<CapabilityMatrix
  title="Agent Permissions"
  agentId="sysadmin-bot-01"
  capabilities={[
    { name: 'logs.read', description: 'Read system logs', permission: 'full', category: 'Observability' },
    { name: 'services.restart', permission: 'conditional', condition: 'requires 2FA', category: 'Operations' },
    { name: 'db.drop', description: 'Drop database tables', permission: 'none', category: 'Storage' },
  ]}
/>

Solution Patterns

Render CapabilityMatrix inside a DelegationGate when an agent is spawned, ensuring the user understands the absolute bounds of the agent's authority before letting it execute.

Props

PropTypeDefaultDescription
titlestringTitle of the matrix
agentIdstringAgent identity label
capabilitiesCapability[]List of defined permissions
groupByCategorybooleantrueGroup capabilities by category
highlightDeniedbooleantrueEmphasize denied/none permissions

Design rationale

Why highlightDenied? In security, knowing what an agent cannot do is often more important than what it can. Visually elevating explicit denials (e.g., "Write to Production: Denied") builds trust that guardrails are actively in place.

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