AI Agent Onboarding Checklist 2026: 25 Steps Before Launch

☐ Step 1: API Key Management

• Store all keys in environment variables (never in code)
• Use separate keys for dev/staging/production
• Set up key rotation schedule (90-day maximum)
• Document key ownership and access levels

Common failure: Hardcoded keys in git repositories lead to credential leaks.

☐ Step 2: Access Control Setup

• Define role-based permissions (admin, editor, viewer)
• Implement least-privilege access principle
• Set up authentication (OAuth, API tokens, or similar)
• Document who can do what in which environment

Common failure: Over-privileged agents cause accidental data exposure or modification.

☐ Step 3: Input Sanitization

• Validate all user inputs before processing
• Implement prompt injection protection
• Set character limits and format validation
• Test with malicious inputs (red team approach)

Common failure: Prompt injection attacks manipulate agent into revealing sensitive data.

☐ Step 4: Output Filtering

• Scan outputs for sensitive data before transmission
• Implement PII detection and redaction
• Set content policies (what can/cannot be generated)
• Log all outputs for audit trail

Common failure: Agent leaks internal documents or credentials in generated content.

☐ Step 5: Rate Limiting

• Set requests per minute/hour/day limits
• Implement backoff strategies for quota exhaustion
• Configure alerts for unusual usage patterns
• Document costs at various usage levels

Common failure: Runaway agent depletes API budget in hours.

☐ Step 6: Audit Logging

• Log all agent actions with timestamps
• Capture inputs, outputs, and decisions
• Set retention policy (90 days minimum for compliance)
• Implement log rotation and archival

Common failure: No way to debug failures or comply with audit requests.

☐ Step 7: Prompt Engineering

• Document system prompts with version control
• Test prompts against edge cases
• Implement prompt templates for consistency
• Set up A/B testing framework for prompt optimization

☐ Step 8: Tool/Function Definitions

• Document all available tools and their parameters
• Set clear boundaries (what agent can/cannot do)
• Implement confirmation flows for destructive actions
• Test each tool independently before integration

☐ Step 9: Error Handling

• Define retry logic for transient failures
• Implement graceful degradation strategies
• Set up fallback responses for common errors
• Document known failure modes and responses

☐ Step 10: Context Window Management

• Define context compaction strategy
• Set maximum token limits per request
• Implement summarization for long conversations
• Test with realistic conversation lengths

☐ Step 11: Dependency Mapping

• Document all external APIs and services
• Set up health checks for each dependency
• Define behavior when dependencies are down
• Monitor dependency status pages

☐ Step 12: Configuration Management

• Store all config in version control
• Separate config by environment (dev/staging/prod)
• Implement config validation on startup
• Document all configuration options

☐ Step 14: Feedback Collection System

• Implement approve/reject mechanism for outputs
• Capture reason for each rejection
• Store feedback in structured format (JSON)
• Make feedback queryable for future decisions

☐ Step 15: Context File Setup

• Create agent identity file (who it is, what it does)
• Document user preferences and constraints
• Set up project-specific context files
• Implement context file versioning

☐ Step 16: Daily Logging System

• Set up daily log files (YYYY-MM-DD format)
• Define what events get logged
• Implement automatic log rotation
• Create weekly/monthly log summarization

☐ Step 17: Learning Rules

• Define what triggers memory updates
• Set up rules for incorporating feedback
• Implement conflict resolution for contradictory feedback
• Document learning boundaries (what won't be learned)

☐ Step 18: Session State Management

• Implement session persistence for long-running tasks
• Define session timeout and cleanup rules
• Set up session recovery for interrupted work
• Test session handoff between restarts

☐ Step 19: Health Check Endpoints

• Implement /health endpoint for uptime monitoring
• Create /ready endpoint for dependency checks
• Set up heartbeat mechanism (ping every 5-15 min)
• Configure external monitoring (UptimeRobot, Pingdom, etc.)

☐ Step 20: Metric Collection

• Track success/failure rates
• Monitor response times and latency
• Log token usage and costs
• Measure user satisfaction (explicit or implicit)

☐ Step 21: Alert Configuration

• Define alert thresholds for each metric
• Set up notification channels (email, Slack, PagerDuty)
• Configure escalation policies
• Document on-call procedures

☐ Step 22: Dashboard Setup

• Create real-time status dashboard
• Display key metrics and trends
• Include cost tracking and projections
• Set up historical data retention for analysis

☐ Step 23: Integration Testing

• Test all API integrations end-to-end
• Verify error handling for each failure mode
• Test with production-like data volumes
• Document known limitations and edge cases

☐ Step 24: Load Testing

• Test under expected peak load
• Verify rate limiting works correctly
• Check memory usage under sustained operation
• Identify bottlenecks before they cause failures

☐ Step 25: Rollback Plan

• Document rollback procedure
• Test rollback in staging environment
• Define rollback triggers (what metrics cause rollback)
• Prepare communication template for stakeholders