Definition
A small signed credential that records, in machine-readable form, exactly what a user asked an AI agent to do. It lets the system give an agent just enough authority to carry out that one task without granting broad, ongoing access. In effect it translates a person's instructions into scoped, least-privilege permissions.
Why it matters
Without it, agents often get 'open-ended' access and can act far beyond the user's real wish, which is how over-permissioned agents cause costly accidents. This is the standards community's working answer to controlling delegated authority.