Step 4 — Add a connection

A connection is one configured integration — GitHub as you, Braintree production, a fal.ai endpoint. It bundles a sealed credential with the actions it exposes, so an agent can act through it without ever seeing the key. (See the four objects.)

Add one

Open Access → Connections and choose Add connection. Pick an integration from the catalog, or bring your own:

• A catalog preset — a ready-made connector for a popular API. Presets that carry Permaura's Verified connector badge have a signed, reviewed manifest, so you know the capability list and endpoints haven't been tampered with.
• From an OpenAPI or GraphQL spec — point Permaura at a spec and it discovers the available actions for you.
• A generic HTTP connection — for any other API, with an allowlist of endpoints it may call.

Give it a credential

Every connection needs exactly one credential, and you supply it once, at creation. It's sealed on your gateway and never displayed again — you can rotate or replace it, but not read it back.

API key

API key

Paste the API key, token, or secret the integration issued you. It's encrypted and stored on your gateway; from then on Permaura injects it server-side for each approved call and redacts it from responses.

Best when the integration hands out long-lived keys, or you just want the simplest path.

OAuth

OAuth

For integrations that use OAuth (Google, GitHub, Microsoft, Slack…), you connect by signing in to the provider rather than pasting a key. You choose who holds the refresh token:

• Managed — Permaura's OAuth app; the refresh token is encrypted in Permaura's cloud and it fetches short-lived access tokens on demand (so a connection keeps working even if your gateway was briefly offline). The simplest option.
• PKCE — your gateway holds the token and Permaura never sees it. Available where the provider supports public PKCE clients.
• Bring your own app — register your own OAuth app and seal its client id and secret on your gateway. Works with any provider; Permaura sees nothing.

Managed connections may be capped on lower plans; PKCE and bring-your-own are never capped. See Plans & billing.

Choose its capabilities

A connection exposes a list of capabilities — the actions an agent could take through it, like github.pull_requests.create or braintree.transactions.refund. Enable only the ones you want available. A disabled capability can't be used by anyone, regardless of policy.

The kill switch

Every connection has a disable switch. Flip it and every call through that connection is refused instantly, across every agent and grant — no need to unpick individual permissions. Re-enable it just as easily. It's the fastest way to stop something in its tracks.

Nothing can use it yet

Adding a connection makes actions possible, not permitted. An agent still can't touch it until a grant allows it — that's the next step.

➡️ Continue to Step 5 — Connect an agent.