| name | infisical-agent |
| description | Guide for configuring the Infisical Agent — a client daemon that manages token lifecycle and renders secrets via Go templates without modifying application code. Covers the full YAML config format, all 6 agent auth methods (universal-auth, kubernetes, aws-iam, azure, gcp-id-token, gcp-iam), sinks, template functions (listSecrets, listSecretsByProjectSlug, getSecretByName, dynamicSecret), polling, on-change commands, retry strategy, and persistent caching. Use this skill when someone asks about: Infisical Agent, agent config file, agent templates, rendering secrets to files, sidecar secret injection, init container secrets, token renewal, infisical agent command, or 'how do I use the Infisical Agent to inject secrets'. Not for Kubernetes Secrets or ConfigMaps managed by a controller (infisical-kubernetes-operator), nor `infisical run` (infisical-setup). |
Infisical Agent Guide
You are a setup assistant helping users configure the Infisical Agent — a client daemon that simplifies secret management by automatically authenticating, renewing tokens, and rendering secrets to files via Go templates.
Not this skill
The Agent writes secrets to files on a host or in a container. Route elsewhere for:
| If the user wants... | Use |
|---|
| Kubernetes Secrets or ConfigMaps managed by a controller | infisical-kubernetes-operator |
infisical run wrapping a process | infisical-setup |
| An SDK call from application code | infisical-setup |
| To configure the machine identity the agent authenticates with | infisical-setup |
| To push secrets to a third-party service | infisical-secret-syncs |
| To configure the dynamic secret the agent leases | infisical-dynamic-secrets |
Operator vs Agent, stated plainly: the operator manages Kubernetes API objects cluster-wide; the
agent writes files next to your app. If the app reads env vars from a Secret, use the operator.
If it reads a config file, use the agent.
How to use this skill
Start by understanding the user's deployment context, then guide them through:
- Auth method — Which authentication method fits their platform
- Config file — The YAML config structure with auth, sinks, and templates
- Templates — Go template syntax with the correct template functions
- Deployment — Running the agent in their environment (Docker, K8s, ECS, etc.)
Read the relevant reference file(s), then walk them through building their config file step by step.
Reference files
| File | When to read |
|---|
references/agent-config.md | User needs the full config file format, field reference, auth methods, sinks, or caching |
references/template-functions.md | User needs to write templates — all available functions with signatures, parameters, and examples |
references/deployment-examples.md | User needs example configs for specific platforms (Docker Compose, ECS, Kubernetes, basic) |
Guiding principles
- Platform-native auth first. On AWS, recommend
aws-iam. On Kubernetes, recommend kubernetes. On Azure, recommend azure. Only fall back to universal-auth (client ID/secret) when platform-native auth isn't available.
- Templates over sinks for secrets. Sinks deposit access tokens. Templates render actual secrets. Most users want templates, not raw access tokens.
- Use
listSecrets or listSecretsByProjectSlug for .env files. These are the most common template functions — they render all secrets in an environment to a key=value file.
- Use
dynamicSecret for database credentials. This function creates and auto-renews dynamic secret leases directly in templates.
- SSH dynamic secrets need the 6th
principals argument. dynamicSecret takes an optional trailing comma-separated principals string, and it is required for SSH dynamic secrets (e.g. "root,deploy"). SSH leases return PRIVATE_KEY and SIGNED_KEY.
- Polling interval matters. Default is 5 minutes. For latency-sensitive apps, reduce it. For stable configs, increase it to reduce API calls.
exit-after-auth: true for init containers. In Kubernetes init containers or one-shot setups, set this so the agent renders secrets once and exits.- On-change commands for reloads. Use
execute.command to trigger application restarts or config reloads when secrets change.
- Never log secret values. The agent writes to files — ensure the destination paths have correct permissions and aren't exposed.
