Definitions · N
Non-Human Identity (NHI)
A Non-Human Identity (NHI) is a machine identity used by software agents, services, and automation — not a human user account. NHIs need runtime enforcement because static entitlements do not observe what agents actually do in production.
Non-human identities are machine principals — service accounts, agent workloads, API clients, and automation roles — distinct from human user accounts in IdP systems.
Why NHIs matter for AI
Autonomous agents act continuously with tool access. Static role assignment at login does not capture runtime behavior, prompt injection, or privilege escalation during multi-step workflows.
Blekline positioning
Blekline governs NHIs at Layer 4 — the execution boundary between agents and downstream tools/APIs. See NHIM and the Runtime Simulator.