# Keep your agent from getting your account locked

> Researched. Small business · Intermediate · Operations. Updated 2026-11-02.

Canonical page: https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/keep-your-agent-from-getting-your-account-locked/

## What it does
Set rules so your AI agent uses official connections, runs at a sensible pace and stops at any security check, so your own accounts do not get restricted.

## Who it's for
Owners whose agent logs into social, ad or marketplace accounts to read insights or post, and who cannot afford a locked account.

## Tools
- Your agent's standing instructions
- A list of the accounts it touches
- The platform's official app, API or export, where one exists

## Steps
1. List every account the agent logs into and what it does there.
2. Check each platform's terms. Meta's say you may not access or collect data from its products by automated means without prior permission.
3. Switch to an official route where one exists: a connector, the platform's own export, or its API.
4. Add the rules from the prompt below to the agent's instructions.
5. Turn on two-factor sign-in and keep a recovery method you control, in case of a lock.
6. If an account gets flagged, stop the agent on that account before appealing.

## Copy-paste prompt
Adapt bracketed fields to your situation.
```text
Add these rules to your standing instructions for any website account:

1. Use only the connections I list: [OFFICIAL APPS, APIS, EXPORTS].
2. Do not click through a site page by page to collect data.
3. Run each account task at most [N] times a day. Never loop a task that fails; stop after 2 tries and tell me.
4. At any captcha, security check, new-device prompt or warning: stop immediately and tell me. Never try to get past it.
5. Never change account settings, names or security options.
```

## Guardrails
- What it touches: Connected mail, calendar, sheets, or chat. Scoped to this job (Your agent's standing instructions; A list of the accounts it touches).
- Needs your OK: Send, pay, publish, and account changes stay with you. Treat agent output as drafts first.
- Safety level: Read-only
- Letting an agent retry a failing login.
- Using the agent on a personal profile tied to a business page.
- No recovery email or phone you still control.

## Tips
- Exports and official reports usually give the same insights without the risk.
- A loop on a failing task looks most like a bot; cap retries.
- Keep the agent off the account you can least afford to lose.

## Estimates (labeled, not measured)
- Time saved: About 20 minutes to set up.
- Money saved: Not stated in sources.
- Tool cost: Prices: Not stated in sources.

## Sources
Summaries use the public sources below, not independent verification.
- Meta: https://www.facebook.com/terms/ (Terms of Service: you may not access or collect data from Meta products using automated means without prior permission, even while logged in (read 2026-11-02 from a search result excerpt of the page))

## Get the free starter pack
Five beginner copy-paste AI setups, free by email: https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/starter-pack/?utm_source=ai-agent&utm_medium=markdown&utm_campaign=setup-keep-your-agent-from-getting-your-account-locked

Related:
- [Set guardrails before an AI agent gets access](https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/set-guardrails-before-giving-an-ai-agent-access/index.md)
- [Cap what your AI agent can spend](https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/cap-what-your-ai-agent-can-spend/index.md)