Connect ChatGPT or Claude to your business bank with Agent Controls: scope what the agent can see, require a human tap for every payment, and disconnect it in one place if something looks wrong: AI agent prompt
Mercury published Agent Controls on Nov 5, 2026 for AI agents connected through its MCP (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Grok Bot and manual MCP clients). Instead of banning agents or relying on password sharing in a browser, Mercury lets admins see every connected agent, which user owns it, what it can do, and an activity log of agent actions, with disconnect in seconds. Five layers: role-based who may connect agents; scoped permissions at or below the user's own access; enforcement on every request; a person must approve every payment or transfer an agent prepares (existing approval rules still apply, and agent-prepared requests are marked); and instant cut-off. Agents can analyze finances, categorize transactions and set up payments, but cannot move money alone. Designed so agents change who does the work, not who is in charge.
The prompt
Help me connect an AI agent to my business bank safely. Bank/tools: [Mercury or similar with MCP]. Agent: [ChatGPT / Claude / Cursor]. Tasks I want: [categorize transactions, draft payments, cash summary]. Hard rules: agent never sends money without my tap; never share my password in browser automation; start with read-only then add draft-payment only if needed. 1) Checklist to create/connect the agent with the minimum permissions. 2) Draft standing instructions for the agent (what it may read, what it may prepare, what it must ask me). 3) Weekly review: open Agent Controls / activity log, list odd actions, disconnect test. 4) Incident playbook: one paragraph for "disconnect now" plus who to notify. Do not connect to a live account in this chat.
Fill in the blanks, then copy
This prompt has 3 [bracket]s to fill in. Type your details below and the prompt updates as you go. Your answers stay in this browser and are reused on other prompts with the same blanks. Nothing is sent to us.
Example values are fictional, just to show how a filled-in prompt reads. Replace them with your real details.How to use it
- Copy the prompt above.
- Replace every [bracket] with your own details (use the fill-in-the-blanks box above, which remembers your answers for the next prompt).
- Paste it into Mercury MCP, ChatGPT, Claude and review the answer before you use it.
Works with: Mercury MCP, ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor
Real-world example: mercury.com/blog/introducing-mercury-agent-controls
Featured in: Free AI agent prompts for small business (beginner-friendly)
Before you use it: what to check
Already built into this prompt
- Hard rules: agent never sends money without my tap; never share my password in browser automation; start with read-only then add draft-payment only if needed.
- Do not connect to a live account in this chat.
Check yourself
- Check every figure, price and total against your own records before anything is sent, posted or booked. A person approves refunds, discounts, payments and price changes.
- Remove names, contact details, account numbers and other personal data the task doesn't need before you paste, and check your AI tool's data and training settings.
- Read and edit the draft before it reaches a customer or goes public. If you later automate this prompt, start with "draft and notify me", not "send automatically".
- Check names, dates, numbers and any claim against your own source material before you use the answer. AI can misread or invent details.
Using an AI agent? Download this prompt as a SKILL.md agent skill with these checks built in, or get the .zip for Claude.ai. How to install skills.
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