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Managed auth broker for personal AI agents

Build a hosted auth and permissions broker for AI agents: a managed OAuth layer (Gmail, Calendar, Slack, Notion, etc.) with fine-grained per-agent scopes, revocation, and audit logs, exposed as a simple API or MCP server so builders of personal agent apps can add real integrations in minutes instead of implementing OAuth for every provider themselves. Sell it to indie and small-team agent builders as usage-based SaaS, starting with the 3-4 most requested providers.

via Hacker News
Original post

What to build

A hosted OAuth and permissions broker for AI agents, shipped as an API or MCP server, that lets solo builders add Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack, and Notion integrations to their personal agent apps without implementing OAuth per provider — with per-agent scopes, one-click revocation, and audit logs.

Agent builders keep re-implementing the same OAuth dance for Gmail, Calendar, Slack, and Notion; a hosted broker that does this once with fine-grained permissions and audit logs can be sold as usage-based infrastructure to that whole wave of personal-agent apps.

Demand

Builders of personal AI agents (Muse, Instinct, Grokbot, Poke-style assistants) each need the same handful of provider integrations and are currently rolling their own OAuth and token storage; a Show HN launch for exactly this got organic attention within hours, suggesting the pain is recognized but underserved.

  • Hacker NewsShow hn

    Show HN: Personal Agent Proxy (Open Source) — 3 points, 0 comments on HN. Post notes every personal agent (Muse, Instinct, Grokbot, Poke) asks for the same provider integrations.

  • Hacker NewsNews

    Show HN post for a 'Personal Agent Proxy' open-source project, indicating community interest in agent-to-service integration tooling.

Stack

  • Nango or custom OAuth2 proxy
  • Postgres for token/audit storage
  • MCP server SDK
  • Gmail API
  • Slack API
  • Notion API
  • Stripe usage-based billing

Solo + AI difficulty

The OAuth flows themselves are well-documented and easy with AI assistance, but secure token storage, scoped permission enforcement, and audit logging need real care since a breach here is high-severity; a scrappy MVP covering 3-4 providers with an MCP endpoint is realistic in 2-4 weeks, with ongoing hardening work after that.

Entry threshold
No licenses or capital needed, and a thin OAuth proxy for a few providers is buildable solo with AI in a couple of weeks, but reaching integration breadth and polish comparable to incumbents like Nango, Composio, or Paragon takes sustained ongoing effort.
Window
6-12 months

Where to find first users

  • Show HN / Product Hunt launch
  • r/AI_Agents and r/LocalLLaMA communities
  • Indie Hackers and Build in Public threads
  • Direct outreach to builders of personal-agent apps (Poke, Muse, Instinct, Grokbot) offering integration as a service

Competitors

Counter-signals & risks

  • Large platforms (Google, Slack, Microsoft, Notion) could tighten OAuth app review or launch their own agent-permission layers, undercutting a third-party broker

  • Open-source alternatives (including the signal's own project) may commoditize the core functionality, making a paid hosted layer hard to differentiate

  • Security and liability risk of brokering OAuth tokens for third-party agents could deter adoption or trigger compliance/insurance concerns for a small team

Original title: Show HN: Personal Agent Proxy (Open Source)

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Managed auth broker for personal AI agents — Nichr