diff --git a/src/mig/agent/acl.go b/src/mig/agent/acl.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ac9ece36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mig/agent/acl.go
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+/* Mozilla InvestiGator Agent
+
+Version: MPL 1.1/GPL 2.0/LGPL 2.1
+
+The contents of this file are subject to the Mozilla Public License Version
+1.1 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
+http://www.mozilla.org/MPL/
+
+Software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" basis,
+WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License
+for the specific language governing rights and limitations under the
+License.
+
+The Initial Developer of the Original Code is
+Mozilla Corporation
+Portions created by the Initial Developer are Copyright (C) 2014
+the Initial Developer. All Rights Reserved.
+
+Contributor(s):
+Julien Vehent jvehent@mozilla.com [:ulfr]
+Guillaume Destuynder <kang@mozilla.com>
+
+Alternatively, the contents of this file may be used under the terms of
+either the GNU General Public License Version 2 or later (the "GPL"), or
+the GNU Lesser General Public License Version 2.1 or later (the "LGPL"),
+in which case the provisions of the GPL or the LGPL are applicable instead
+of those above. If you wish to allow use of your version of this file only
+under the terms of either the GPL or the LGPL, and not to allow others to
+use your version of this file under the terms of the MPL, indicate your
+decision by deleting the provisions above and replace them with the notice
+and other provisions required by the GPL or the LGPL. If you do not delete
+the provisions above, a recipient may use your version of this file under
+the terms of any one of the MPL, the GPL or the LGPL.
+*/
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"mig"
+	"mig/pgp"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// checkActionAuthorization verifies the PGP signatures of a given action
+// against the Access Control List of the agent.
+func checkActionAuthorization(a mig.Action, ctx Context) (err error) {
+	defer func() {
+		if e := recover(); e != nil {
+			err = fmt.Errorf("checkActionAuthorization() -> %v", e)
+		}
+		ctx.Channels.Log <- mig.Log{ActionID: a.ID, Desc: "leaving checkActionAuthorization()"}.Debug()
+	}()
+	// get an io.Reader from the public pgp key
+	keyring, keycount, err := pgp.ArmoredPubKeysToKeyring(PUBLICPGPKEYS[0:])
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	ctx.Channels.Log <- mig.Log{ActionID: a.ID, Desc: fmt.Sprintf("loaded %d keys", keycount)}.Debug()
+
+	// Check the action syntax and signature
+	err = a.Validate()
+	if err != nil {
+		desc := fmt.Sprintf("action validation failed: %v", err)
+		ctx.Channels.Log <- mig.Log{ActionID: a.ID, Desc: desc}.Err()
+		panic(desc)
+	}
+	// Validate() checks that the action hasn't expired, but we need to
+	// check the start time ourselves
+	if time.Now().Before(a.ValidFrom) {
+		ctx.Channels.Log <- mig.Log{ActionID: a.ID, Desc: "action is scheduled for later"}.Err()
+		panic("Action ValidFrom date is in the future")
+	}
+
+	// check ACLs, includes verifying signatures
+	err = a.VerifyACL(ctx.ACL, keyring)
+	if err != nil {
+		desc := fmt.Sprintf("action ACL verification failed: %v", err)
+		ctx.Channels.Log <- mig.Log{ActionID: a.ID, Desc: desc}.Err()
+		panic(desc)
+	}
+
+	ctx.Channels.Log <- mig.Log{ActionID: a.ID, Desc: "ACL verification succeeded."}.Debug()
+	return
+}
diff --git a/src/mig/agent/agent.go b/src/mig/agent/agent.go
index 9cb56569..f9902e5e 100644
--- a/src/mig/agent/agent.go
+++ b/src/mig/agent/agent.go
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ import (
 	"mig"
 	"mig/modules/connected"
 	"mig/modules/filechecker"
-	"mig/pgp"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"strings"
@@ -245,33 +244,12 @@ func parseCommands(ctx Context, msg []byte) (err error) {
 		panic(err)
 	}
 
-	// get an io.Reader from the public pgp key
-	keyring, keycount, err := pgp.ArmoredPubKeysToKeyring(PUBLICPGPKEYS[0:])
+	// verify the PGP signature of the action, and verify that
+	// the signer is authorized to perform this action
+	err = checkActionAuthorization(cmd.Action, ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
-	ctx.Channels.Log <- mig.Log{CommandID: cmd.ID, ActionID: cmd.Action.ID, Desc: fmt.Sprintf("loaded %d keys", keycount)}.Debug()
-
-	// Check the action syntax and signature
-	err = cmd.Action.Validate()
-	if err != nil {
-		desc := fmt.Sprintf("action validation failed: %v", err)
-		ctx.Channels.Log <- mig.Log{CommandID: cmd.ID, ActionID: cmd.Action.ID, Desc: desc}.Err()
-		panic(desc)
-	}
-	err = cmd.Action.VerifySignature(keyring)
-	if err != nil {
-		desc := fmt.Sprintf("action signature verification failed: %v", err)
-		ctx.Channels.Log <- mig.Log{CommandID: cmd.ID, ActionID: cmd.Action.ID, Desc: desc}.Err()
-		panic(desc)
-	}
-
-	// Expiration is verified by the Validate() call above, but we need
-	// to verify the ScheduledDate ourselves
-	if time.Now().Before(cmd.Action.ValidFrom) {
-		ctx.Channels.Log <- mig.Log{CommandID: cmd.ID, ActionID: cmd.Action.ID, Desc: "action is scheduled for later"}.Err()
-		panic("ScheduledDateInFuture")
-	}
 
 	// Each operation is ran separately by a module, a channel is created to receive the results from each module
 	// a goroutine is created to read from the result channel, and when all modules are done, build the response
diff --git a/src/mig/agent/context.go b/src/mig/agent/context.go
index b5d24e87..0144af6f 100644
--- a/src/mig/agent/context.go
+++ b/src/mig/agent/context.go
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import (
 	"crypto/rand"
 	"crypto/tls"
 	"crypto/x509"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"github.com/VividCortex/godaemon"
 	"github.com/streadway/amqp"
@@ -55,7 +56,7 @@ import (
 // logs and channels
 // Context is intended as a single structure that can be passed around easily.
 type Context struct {
-	OpID  uint64 // ID of the current operation, used for tracking
+	ACL   mig.ACL
 	Agent struct {
 		Hostname, OS, QueueLoc, UID, BinPath string
 	}
@@ -77,6 +78,7 @@ type Context struct {
 		Chan   *amqp.Channel
 		Bind   mig.Binding
 	}
+	OpID    uint64        // ID of the current operation, used for tracking
 	Sleeper time.Duration // timer used when the agent has to sleep for a while
 	Stats   struct {
 	}
@@ -146,6 +148,12 @@ func Init(foreground bool) (ctx Context, err error) {
 		panic(err)
 	}
 
+	// parse the ACLs
+	ctx, err = initACL(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
 	// connect to the message broker
 	ctx, err = initMQ(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -277,6 +285,30 @@ func createIDFile(loc string) (id []byte, err error) {
 	return
 }
 
+// parse the permissions from the configuration into an ACL structure
+func initACL(orig_ctx Context) (ctx Context, err error) {
+	ctx = orig_ctx
+	defer func() {
+		if e := recover(); e != nil {
+			err = fmt.Errorf("initACL() -> %v", e)
+		}
+		ctx.Channels.Log <- mig.Log{Desc: "leaving initACL()"}.Debug()
+	}()
+	for _, jsonPermission := range AGENTACL {
+		var parsedPermission mig.Permission
+		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(jsonPermission), &parsedPermission)
+		if err != nil {
+			panic(err)
+		}
+		for permName, _ := range parsedPermission {
+			desc := fmt.Sprintf("Loading permission named '%s'", permName)
+			ctx.Channels.Log <- mig.Log{Desc: desc}.Debug()
+		}
+		ctx.ACL = append(ctx.ACL, parsedPermission)
+	}
+	return
+}
+
 func initMQ(orig_ctx Context) (ctx Context, err error) {
 	ctx = orig_ctx
 	defer func() {