Acquiring access to a token controlled system resource, including: receiving, by a token broker, a command that requires access to the token controlled system resource, where the token broker is automated computing machinery for acquiring tokens and distributing the command to the token controlled system resource for execution; identifying, by the token broker, a first need state, the first need state indicating that the token broker requires access to the token controlled system resource to which the token broker does not possess a token; requesting, by the token broker, a configurable number of tokens to gain access to the token controlled system resource, without dispatching an operation handler for executing the command until at least one token is acquired; assigning, by the token broker, an acquired token to the operation handler; and dispatching, by the token broker, the operation handler and its assigned token for executing the command.