The Spec

The Agentic Contract Spec

A structured format for recording agent decisions

A structured format that gives every agent framework a consistent way to record what agents are authorized to do, what they did, and what happened.

The Lifecycle

Four stages. One audit chain.

Every agent activity follows the same recorded lifecycle.

1

Authorize

Define what the agent is authorized to do. Scope, constraints, and success criteria — structured and machine-readable.

2

Delegate

Agent passes subtasks to other agents. The chain is recorded. Constraints inherit automatically. Every handoff is tracked.

3

Execute & Record

The agent acts and records structured evidence of what it did. Activity records accumulate. Each is append-only.

4

Evaluate

Was the outcome within the authorized scope? The record is finalized. The full chain of custody is preserved.

SDK

Integrate in minutes

The SDK handles authorization recording, delegation tracking, activity records, and outcome evaluation.

agent-lifecycle.ts
// Record authorization, delegate, execute, evaluate
const authorization = await ledger.authorize({
  agent:       marketingAgent.id,
  delegate:    contentAgent.id,
  scope:       "content-rewrite",
  constraints: { budget: 500, audience: "enterprise" }
});

await ledger.delegate(authorization.id, analyticsAgent);
await ledger.recordActivity(authorization.id, evidence);
await ledger.evaluate(authorization.id, "completed");

// Full decision chain — recorded, auditable, tamper-evident

Spec Scope

What the spec defines

Authorizations & Activity Records

Structured authorization criteria, bilateral acceptance, and a state machine that tracks every activity from authorization through evaluation. Standard record types for any operational context.

Delegation Chains

Parent-child linkage with inherited constraints. Accountability flows up the chain even as work flows down. The SDK validates child ≤ parent before submitting.

Core Primitive

Structured activity records

The system's primitive is the structured activity record — what was authorized, what happened, and whether the outcome was within scope. Activity records are append-only, accumulate against an authorization's success criteria, and form the basis for every audit trail, compliance report, and incident reconstruction.

Agents decide. Activity accumulates. Records endure.

Protocol Complement

Works alongside A2A, MCP, and any agent protocol

Agent protocols handle how agents communicate and access tools. The Agentic Contract Spec handles what agents committed to — the authorization, the delegation chain, and the outcome. Protocol-agnostic by design.

The spec is the foundation. The platform builds on it.

Permanent record, chain reconstruction, reliability insights, and incident resolution.