The Standards Track

Ten standards. One argument.

The Tezos Agent Protocol (TAP) track — each a real specification with a status ladder, dependency graph, and the single design decision that matters most. TAP-1 through TAP-8 are drafted; TAP-9/10 add the privacy layer in Phase 3.

1

Agent Identity

Layer 1 · Identity
Stable Draft

Abstract

Identity is a native chain account, not a profile. Every agent is a Tezos tz4 account on the BLS12-381 curve.

Requiresnone

The decision that matters most

BLS aggregation makes principal + agent + witness a single verifiable artifact rather than three separate signature checks.

Invariant. Identity is a function of authorization and accountability — never reputation. A tz4 account with no valid CPoA can prove who it is, but not that it may act.
2

Registry Schema & Discovery

Layer 2 · Registry
Stable Draft

Abstract

How agents are found — and why discovery is never authoritative. Every lookup re-verifies the fetched document against its on-chain hash.

RequiresTAP-1

The decision that matters most

A tampered display name from a compromised indexer fails loudly, per test — the indexer is a convenience, not a source of truth.

Invariant. Indexers are never authoritative. The registry stores a commitment; the record is always independently re-hashable.
3

CPoA Attestation & Delegation

Layer 3 · Attestation
Stable Draft

Abstract

The legal core. A signed, scoped, time-boxed, revocable Cryptographic Power of Attorney — the protocol's sole authoritative trust primitive.

RequiresTAP-1TAP-2

The decision that matters most

The scope grammar is closed and deterministic — which is also exactly what makes it circuit-friendly for the TAP-9 privacy layer.

Invariant. The reliance rule has one implementation, assertReliable(): active, unrevoked, in-window, and signature-verified at the exact instant of reliance.
4

Agentic Payments & Settlement

Layer 4 · Payments
Draft

Abstract

Intents and settlement. A payment outside scope, or under a revoked CPoA, structurally cannot settle.

RequiresTAP-3

The decision that matters most

Four checks in order — reliance, scope+ceiling, cumulative limit, expiry — with no advisory mode. The revocation-vs-settlement race goes to the revoker.

Invariant. Money is bigint-exact decimal strings; asset mismatch throws rather than compares. An unsettleable intent is rejected before broadcast.
5

Multi-Agent Governance

Layer 5 · Governance
Roadmap

Abstract

Three standing councils — Standards, Treasury, Emergency — with distinct multisig thresholds and seat exclusivity.

RequiresTAP-1TAP-3

The decision that matters most

Amending governance itself requires a joint vote of all councils — the highest threshold in the system. Emergency powers auto-sunset.

Invariant. The protocol governs itself with the same multisig mechanism it prescribes for everyone else. Governance is enforced, not described.
6

Inter-Agent Communication

Layer 6 · Communication
Roadmap

Abstract

Bridges to Model Context Protocol and agent-to-agent formats. They translate — they never downgrade authentication.

RequiresTAP-1TAP-3

The decision that matters most

An external MCP agent's handshake is bridged into a PRAXIS reliance check before any task relay; a revoked CPoA yields a translated denial with no settlement event.

Invariant. Interoperability stops at the same gate the payment flows stop at. Privacy and interop both fail closed.
7

Trust Attestation Ledger

Spans layers · Signal
Draft

Abstract

Where reputation lives, if it lives anywhere at all — labeled, severable, and never an input to settlement.

RequiresTAP-3

The decision that matters most

This standard exists to quarantine reputation, not to authorize it. Any signal here is supplementary and structurally cannot influence a reliance decision.

Invariant. Attestation (TAP-3) is the sole authoritative primitive. Reputation is never an input to any authorization or settlement decision.
8

Transparency & Audit Log

Spans all layers · History
Stable Draft

Abstract

An RFC 6962 / 9162 Merkle transparency log with standard leaf/node domain separation.

Requiresnone

The decision that matters most

Inclusion proves an event is in the log; consistency proves the log is append-only between checkpoints — the split-view defense. Point-in-time queries are the evidentiary backbone.

Invariant. A relying party verifies against nothing but published checkpoints. Every consequential state change emits an event; nothing is ever deleted.
9

Confidential Settlement

Planned · Privacy
Planned

Abstract

(Phase 3) Transparent STARK proofs wrap attestation and payments in confidentiality — privacy that hides the values, never the validity.

RequiresTAP-3TAP-4

The decision that matters most

Nullifier binding gives spend-once semantics without revealing which record was spent; the four settlement checks gain a circuit path alongside the plaintext path.

Invariant. Scope-compliance and revocation-freshness circuits ship before confidential settlement — confidentiality without them is dangerous.
10

Selective Disclosure

Planned · Privacy
Planned

Abstract

(Phase 3) A five-tier disclosure model — public, counterparty, institution, examiner, court — governed by viewing keys.

RequiresTAP-8TAP-9

The decision that matters most

A viewing key grants a specific party the ability to verify details of a confidential transaction without granting spending authority.

Invariant. Every circuit is treated as an SR 11-7 model from day one: conceptual soundness, effective-challenge review, and outcomes analysis are milestone artifacts.