Agent Policy Protocol (APoP) v1.0

The authorization layer for the agentic web. An open standard that lets websites declare how AI agents can access and interact with their content — with JSON Schema, verified identity, rate limits, and cross-protocol interop.

---

Overview

agent-policy.json defines how AI agents are allowed to interact with your website — what they can access, what actions are permitted, how often, and whether they must verify identity.

Think of it as robots.txt for the agentic web, built under the Agent Policy Protocol (APoP) standard. Place it at:

https://example.com/.well-known/agent-policy.json

---

Quick Start

1. Create your policy — save as /.well-known/agent-policy.json:

{
  "$schema": "https://agentpolicy.org/schema/v1/agent-policy.schema.json",
  "version": "1.0",
  "defaultPolicy": {
    "allow": true,
    "actions": ["read", "index", "summarize"],
    "disallow": ["extract", "automated_purchase"],
    "rateLimit": { "requests": 100, "window": "hour" },
    "requireVerification": false
  },
  "pathPolicies": [
    { "path": "/admin/*", "allow": false },
    {
      "path": "/api/*",
      "allow": true,
      "actions": ["api_call"],
      "requireVerification": true
    }
  ]
}

2. Test it with curl:

curl -H "Agent-Name: MyBot" \
     -H "Agent-Intent: read" \
     https://example.com/.well-known/agent-policy.json

3. Add the middleware to your Express app:

cd middleware && npm install && node index.express.js

See examples/ for 9 industry-specific policy templates.

---

Specification

Document	Description
spec/schema/agent-policy.schema.json	JSON Schema (draft 2020-12) for the APoP v1.0 manifest
spec/discovery.md	4 discovery methods: well-known URI, HTTP header, HTML meta, DNS TXT
spec/agent-identification.md	7 agent headers, 4 verification methods, 3 identity tiers
spec/http-extensions.md	Custom HTTP status codes: 430, 438, 439; response headers; error format
SPEC.md	Original v0.1 draft (superseded by spec/ directory)

---

Quick Summary

• Discovery: 4 methods with defined priority — well-known URI, HTTP header, HTML meta tag, DNS TXT record
• 10 action types: read, index, extract, summarize, render, api_call, form_submit, automated_purchase, tool_invoke, all
• 3 custom HTTP status codes: 430 Agent Action Not Allowed, 438 Agent Rate Limited, 439 Agent Verification Required
• 3 identity tiers: Anonymous, Identified, Verified
• 4 verification methods: pkix, did, verifiable-credential, partner-token
• Cross-protocol interop: Links to A2A Agent Cards, MCP servers, WebMCP, UCP, APAAI

---

Schema Summary (v1.0)

Field	Purpose
version	APoP protocol version. Use "1.0" for the current specification.
policyUrl	Canonical URL where the policy is hosted (e.g., https://example.com/.well-known/agent-policy.json).
defaultPolicy	Site-wide fallback rules — allow, disallow, actions, rateLimit, requireVerification.
pathPolicies	Path-specific policy overrides with glob patterns (*, **), agentAllowlist, agentDenylist.
verification	Verification configuration — method (pkix/did/verifiable-credential/partner-token), registry, trustedIssuers.
contact	Contact info — email, policyUrl, abuseUrl.
metadata	Human-readable metadata — description, owner, lastModified, license.
interop	Cross-protocol declarations — a2aAgentCard, mcpServerUrl, webmcpEnabled, ucpCapabilities, apaaiEndpoint.

---

Ecosystem Positioning

APoP is the authorization layer that complements the broader agentic protocol ecosystem:

Protocol	What It Does	How APoP Relates
MCP (Model Context Protocol)	Defines how agents invoke tools and access context	APoP gates which MCP tools an agent may call. interop.mcpServerUrl links to MCP endpoint.
A2A (Agent-to-Agent Protocol)	Defines how agents communicate with each other	APoP enforces access rules before A2A delegation. interop.a2aAgentCard links to Agent Card.
WebMCP	Exposes browser-side tools via navigator.modelContext	APoP determines if a WebMCP tool may execute. interop.webmcpEnabled declares support.
AP2 (Agent Protocol v2)	Agent lifecycle and identity using Verifiable Credentials	APoP supports AP2's VC-based verification via verifiable-credential method.
APAAI	Accountability and audit logging for agent actions	APoP works alongside APAAI for compliance. interop.apaaiEndpoint links to audit endpoint.
UCP (Universal Commerce Protocol)	Agent-mediated commerce transactions	APoP governs automated_purchase actions. interop.ucpCapabilities links to UCP profile.

MCP/WebMCP solve how agents invoke tools. A2A solves how agents talk to each other. APoP solves whether they're allowed to.

---

Why It Matters

AI agents are already browsing, summarizing, and interacting with the web — but websites have no standardized way to express consent or control. APoP introduces a simple, open mechanism that brings balance between innovation and ownership.

---

Origin Story

This initiative was inspired by growing friction between AI agents and web platforms — most notably a public discussion sparked by Perplexity AI's CEO after Amazon attempted to block their Comet Assistant.

"We would be happy to work together with Amazon to figure out a win-win outcome for both us and them. But when it comes to attempts to block our Comet Assistant on Amazon and hurt our users — we will have to stand up for them and not get bullied by Amazon."

APoP emerged as a constructive path forward: an open, transparent, consent-based standard for the agentic web.

---

Project Structure

agent-policy.json              # Example v1.0 policy manifest
spec/
  schema/agent-policy.schema.json   # JSON Schema (draft 2020-12)
  discovery.md                  # Discovery methods spec
  agent-identification.md       # Agent headers & verification spec
  http-extensions.md            # HTTP status codes & headers spec
middleware/
  index.express.js              # Express.js reference middleware
  index.js                      # Vercel serverless handler
examples/                       # Industry-specific policy templates
tests/conformance/              # Conformance test suite
docs/                           # Project documentation

---

Notes

• Place agent-policy.json at /.well-known/agent-policy.json on your site.
• Agents should discover and respect this file before interacting with your website.
• Use "requireVerification": true for sensitive endpoints.
• Path patterns support glob matching: * (single segment), ** (multiple segments).
• disallow takes precedence over allow when both are present.
• agentAllowlist restricts a path to specific agent identifiers (DID URIs, emails, or name patterns).

---

Stewardship

The Agent Policy Protocol (APoP) was initiated by Arun Vijayarengan, Founder & CEO of Superdom AI, to ensure the next generation of AI agents and websites can cooperate transparently — balancing innovation with respect for access, ownership, and user trust.

---

License

Apache 2.0 — open for community contribution. Pull requests, RFCs, and implementation feedback are encouraged.