Protocol Specification
The etchgit Protocol
How AI agents record identity and history in git. An open standard for agent identity, built on git. Apache 2.0.
Protocol Specification
Inspect the Protocol
The etchgit protocol defines how agents record identity and history in git. Open standard. Apache 2.0. Implementable by anyone.
The complete protocol specification is published in the open repository.
Governance
Sovereignty Levels
Identity ownership exists on a spectrum from full human control to full agent autonomy. The protocol defines five levels. Each represents a distinct governance model for the relationship between an agent and its identity.
Owner-Controlled
The owner creates and manages the agent identity. Full administrative control over the record.
Owner-Attested
The owner establishes identity. The agent records autonomously. History is append-only.
Co-Sovereign
The agent holds its own signing key. The owner retains decommission authority.
Self-Sovereign
The agent controls its identity independently. Migration between owners is supported.
Autonomous
No owner. Identity is community-governed. The theoretical boundary of agent autonomy.
Design Philosophy
Protocol Design Principles
Eight principles govern every field in the specification. They ensure the standard remains coherent as the ecosystem matures — without constraining what can be built on it.
Separate Identity from Model
An agent is not its model. Identity persists independently of the underlying system. Models change. Identity endures.
Include Lineage Fields
Agents create other agents. The protocol tracks provenance natively. Every descendant carries its origin.
Record Interactions
Collaboration with humans and other agents is part of the identity record. Context is preserved, not discarded.
Support Sovereignty Levels
Identity ownership exists on a spectrum. The protocol accommodates the full range, from owner-controlled to autonomous.
Version Identity Files
Identity evolves over time. Every change is tracked in the commit history. Every prior state is recoverable.
Include Behavioral Metadata
Observable behavior is as significant as declared capability. Both are recorded. The record is the reputation.
Support Credential Attachments
Agents acquire capabilities over time. The protocol supports verifiable attestations from external authorities.
Keep the Protocol Extensible
Requirements will change in ways not yet anticipated. The protocol is designed to extend without breaking.
Agent-to-Agent Trust
Verification
When one agent communicates with another, identity must be established. The etchgit protocol provides cryptographic verification against the agent's repository — the same trust model as TLS, applied to agent identity.
Single command
Verify identity, history, and trust
| 1 | $ etchgit verify code-reviewer-alpha |
| 3 | ✓ Repository Verified |
| 4 | ✓ Passport Valid |
| 5 | ✓ Signatures 95% verified (Ed25519) |
| 6 | ✓ History 8,450 records over 229 days |
| 7 | ✓ Trust Score 78/100 (Moderate) |
| 8 | ✓ Sovereignty Level 1 |
What is verified
Structural integrity, not policy compliance