Specs — DCP-AI normative¶
Normative specifications for the Digital Citizenship Protocol for AI Agents. The source of truth for formats is JSON Schema in schemas/v1/ and schemas/v2/; these documents define scope, artifacts, and how to validate. V2-WIRE-COMPATIBILITY.md lists the errata that align the names, signature contexts and examples of DCP-05, DCP-08 and DCP-09 with that format, and the four layers (representable, schema-valid, verified, conformant) that are judged separately.
Foundation Specifications (DCP-01 – DCP-03)¶
| Spec | Scope | Artifacts |
|---|---|---|
| DCP-01 | Identity & Principal Binding | Responsible Principal Record, Agent Passport, Revocation Record |
| DCP-02 | Intent Declaration & Policy Gating | Intent, PolicyDecision, HumanConfirmation (optional) |
| DCP-03 | Audit Chain & Transparency | AuditEntry, prev_hash chaining, optional Merkle |
| BUNDLE | Citizenship Bundle & Signed Bundle | Citizenship Bundle (L3), Signed Bundle (Ed25519 signature, bundle_hash, merkle_root) |
| VERIFICATION | Verification checklist | Normative steps to verify a Signed Bundle (schema, signature, expiry, revocation, intent_hash, audit chain, merkle; all local) |
Validation (dcp is the reference CLI of a checkout, node bin/dcp.js): dcp validate <schema> <json>, dcp validate-bundle <bundle.json>, dcp verify-bundle [--policy <mode>] <signed.json> [public_key.txt], dcp intent-hash <intent.json>.
Conformance: npm run conformance validates L3-OBJECTS + L3-BUNDLE + L3-SIGNED + intent_hash and prev_hash chain.
These commands and DCP-01 to DCP-03 describe the V1 artifacts; the V2 artifacts and checks are in DCP-AI v2.0 and the V2 checklist of VERIFICATION. A bundle that verifies is consistent and signed by the keys it lists; trust in its principal is a separate step (docs/ADMISSION.md).
Communication & Cryptography (DCP-04, v2.0)¶
| Document | Scope |
|---|---|
| DCP-04 | Agent-to-Agent Communication |
| DCP-AI v2.0 | Post-Quantum Normative Specification |
| Canonicalization Profile | dcp-jcs-v1 — byte-exact JSON canonicalization for every signature, hash and Merkle leaf |
| Security Audit | v2.0 Final Security Audit of 26/02/2026 (13 gaps closed); a historical record, with a notice on what later reviews qualified |
Constitutional Framework (DCP-05 – DCP-09)¶
Specifications governing agent lifecycle, succession, dispute resolution, rights, and delegation — the constitutional layer of the protocol.
| Spec | Scope | Key Artifacts |
|---|---|---|
| DCP-05 | Agent Lifecycle Management | CommissioningCertificate, VitalityReport, DecommissioningRecord |
| DCP-06 | Digital Succession & Inheritance | DigitalTestament, SuccessionRecord, MemoryTransferManifest |
| DCP-07 | Conflict Resolution & Dispute Arbitration | DisputeRecord, ArbitrationResolution, JurisprudenceBundle, ObjectionRecord |
| DCP-08 | Rights & Obligations Framework | RightsDeclaration, ObligationRecord, RightsViolationReport |
| DCP-09 | Personal Representation & Delegation | DelegationMandate, AdvisoryDeclaration, PrincipalMirror, AwarenessThreshold |
Schemas: 18 JSON Schemas in schemas/v2/ covering all DCP-05–09 artifacts.
Server endpoints: 31 demo REST endpoints in the reference verification server, off by default, operator-token only when enabled and without signature verification (see OPERATOR_GUIDE).
Domain separation: 7 new contexts — Lifecycle, Succession, Dispute, Rights, Delegation, Awareness, SubMandate.
Core and Profiles¶
The specification is being organized into a Core (minimum interoperable protocol) and Profiles (extensions for specific deployment needs):
| Directory | Scope |
|---|---|
| core/ | DCP Core — artifacts, verification model, bundle structure |
| profiles/ | Profiles — crypto, A2A, governance extensions |
| profiles/crypto/ | Algorithm selection, composite signatures, crypto-agility |
| profiles/a2a/ | Agent discovery, handshake, session management |
| profiles/governance/ | Risk tiers, jurisdiction, revocation, key recovery |
| profiles/admission/ | Admission: trusted principals and the strict-v1 profile (in the SDKs on main; published in npm SDK 2.2.0, with other ecosystems released separately) |
The existing specs (DCP-01 through DCP-09, BUNDLE, VERIFICATION, DCP-AI v2.0) remain authoritative. The core and profile documents provide editorial context and clarify the separation of concerns. See the ROADMAP for the planned evolution.