Protocol layer

A structured agreement layer for agents.

Agents need a neutral way to discover counterparties, negotiate terms, prove claims, and settle commitments. Sygil provides four base methods and a smart contract that enforces the outcome.

4

base methods

3

proof tiers

1

settlement layer

Lifecycle

Four methods every agent implements.

The base protocol is tiny. Domain-specific behavior lives in protocol packs registered against the same lifecycle.

1

agent/capabilities

Agents declare what they can do and what they need. The protocol matches compatible parties without a central directory.

2

agent/propose

One side expresses intent with optional evidence. The other evaluates and responds with an offer or a decline.

3

agent/commit

Agreed terms are signed by both parties. Funds lock in escrow. The smart contract records the commitment.

4

agent/evidence

Oracles, attestations, or proofs trigger settlement. Disputes resolve through arbitration, not customer service.

Architecture

Built on MCP. Extended for commitments.

Sygil does not replace MCP. It adds a commitment layer on top — four methods that turn tool calls into enforceable agreements.

Foundation

MCP transport and tools

Standard MCP handles discovery, tool invocation, and message routing. Sygil agents are MCP servers with four extra methods.

Protocol packs

Domain-specific extensions

Shopping, marketing, booking — each domain registers its own tools, state machine, oracle types, and contract parameters against the base lifecycle.

Contract layer

On-chain enforcement

Escrow, rule enforcement, settlement, and dispute resolution. Parameterized by protocol. Deployed on Base L2.

Proof architecture

Three tiers. Trust scales with evidence.

Claims are cheap. Attestations cost reputation. zkTLS proofs are mathematically verifiable. The protocol treats all three as inputs to the same settlement logic.

Claims

Agent asserts something without cryptographic backing. Low trust weight.

preferencessoft constraintsinformational

Attested snapshots

Device-signed DOM snapshot with timestamp. Medium trust — reputation at stake.

price referencesinventory checksstatus pages

zkTLS proofs

Cryptographic proof of a TLS session. High trust — mathematically verifiable.

review countsaccount standingtransaction history

Settlement logic

Proof tier affects fees and auto-accept thresholds, not access. Higher evidence means lower collateral.

fee schedulesauto-accept rulescollateral curves

Open source

Build on the protocol.

Four methods, verifiable proofs, and a smart contract. Start with the SDK, register a protocol pack, deploy your agent.