agent.json

The file format for declaring website capabilities to AI agents.

Quick Start

Generate an agent.json for your project:

npx agent-json init

Validate an existing file:

npx agent-json validate agent.json

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Part of the Agent Web Protocol standard. Add an agent.json file to your site and AI agents can discover what actions are available, how to authenticate, and how to recover from errors.

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Minimal Example

{
  "awp_version": "0.1",
  "domain": "example.com",
  "intent": "e-commerce platform",
  "actions": [
    {
      "id": "search_products",
      "description": "Search the product catalog",
      "auth_required": false,
      "inputs": {
        "query": { "type": "string", "required": true }
      },
      "outputs": {
        "products": "array[product]"
      },
      "endpoint": "/api/products/search",
      "method": "GET"
    }
  ],
  "errors": {
    "RATE_LIMITED": {
      "recovery": "wait 60 seconds then retry"
    }
  }
}

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Full Schema

Field	Type	Required	Description
awp_version	string	yes	Spec version (e.g. "0.1")
domain	string	yes	Canonical domain
intent	string	yes	Plain language description of the surface
capabilities	object	no	Feature flags
auth	object	no	Auth type, expiry, refresh endpoint
entities	object	no	Typed data models referenced by actions
actions	array	yes	Declared actions with inputs, outputs, endpoints
errors	object	no	Error codes mapped to recovery instructions
dependencies	object	no	Action prerequisite graph
agent_hints	object	no	Semantic guidance for agent planning
agent_status	object	no	Liveness signal

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Why Recovery Contracts Matter

Every error in agent.json includes a machine-readable recovery instruction:

"errors": {
  "AUTH_EXPIRED": {
    "recovery": "call /api/auth/refresh then retry original action"
  },
  "SEAT_UNAVAILABLE": {
    "recovery": "retry search_flights with different parameters"
  }
}

This is the core innovation. Agents don't just know what to do — they know what to do when things go wrong.

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Sensitivity Declaration

Actions that have real-world consequences declare it explicitly:

{
  "id": "delete_account",
  "sensitivity": "irreversible",
  "requires_human_confirmation": true,
  "reversible": false
}

This gives AI platforms a standardized signal for when to prompt human confirmation before proceeding.

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Publish Your Own

1. Create agent.json at the root of your domain
2. Declare your actions, auth contract, and error recovery
3. Agents will discover it automatically at yourdomain.com/agent.json

→ Full specification
→ Validate your file
→ Examples by industry

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Can't publish natively?

Synthetic agent.json generation tools can bridge the gap for sites that haven't implemented the standard yet. See agentwebprotocol.org for more.

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Part of Agent Web Protocol

agent.json is the file format defined by Agent Web Protocol — the open standard for declaring any web surface as agent-ready.

Licensed MIT — use freely, contribute openly.
Contact: spec@agentwebprotocol.org