Agent Commerce · Identity
Know Your Agent
Before an AI agent can initiate a payment, its identity must be established. Know Your Agent (KYA) links an agent identifier to a verifiable attestation — who authorized it, what model runs it, and what it is allowed to spend.
KYA is the identity layer for agentic commerce. Without it, every AI-initiated payment is anonymous. With it, accountability is traceable from the transaction receipt back to the principal who granted authorization.
What a KYA record contains
A stable, unique identifier for the agent instance — not the model, not the user, not the session. The agent identifier persists across transactions and is the root of the attestation chain.
The human or organization that authorized this agent to act. The principal binding records who is ultimately accountable for the agent's actions and what scope of authorization was granted.
The model name, provider, and version running the agent at the time of attestation. Model attestation creates a verifiable link between the agent behavior and the underlying AI system.
What the agent is permitted to do: spend categories, maximum amounts, approved counterparties, valid time window. Scope is evaluated at policy enforcement time — not just at registration.
ISO-8601 timestamp of when the KYA record was created and signed. Attestation records are immutable — a new record must be issued if scope changes.
An agent attestation can be revoked by the principal. Revoked agents are blocked at the policy evaluation layer — all subsequent spend requests are rejected until a new attestation is issued.
KYA attestation record
Every agent attestation is a signed, structured record — not a session token or API key.
{
"agent_id": "agent_01j9k2m...",
"principal_id": "org_acmecorp",
"model": {
"name": "gpt-4o",
"provider": "openai",
"version": "2024-05-13"
},
"authorization_scope": {
"max_transaction_usd": 500,
"daily_limit_usd": 2000,
"allowed_categories": ["api-credits", "dataset-purchase"],
"valid_until": "2026-12-31T23:59:59Z"
},
"attested_at": "2026-04-22T10:00:00Z",
"attestation_id": "kya_01j9k...",
"signature": "ed25519:MEYCIQDx...",
"revoked": false
}The attestation record is signed with Ed25519. Any modification to the scope, principal, or model field after issuance invalidates the signature — making the record tamper-evident.
Why AI agents need their own identity layer
Payment infrastructure was built for humans
Standard KYC/AML infrastructure verifies humans and organizations. AI agents have no legal identity, no passport, no registration number. KYA provides the equivalent layer for autonomous agents: a verifiable record of what an agent is, who authorized it, and what it is allowed to do.
Agent identity is not the same as user identity
An agent running under a user's account is not the same as the user. A single user may run dozens of agents concurrently. KYA separates agent identity from account identity — each agent gets its own attestation, scope, and audit record.
Accountability requires traceable authorization
When an AI agent makes a payment, the question 'who authorized this?' must have a cryptographically verifiable answer. KYA records the authorization chain — from principal grant to agent attestation to transaction receipt — so accountability is always traceable.
Merchants and counterparties need assurance
A merchant receiving payment from an AI agent needs confidence that the agent was authorized to spend the amount it presented. KYA records, exposed through the Agent Commerce API, allow merchants to verify agent identity before accepting settlement.
How KYA connects to the transaction lifecycle
The principal creates a KYA attestation for the agent — providing model details, authorization scope, and the principal binding. A signed attestation record is issued.
When the agent requests a payment, the policy engine checks the KYA record: is the agent attested? Has it been revoked? Does the requested spend fall within its authorized scope?
If KYA checks pass and policy allows, an authorization record is created — referencing the attestation ID. No authorization without a valid KYA record.
The signed receipt references the agent ID from the KYA record. The full chain — attestation → authorization → receipt — is auditable and independently verifiable.
Every agent transaction, cryptographically receipted.
Agent Commerce issues Ed25519-signed receipts for every autonomous payment. Policy-gated authorization, tamper-evident records, and public verification — no vendor contact required.
- 1Authorize via policyDefine spend rules. Agents operate within them.
- 2Receive a signed receiptEd25519-signed proof for every transaction.
- 3Verify publiclyAny party can verify the receipt without contacting you.