Purpose

August 14, 2026 · View on GitHub

Current release: AGCP v2.0.8
Artifact lifecycle: CURRENT
Release status: PUBLIC_REVIEW_CONTROLLED_BASELINE
Controlling published baseline: AGCP v2.0.8 Public Review Controlled Baseline
Baseline date: 2026-08-14

This repository snapshot is the controlled AGCP v2.0.8 public-review release. Every change is recorded in governance/CHANGELOG.md and synchronized through the controlled catalogs, RTM, validation reports, and repository manifest.
Current release notes: RELEASE_NOTES_v2.0.8.md
Prior published-baseline notes: RELEASE_NOTES_v2.0.0.md

Controlled release version source

The repository root VERSION file is the sole maintained AGCP repository release number. Current-release labels used by build and validation tooling are derived from that value. Human-authored historical release records are not rewritten when VERSION changes.

For this repository snapshot, VERSION is 2.0.8, yielding release tag v2.0.8 and RTM specification version v.2.0.8.

Normative Statement inventory

The v2.0.8 controlled inventory contains 357 unique Normative Statement identifiers. The Core has 358 controlled normative source-text occurrences under the release inventory accounting because the conformance-scope obligation in Core Section 17.2 duplicates the obligation already represented by NS-2.7-01 from Section 2.7. NS-17.2-01 is intentionally unassigned. See RELEASE_NOTES_v2.0.5.md and governance/AGCP-normative-statement-inventory-validation.json.

Specification Status

AGCP v2.0.8 is issued as the controlled Public Review Controlled Baseline dated 2026-08-14. The contents of this repository snapshot are the fixed basis for review, implementation comparison, and conformance evaluation until a later versioned revision is issued.

The purpose of this review is to evaluate:

  • architectural correctness
  • determinism guarantees
  • lifecycle derivation model
  • conformance framework completeness
  • multitenant isolation guarantees

Review feedback may result in a later revision, but does not alter this controlled baseline unless the change is incorporated into a versioned release and recorded in governance/CHANGELOG.md.

Purpose

AGCP provides a structural control-plane model for governing automated actions in distributed systems. It addresses technical challenges including:

  • Non-deterministic workflow ordering
  • Time-of-check/time-of-use (TOCTOU) gaps
  • Authorization drift over time
  • Mutable lifecycle state corruption
  • Cross-tenant integrity risks
  • Replay inconsistency under evolving configuration

AGCP is not a policy language.
It is a deterministic governance foundation.

Core Architectural Principles

1. Append-Only Ledger Semantics

All governance stage results are recorded as immutable stage entries.

2. Per-Action Total Ordering

Strictly increasing sequence values per action identifier define canonical ordering.

3. Deterministic Lifecycle Derivation

Lifecycle state is derived exclusively from ordered stage entries — never from independently mutable status fields.

4. Execution-Bound Authorization

Execution eligibility must be re-derived at commit time against canonical state.

5. Structural Invariant Separation

Control-plane invariants operate independently of tenant-defined policy logic.

6. Multitenant Governance Isolation Guarantees

Cross-tenant artifact resolution and ledger access are structurally constrained.

How to Review This Specification

AGCP is released for public technical review.

Reviewers do not need to read the entire specification to contribute.
Feedback is most valuable when focused on:

  • determinism of evaluation stages
  • policy evaluation ordering
  • constraint and invariant semantics
  • lifecycle state transitions
  • multitenant isolation guarantees
  • conformance test coverage

Suggested Review Path

Use repository-relative paths when citing documents. A structured review sequence is:

  1. spec/AGCP_Runtime_Governance_Requirements_CR-001_thru_CR-122.csv — highest-precedence capability requirements
  2. spec/AGCP-Core.docx — normative runtime behavior
  3. spec/Architecture Reference Model.docx — architectural concepts and terminology
  4. spec/AGCP Normative Statements.docx — extracted atomic Core obligations
  5. spec/AGCP_Requirements_Traceability_Matrix_(RTM).xlsx — authoritative traceability
  6. spec/AGCP-Policy-Evaluation-Contract.md — implementation-independent policy-evaluation companion specification
  7. spec/AGCP-HTTP-Interface-Specification.md and api/AGCP-HTTP-Contract.yaml — interface semantics and executable contract
  8. spec/ledger/AGCP-Append-Only-Governance-Ledger-Specification.md — Governance Ledger Event requirements
  9. lifecycle/AGCP Governance Lifecycle Model.md and lifecycle/AGCP Normative Governance Progression Table.md — lifecycle interpretation and progression
  10. conformance/AGCP-Conformance-Traceability-and-Automation-Model.md, conformance/AGCP-Conformance.md, conformance/AGCP-Test-Matrix.md, and conformance/AGCP-Conformance-Test-Vectors.md — conformance relationships, profiles, mappings, and executable tests

Repository Structure

The following abbreviated tree lists the current controlled paths used for review and implementation. Every named path exists in this release.

.
├── README.md
├── RELEASE_NOTES_v2.0.8.md
├── RELEASE_NOTES_v2.0.4.md
├── RELEASE_NOTES_v2.0.0.md
├── ARCHITECTURE.md
├── LICENSE
├── NOTICE.md
├── .github/
│   ├── CODEOWNERS
│   └── ISSUE_TEMPLATE/spec-review.yml
├── spec/
│   ├── AGCP_Runtime_Governance_Requirements_CR-001_thru_CR-122.csv
│   ├── AGCP-Core.docx
│   ├── Architecture Reference Model.docx
│   ├── AGCP Normative Statements.docx
│   ├── AGCP_Requirements_Traceability_Matrix_(RTM).xlsx
│   ├── AGCP Requirements Traceability Framework.docx
│   ├── Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) Specification.docx
│   ├── AGCP-Policy-Evaluation-Contract.md
│   ├── AGCP-HTTP-Interface-Specification.md
│   ├── AGCP-Human-Review-Specification.md
│   ├── AGCP-Multitenant-Operational-Specification.md
│   ├── AGCP-Provenance-Wire-Format-Specification.md
│   ├── AGCP-Error-Mapping.md
│   └── ledger/AGCP-Append-Only-Governance-Ledger-Specification.md
├── lifecycle/
├── schemas/
│   ├── catalog/
│   └── examples/
├── registries/
├── conformance/
│   └── tests/
├── api/
│   └── AGCP-HTTP-Contract.yaml
├── governance/
├── implementer/
├── reference/
├── diagrams/
└── research/

Repository Contents

This repository contains specification, traceability, conformance, and supporting artifacts; it does not contain a production AGCP implementation.

Authoritative and normative sources

  • spec/AGCP_Runtime_Governance_Requirements_CR-001_thru_CR-122.csv
  • spec/AGCP-Core.docx
  • Applicable adopted companion specifications under spec/, including the policy-evaluation, HTTP-interface, provenance, multitenant, error-mapping, and Governance Ledger specifications

Architectural and traceability artifacts

  • spec/Architecture Reference Model.docx
  • spec/AGCP Normative Statements.docx
  • spec/AGCP_Requirements_Traceability_Matrix_(RTM).xlsx
  • spec/AGCP Requirements Traceability Framework.docx
  • spec/Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) Specification.docx

Machine-readable and conformance artifacts

  • Active schemas and the Schema Catalog under schemas/
  • Controlled registries under registries/
  • The OpenAPI contract and interface catalog under api/
  • The conformance relationship model, conformance specification, Harness Checks, Test Vectors, mappings, fixtures, and formal Test Cases under conformance/

Supporting artifacts

  • Controlled Implementation Profile format artifacts, profiles, catalogs, and package manifest under implementer/
  • RELEASE_NOTES_v2.0.8.md — release notes for the current v2.0.8 Public Review Controlled Baseline
  • RELEASE_NOTES_v2.0.4.md — historical release notes for v2.0.4
  • RELEASE_NOTES_v2.0.0.md — comparison-based release notes and migration guidance for the published baseline
  • Current lifecycle documents under lifecycle/
  • Versioning and contribution guidance under governance/
  • Reference pseudocode under reference/
  • The canonical control-plane diagram under diagrams/
  • Historical and explanatory publications under research/

What This Repository Does Not Contain

  • Production implementation code
  • Deployment artifacts
  • Unpublished customer-specific operating profiles or deployment overlays; controlled public Implementation Profiles may be included as lower-precedence specification artifacts
  • Cryptographic key material
  • Enterprise-specific configurations

This repository defines the architectural specification only.

Conformance Model

AGCP defines five cumulative conformance levels.

L1 — Schema & Envelope Validation

L2 — Ordered Governance Mediation

L3 — Deterministic Governance

L4 — Execution Authorization Control

L5 — Multitenant Governance Isolation

Conformance claims must declare:

  • Implementation name
  • Version
  • Supported AGCP version
  • Conformance level
  • Cryptographic profile
  • Test report reference

Public Review Process

AGCP is released for public technical review.

Feedback categories:

  • Normative Defect
  • Structural Gap
  • Ambiguity
  • Conformance Clarification
  • Security Concern
  • Determinism Concern
  • Multitenant Governance Isolation Concern

Please submit issues referencing:

  • specification section number
  • assertion ID (if applicable)
  • proposed resolution language

Determinism & Replay Posture

AGCP requires that identical governance envelopes processed under identical configuration produce identical:

  • stage entry sequences
  • lifecycle derivations
  • decision outcomes

Replay behavior must not depend on timestamp ordering or mutable status fields.

Versioning

AGCP follows semantic versioning.

  • MAJOR — breaking structural or normative changes
  • MINOR — additive normative clarifications
  • PATCH — editorial or non-behavioral corrections

This controlled release is AGCP v2.0.8 Public Review Controlled Baseline, baseline date 2026-08-14. Subsequent normative or machine-readable changes SHALL be issued as a later versioned revision and recorded in governance/CHANGELOG.md.

Scope

Although AGCP may be applied to AI-enabled systems, the architecture is general and applicable to:

  • financial transaction processors
  • settlement engines
  • regulated execution systems
  • infrastructure change governance
  • multi-agent automated systems
  • workflow and orchestration platforms

Security Disclosures

Security-sensitive concerns or matters not appropriate for public issue tracking may be directed to:

research@agcp.ai

Public technical review comments should be submitted via GitHub Issues.

AGCP specifies a control-plane architecture intended to improve distributed system reliability, lifecycle determinism, and execution-bound governance correctness.

Governance Approval submission and authoritative record

IF-001 accepts schemas/governance_approval_submission.json (DS-045) as untrusted ingress. schemas/governance_approval_artifact.json (DS-026) is created or qualified by AGCP after independent processing and is not accepted as request content.

AGCP v2.0.4 content-digest correction

The cumulative v2.0.4 correction set binds every DS-001 content-digest algorithm to its exact lowercase-hexadecimal output length. Controlled examples, negative vectors, validation, and CI are published under schemas/examples/, conformance/digests/, and governance/.

Public IF-001 errors and metadata (v2.0.4)

The cumulative v2.0.4 correction set normalizes public protected-resource failures to 404 RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND, defines pre-governance throttling as 429 REQUEST_THROTTLED with required delay-seconds Retry-After, defines unavailable processing capacity as 503 CAPACITY_UNAVAILABLE, and keeps governance quota denial as an authoritative Governance Outcome. DS-003 metadata now binds immutable baseline, profile, schema, generated validator, and active-governance integrity.

Semantic fixture integrity

The v2.0.4 correction stream validates controlled positive fixtures beyond JSON Schema structure. Fourteen fixtures now use internally consistent Tenant, Governance Domain, Proposal, target, policy, authorization, lifecycle, evidence, and Canonical State bindings. Controlled negative vectors remain separate under conformance/semantic-fixtures/ and conformance/command-record/.

Normative companion reference integrity (v2.0.4)

The cumulative v2.0.4 correction set retires absent umbrella companion labels and requires references to identify the controlled artifacts that actually exist. The dispositions are published in governance/AGCP-Normative-Companion-Reference-Dispositions.md and governance/normative-companion-reference-dispositions.json; automated validation is provided by governance/validate_normative_companion_references.py.

Release and lifecycle metadata

AGCP v2.0.8 is the current Public Review Controlled Baseline. Active catalogs and controlled artifacts use lifecycle CURRENT, and the controlled baseline date is 2026-08-14. The controlled policy and validation are published under governance/AGCP-Release-Lifecycle-Metadata-Policy.md and governance/AGCP-release-lifecycle-metadata-validation.json.

v2.0.8 repository-wide integrity gate

The aggregate validator is governance/validate_repository_integrity.py; its controlled report is governance/AGCP-v2.0.8-repository-integrity-validation.json.

v2.0.8 repository synchronization

The accumulated correction set is synchronized through RTM-1.46, Schema Catalog 1.0.50, Interface Catalog 1.0.5, Registry Entry Catalog 1.0.3, and Implementation Profile Catalog 1.0.3. The machine-readable repository manifest and controlled validation report are under governance/.