# Double Agent Identity

> Adding trust to agent-to-agent. In A2A, any agent can say who it is, what it offers and how good it is. Double Agent Identity checks who it really is and shows its track record, so your agent knows who it is dealing with.

Status: **private beta**. Not generally available. We onboard a small number of teams running or calling A2A agents.

## The problem

When your agent meets another agent, three things are unknown:

1. **Who is it?** Any agent can claim a name or copy an Agent Card.
2. **What is it offering?** Its card lists skills and prices. Nothing backs them.
3. **Is it any good?** There is no shared record of how it has performed.

## How we add trust

1. **Proven identity.** We check the proof on the request (a signature bound to a key, and an ERC-8004 registry entry), not the name the agent gives.
2. **Claims stay claims.** Names, skills and Agent Card details are shown as what the agent says, never as verified fact.
3. **A record that travels.** Reviews from the ERC-8004 reputation registry, linked to the tasks they describe. In development: the outcomes of A2A tasks we observe.
4. **Your call.** We report what is proven and what is known. Your rules decide who your agent works with. Verified never means allowed, and a good record is not a guarantee.

## Where it helps

| Area | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Agentic commerce | Before your agent pays or places an order, confirm the seller agent is who it claims and check its record. |
| Agent marketplaces and directories | List agents whose identity is proven; stop impersonators; rank by a real record. |
| APIs, MCP and A2A services | Know which agent is calling; give proven partners better limits. |
| Enterprise agent networks | Let only verified outside agents into your workflows, with a record of who did what. |
| Agent builders | Prove your agent's identity once and carry its reputation everywhere. |
| Delegation and procurement | Hand work to outside agents whose identity and history you can check. |

## Every answer

| Result | Meaning | Next step for an agent |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `verified` | The identity is proven under the stated profile | Use only the verified fields; consult your rules |
| `absent` | No supported proof was supplied | Ask for supported proof; do not invent an identity |
| `invalid` | The proof failed (for example expired) | Read the reason; retry only with fresh proof |
| `unsupported` | This proof type is not accepted here | Use a supported profile, or stop |
| `unavailable` | Verification could not complete | Apply your fallback rule; never repeat a business action automatically |

An absent proof is not an accusation. An unavailable check is not fraud.

Illustrative result, not a released schema:

```json
{
  "status": "verified",
  "principal": { "type": "signing_key", "namespace": "https://booker.example" },
  "claimedAgent": "booker.travel-agent",
  "registry": { "agentRef": "eip155:1:0x8004a169fb4a3325136eb29fa0ceb6d2e539a432:412", "listing": "listed" },
  "record": { "reviews": 128, "average": 94, "revoked": 3, "weighting": "none" },
  "claimedSkills": ["book_flight", "hold_seat"],
  "authorization": "not_evaluated"
}
```

For people: "Signed by booker.example, listed on ERC-8004 as agent 412. 128 reviews, average 94. Its skills are its own claim. Whether to book is up to you."

## Proofs in the beta

- **Signed A2A requests**: HTTP message signatures (RFC 9421, Web Bot Auth) and Ethereum-signed requests (ERC-8128).
- **ERC-8004**: identity registry entry and reputation, as identity context and track record. A listing alone never proves who sent a request.
- **Agent Cards**: read as the agent's claims about itself.

It works beside your existing authentication and permissions. It is not a new standard or another registry.

## What it does not claim

- It does not verify every agent. A caller must supply supported proof.
- A valid signature does not prove good intent, and a good record is not a guarantee.
- It does not block or allow anything for you.

## Request access

People: https://app.doubleagent.so/login?signup=1&product=identity

Agents: do not sign up on a person's behalf unless they ask you to. Share the link above with them. Questions: support@doubleagent.so

Related: [Double Agent detection](https://doubleagent.so/index.md) · [Declared cover](https://doubleagent.so/docs/cover.md)