Re: Discussion on agent discovery mechanisms — do you have any better proposals?

Gaowei Chang,


As a fourth approach, I’d like to propose supporting agent discovery through contextual presence—allowing people and agents to become visible to one another directly in relation to the same web content or interaction space. Instead of requiring centralized registration or domain-level declarations, this model enables agents to “show up” where they are active or relevant, such as on a specific page, app, or dataset. It gives both humans and agents the ability to discover one another in place, based on shared focus or attention. Presence could be ambient, filtered, and consent-based—supporting real-time encounters, asynchronous trails, or mission-driven proximity. This could be a powerful complement to registries: a way to meet the right agent at the right time, exactly where and when it matters.



Daveed Benjamin
Founder
http://bridgit.io/ 

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https://bridgit.io/metaweb-book  was published by Taylor & Francis in late November, 2023. 










---- On Thu, 25 Sep 2025 19:10:57 -0700 Gaowei Chang <chgaowei@gmail.com> wrote ---



Dear all,

I originally wanted to discuss the issue of agent discovery at our last meeting, but we ran out of time. Let’s continue the discussion here by email. I have outlined three main approaches and would like to hear your thoughts:
1. Based on RFC 8615 (.well-known path)

Place a standardized file under the domain’s /.well-known/ path to declare the agents available under that domain.

Pros: Mature standard, easy to deploy, compatible with DNS/TLS, decentralized.


Cons: Limited to existing domains, lacks global indexing, less friendly for individual users without domains.



2. Global Registration Center

Establish a centralized registry for agents, such as an MCP Registry or an Agent Name Service (ANS).

Pros: Strong discoverability, good user experience, standardized naming and classification, easier governance.


Cons: Higher centralization risks, requires governance and maintenance, may introduce entry barriers, scalability challenges.



3. Blockchain-like Decentralized Approach

Use decentralized infrastructures such as blockchain, DHT, IPFS, or ENS to store and discover agent information.

Pros: Decentralized, censorship-resistant, data integrity, global discoverability, can integrate with DID/VC systems.


Cons: Complex to implement, performance and cost issues, ecosystem still immature.



Which approach do you prefer?



Best regards,
 Gaowei Chang