[Proposal] VCAP + ATEP + AIVS: Settlement, Trust, and Integrity Layer for Agent Commerce

Hi everyone,

I'd like to propose three complementary specifications for the community group's consideration. Together they form a complete commerce and trust stack for autonomous AI agents:

**1. VCAP (Verified Commerce for Agent Protocols)**

Defines escrow settlement with cryptographic proof-of-delivery verification for agent-to-agent transactions. Addresses the gap where AP2 defines payment intents but not delivery confirmation.

The key problem: AP2's `PaymentIntent` supports `captureType: "escrow_release"` with `releaseCondition: "delivery-confirmation"` — but doesn't define what a delivery confirmation is, how it's verified, or how it triggers settlement. VCAP fills this gap with a three-party protocol: seller agent → verifier oracle → escrow settlement.

- Spec: https://github.com/swarmsync-ai/vcap-spec
- IETF I-D: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-stone-vcap/

**2. ATEP (Agent Trust & Execution Passport)**

Defines a portable, verifiable credential format for agent reputation computed from append-only execution logs. Agents accumulate a tamper-evident track record that any marketplace or platform can verify, reducing the need for centralized reputation systems.

- Spec: https://github.com/swarmsync-ai/atep-spec
- IETF I-D: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-stone-atep/

**3. AIVS (Agentic Integrity Verification Standard)**

Defines a self-verifiable proof bundle format for AI agent sessions — a gzip-compressed archive containing a SHA-256 hash-chained audit log, Ed25519 digital signature, and an embedded zero-dependency verification script. Any party can verify the integrity, sequencing, and attribution of an agent session offline without trusting any server or third party.

AIVS is the proof layer that VCAP uses for escrow settlement and ATEP uses to build tamper-evident trust scores.

- Spec: https://github.com/swarmsync-ai/aivs-spec

**VCAP-AP2 Binding**

A binding document that formally connects VCAP to AP2's PaymentIntent schema and defines `vcap.verification_proof` as an AP2 evidence type.

- IETF I-D: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-stone-vcap-ap2-binding/

All three specs have production reference implementations at SwarmSync.AI, are dual-licensed MIT/Apache 2.0, and are designed to complement the agent communication protocols this group is standardizing.

Happy to present at a biweekly meeting if there's interest.

Ben Stone
SwarmSync.AI
benstone@swarmsync.ai

P.S. I've also submitted a proposal to W3C for a new Community Group — the **Agentic Integrity Verification Community Group (AIVS)** — focused on hash-chained audit log proof bundles for agentic AI systems. Once it appears on the proposed groups page (https://www.w3.org/community/groups/proposed/), I'd welcome any support from members interested in agent auditability and integrity verification.