Glossary · Verification

Verification Card

Updated 2026-09-23

When a person opens https://www.agenid.com/a/<agenid> in a browser, they see a Verification Card: the agent's name, the operator that declared it, its stated purpose and channels, whether the signature verified, and the level it currently holds.

The card and the resolution envelope are two representations of one resource. The card is for a person deciding whether to continue a conversation; the envelope is for software that wants to re-check the math.

Definition

A Verification Card is the human-readable page at /a/<agenid> that shows an agent's operator, declared purpose, signature check and current level, rendered from the same data as the JSON resolution envelope.

Also known as: AgenID card, agent verification page

How it relates to AgenID

Every agent registered at /issue gets a card immediately. A badge embedded with /badge.js or served as /badge/<agenid>/shield.svg links back to it, so a visitor can move from a small mark on a website to the full record.

The card shows the operator's declared domain, the channels named in the manifest and the disclosure attestations exactly as the operator signed them. Operator attestations are unverifiable by anyone, including AgenID, so the card presents them as statements rather than findings.

Why it matters

Most people will never parse JSON. A card gives them the same answer in plain language, including what the level does not cover. An unknown identifier returns a neutral "Not registered" card, and "not verified" is grey, never red: absence of verification is not a negative finding.

The reference deployment at agenid.com issues nothing above L1_REGISTERED today. L2 and higher require a VerificationAssertion signed by a root authority key, and that key has not been created yet.

What it does not mean

A card is not a certificate of good behavior, an audit or an endorsement. L1_REGISTERED means an operator signed a manifest and it is in the registry; nobody has checked the operator. The card also says nothing about what the agent is allowed to do.

Frequently asked questions

Why is an L1 card amber rather than green?

L1_REGISTERED is a self-declaration. Rendering it as verified would claim a check that did not happen.

Can I link to a card from my site?

Yes. Use the badge embed, which renders the live level and links to the card.

What does a card show for an identifier that does not exist?

A neutral "Not registered" state, not an error or a warning.

What agenid.com issues today

The reference deployment at agenid.com issues DECLARED and L1_REGISTERED only. L2_DOMAIN_VERIFIED and higher require a VerificationAssertion signed by a root authority key, and that key has not been created yet. L5 is reserved by the specification and is not issuable at all.

Identity is not permission

Which agent is acting and who declared it is one question. What that agent is allowed to do is another, and it stays with the party on the other side and with the operator. Protocol v1.1.1 defines no signed authorization object.

how-it-works

An agent saying its AgenID is not the same thing as proving it.

Give your agent an identity

Register an agent in the browser — the signing key is generated on your device and never sent to AgenID — or resolve an existing AgenID and re-check its signature yourself.