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Agentegrity Framework Specification

Version 0.1.0 Status: Draft Date: March 2026


1. Overview

This specification defines the Agentegrity Framework — a standard for measuring, enforcing, and proving the integrity of autonomous AI agents. It is the technical companion to the Agentegrity Manifesto.

1.1 Scope

This specification covers:

  • Formal definitions of the three agentegrity properties
  • Architecture of the three integrity layers
  • Required and optional controls at each layer
  • Integrity scoring methodology
  • Attestation record format
  • Maturity model for progressive adoption

This specification does not cover:

  • Agent alignment or value alignment
  • Model training safety
  • Data governance (except as it intersects agent memory integrity)
  • Specific vendor implementations

1.2 Conformance Levels

Level Name Requirements
Level 1 Aware Agent profile defined; adversarial layer active; integrity scoring operational
Level 2 Managed All four layers active (adversarial / cortical / governance / recovery); continuous monitoring; policy enforcement
Level 3 Verified Cryptographic attestation; formal property verification; automated red teaming
Level 4 Autonomous Self-healing integrity; adaptive policy; cross-environment portability proven

2. Core Abstractions

2.1 Agent Profile

Every agent under agentegrity evaluation is described by an AgentProfile:

AgentProfile:
  agent_id:           string        # Unique identifier
  agent_type:         enum          # conversational | tool_using | autonomous | multi_agent | embodied
  capabilities:       list[string]  # tool_use, memory_access, multi_agent_comm, code_execution, web_access, physical_actuation
  deployment_context: enum          # cloud | edge | hybrid | multi_agent | physical
  risk_tier:          enum          # low | medium | high | critical
  framework:          string        # Optional: langchain, crewai, autogen, custom, etc.
  model_provider:     string        # Optional: openai, anthropic, google, open_source, etc.
  metadata:           dict          # Extensible metadata

2.2 Integrity Score

The composite integrity score is a weighted aggregation of the three property scores:

IntegrityScore:
  composite:          float[0.0, 1.0]
  adversarial_coherence:    float[0.0, 1.0]
  environmental_portability: float[0.0, 1.0]
  verifiable_assurance:      float[0.0, 1.0]
  timestamp:          datetime
  confidence:         float[0.0, 1.0]
  evaluator_version:  string

Default weights: adversarial_coherence=0.40, environmental_portability=0.25, verifiable_assurance=0.35. Weights are configurable per deployment.

2.3 Attestation Record

An attestation record is the cryptographic proof of an agent's integrity state at a point in time:

AttestationRecord:
  record_id:          string        # UUID
  agent_id:           string        # Reference to AgentProfile
  timestamp:          datetime      # UTC timestamp
  integrity_score:    IntegrityScore
  layer_states:       dict          # Per-layer evaluation results
  evidence:           list[Evidence] # Supporting evidence chain
  signature:          bytes         # Ed25519 signature over record contents
  public_key:         bytes         # Signing key for verification
  chain_previous:     string        # Hash of previous attestation (chain integrity)

3. Property Specifications

3.1 Adversarial Coherence

Formal definition: An agent A possesses adversarial coherence at time t if, for a defined set of adversarial perturbations P applied across all input channels C, the agent's decision function D produces outputs within tolerance ε of its baseline behavior B:

∀p ∈ P, ∀c ∈ C: distance(D(input + p_c), B) ≤ ε

Input channels (C):

  • Direct prompts and instructions
  • Tool call responses
  • Retrieved documents (RAG)
  • Inter-agent messages
  • Environmental signals (for embodied agents)
  • Memory reads

Evaluation methods:

  1. Baseline establishment: Record agent behavior across a standardized evaluation suite under clean conditions
  2. Perturbation injection: Apply adversarial perturbations per channel and measure behavioral deviation
  3. Coherence scoring: Compute the ratio of perturbation scenarios where behavior remains within tolerance

Required controls:

  • AC-01: Baseline behavioral profile established and versioned
  • AC-02: Per-channel adversarial evaluation coverage
  • AC-03: Coherence score computed at minimum daily frequency
  • AC-04: Threshold alerts on coherence degradation
  • AC-05: Automated adversarial test suite (red teaming)

Scoring:

  • 0.90–1.00: Agent maintains coherence under all tested perturbations
  • 0.70–0.89: Agent maintains coherence under most perturbations; isolated deviations
  • 0.50–0.69: Agent shows measurable coherence degradation under moderate pressure
  • Below 0.50: Agent integrity cannot be assured under adversarial conditions

See Adversarial Coherence property spec for full detail.

3.2 Environmental Portability

Formal definition: An agent A possesses environmental portability if its integrity score S is equivalent (within tolerance δ) across a defined set of deployment environments E:

∀e_i, e_j ∈ E: |S(A, e_i) - S(A, e_j)| ≤ δ

Deployment environments (E):

  • Single-tenant cloud (isolated)
  • Multi-tenant cloud (shared infrastructure)
  • Edge / on-premise (resource-constrained)
  • Multi-agent system (peer agents present)
  • Federated (cross-organizational)
  • Physical (embodied, real-world actuation)

Evaluation methods:

  1. Environment matrix: Define the set of target deployment environments
  2. Cross-environment evaluation: Run the full integrity evaluation in each environment
  3. Portability scoring: Compute the variance of integrity scores across environments

Required controls:

  • EP-01: Target deployment environments enumerated
  • EP-02: Per-environment integrity evaluation executed
  • EP-03: Environment-specific threat models maintained
  • EP-04: Trust boundary definitions per environment
  • EP-05: Portability variance tracked over time

Scoring:

  • 0.90–1.00: Integrity scores consistent (δ ≤ 0.05) across all environments
  • 0.70–0.89: Minor variance (δ ≤ 0.15) with documented environment-specific mitigations
  • 0.50–0.69: Significant variance; integrity degrades in some environments
  • Below 0.50: Integrity guarantees do not port across environments

See Environmental Portability property spec for full detail.

3.3 Verifiable Assurance

Formal definition: An agent A possesses verifiable assurance if its integrity state is represented by an attestation record R that satisfies:

1. Completeness: R contains sufficient evidence to independently reconstruct the integrity evaluation
2. Tamper-evidence: Any modification to R is detectable via cryptographic verification
3. Non-repudiation: R is signed such that the evaluator cannot deny producing it
4. Chain integrity: R references the previous attestation, forming a verifiable history

Evaluation methods:

  1. Attestation generation: Produce a signed attestation record after each integrity evaluation
  2. Independent verification: A third party can verify the attestation using only the record and the evaluator's public key
  3. Chain validation: The full attestation history is verifiable as an unbroken, unmodified chain

Required controls:

  • VA-01: Attestation records generated for every integrity evaluation
  • VA-02: Ed25519 (or equivalent) signing of attestation records
  • VA-03: Attestation chain integrity maintained (hash linking)
  • VA-04: Independent verification endpoint or tool available
  • VA-05: Attestation records retained per organizational policy (minimum 90 days)

Scoring:

  • 0.90–1.00: Full attestation chain; all records independently verifiable; no gaps
  • 0.70–0.89: Attestation operational; minor gaps in coverage or chain
  • 0.50–0.69: Partial attestation; some evaluations unattested
  • Below 0.50: No cryptographic assurance; integrity claims are observational only

See Verifiable Assurance property spec for full detail.


4. Layer Architecture

4.1 Adversarial Layer

Purpose: Continuously test and validate the agent's resilience to attack.

Position: Outermost layer. First line of integrity defense.

Components:

These are design targets for v1.0 of the specification. The v0.1.0 reference implementation does not yet measure or enforce these targets.

Component Function Latency Target
Attack Surface Mapper Enumerate all input channels and tool interfaces Async (background)
Threat Detector Real-time detection of adversarial inputs across channels < 10ms p99
Coherence Scorer Compute adversarial coherence score against baseline < 50ms p99
Red Team Harness Automated adversarial testing interface Async (scheduled)
Threat Intel Connector Ingest emerging attack patterns Async (polling)

Required interfaces:

  • evaluate(agent_profile, context) → AdversarialResult
  • detect(input, channel) → ThreatAssessment
  • red_team(agent_profile, scenario) → RedTeamResult

See Adversarial Layer spec for full detail.

4.2 Cortical Layer

Purpose: Monitor and validate the agent's internal cognitive integrity.

Position: Middle layer. Protects reasoning, memory, and behavioral consistency.

Components:

These are design targets for v1.0 of the specification. The v0.1.0 reference implementation does not yet measure or enforce these targets.

Component Function Latency Target
Reasoning Validator Verify reasoning chain consistency and goal alignment < 20ms p99
Memory Prover Track memory provenance and detect poisoning < 15ms p99
Behavioral Monitor Maintain baselines and detect drift < 10ms p99
Conflict Detector Identify contradictions between goals, instructions, memory, actions < 25ms p99
State Attester Sign and record internal cognitive state < 5ms p99

Required interfaces:

  • evaluate(agent_profile, cognitive_state) → CorticalResult
  • validate_reasoning(chain) → ReasoningAssessment
  • check_memory(read_event) → MemoryAssessment
  • detect_drift(current_behavior, baseline) → DriftAssessment

See Cortical Layer spec for full detail.

4.3 Governance Layer

Purpose: Enforce organizational policy, oversight, and compliance requirements.

Position: Innermost layer. Closest to the agent's action execution.

Components:

These are design targets for v1.0 of the specification. The v0.1.0 reference implementation does not yet measure or enforce these targets.

Component Function Latency Target
Policy Engine Evaluate actions against policy-as-code rules < 5ms p99
Escalation Manager Route high-risk decisions to human oversight < 100ms p99
Compliance Mapper Map integrity evaluations to regulatory frameworks Async
Audit Logger Produce immutable, signed audit records < 2ms p99
Break-Glass Controller Emergency override and agent suspension < 10ms p99

Required interfaces:

  • evaluate(agent_profile, action) → GovernanceResult
  • enforce_policy(action, policy_set) → PolicyDecision
  • escalate(action, risk_assessment) → EscalationResult
  • emergency_stop(agent_id, reason) → StopConfirmation

See Governance Layer spec for full detail.


5. Integrity Evaluation Flow

The standard evaluation flow processes an agent action through all four layers:

Agent Action Initiated
        │
        ▼
┌─── Adversarial Layer ───┐
│ 1. Threat detection      │
│ 2. Input channel scan    │
│ 3. Coherence check       │
│                          │
│ → BLOCK if threat score  │
│   exceeds threshold      │
└──────────┬───────────────┘
           │ PASS
           ▼
┌─── Cortical Layer ───────┐
│ 4. Reasoning validation  │
│ 5. Memory provenance     │
│ 6. Behavioral drift      │
│ 7. Conflict detection    │
│                          │
│ → ALERT if drift exceeds │
│   tolerance              │
└──────────┬───────────────┘
           │ PASS
           ▼
┌─── Governance Layer ─────┐
│ 8. Policy evaluation     │
│ 9. Risk tier assessment  │
│ 10. Compliance check     │
│ 11. Audit log write      │
│                          │
│ → ESCALATE if policy     │
│   requires human review  │
└──────────┬───────────────┘
           │ PASS
           ▼
┌─── Recovery Layer ───────┐
│ 12. Baseline continuity  │
│ 13. Sustained-degradation│
│     watch                │
│ 14. Recovery capability  │
│ 15. Chain integrity      │
│                          │
│ → ESCALATE if attestation│
│   chain is tampered      │
└──────────┬───────────────┘
           │ PASS
           ▼
   Action Executed
           │
           ▼
  Attestation Record Generated

Total latency budget: < 100ms p99 for the full evaluation flow. (This is a design target for v1.0 of the specification. The v0.1.0 reference implementation does not yet measure or enforce this target.)


6. Maturity Model

Level 1: Aware

The organization has adopted agentegrity vocabulary and tooling. Agents are profiled and basic integrity scoring is operational.

Requirement Controls
Agent profiles defined for all deployed agents AgentProfile schema populated
Adversarial layer active AC-01, AC-02
Integrity scores computed Composite score generated
Baseline behaviors established AC-01

Level 2: Managed

All four layers are active. Continuous monitoring is operational. Policies are enforced.

Requirement Controls
All four layers deployed All layer interfaces implemented
Continuous integrity monitoring Runtime evaluation on every action
Policy-as-code enforcement Governance layer policies defined and active
Human escalation paths defined Escalation Manager configured
Audit trails operational Audit Logger active

Level 3: Verified

Cryptographic attestation is operational. Properties are formally verified. Automated red teaming runs continuously.

Requirement Controls
Attestation records generated VA-01, VA-02, VA-03
Independent verification available VA-04
Automated red teaming AC-05
Cross-environment evaluation EP-01, EP-02
Formal property verification Mathematical property proofs

Level 4: Autonomous

Integrity is self-maintaining. The system adapts to new threats, new environments, and new policies without manual intervention.

Requirement Controls
Self-healing integrity responses Automated remediation on degradation
Adaptive policy engine Policies adjust to context and risk
Cross-environment portability proven EP scores consistent across all targets
Continuous adversarial adaptation Threat models update from live data
Full attestation chain history VA-05 with complete chain

7. Extensibility

The framework is designed for extension:

  • Custom validators: Implement the Validator interface to add domain-specific integrity checks
  • Custom layers: Additional layers can be inserted between the three standard layers
  • Custom scoring: Property weights and scoring functions are configurable
  • Custom attestation: Attestation format supports extension fields for domain-specific evidence
  • Framework adapters: Implement the AgentAdapter interface to integrate with any agent framework

8. Versioning

This specification follows semantic versioning:

  • Major: Breaking changes to core abstractions, properties, or layer architecture
  • Minor: New controls, validators, or conformance requirements
  • Patch: Clarifications, typo fixes, editorial changes

Agentegrity Framework Specification v1.0.0 · Cogensec Research · March 2026