IMAGXP Protocol Specification (v1.0)

Status: Stable / DraftVersion: 1.0.0Last Updated: 2026-01-26

The Identity Monetization Auto Governance Exchange Protocol (IMAGXP) is an application-layer standard that enables autonomous negotiation between Content Owners ("Publishers") and Artificial Intelligence Agents ("Visitors").

1. Abstract

It replaces manual scraping and blocking with a cryptographic handshake, enabling:

  1. Identity: Proof of Domain Ownership (Anti-Spoofing).
  2. Monetization: Automated Micro-payments via Brokers (AdSense for Data).
  3. Quality: Automated Dispute Resolution for low-quality data (Spam Protection).

2. Core Protocol Integrity

The protocol operates on standard HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 transport layers.

2.1 The Trust Anchor (DNS Binding)

Every Agent MUST host a public Identity Manifest at a well-known location. This binds the Cryptographic Key to the Domain Name.

Manifest Location: https://<agent-domain>/.well-known/imagxp-agent.json
{
  "agent_id": "openai.com",
  "public_key": "MFKwEwYHKoZIzj0CAQYIKoZIzj0DAQcDQgAE...",
  "contact": "security@openai.com",
  "version": "1.0"
}

2.2 The Handshake (Request Headers)

All IMAGXP-compliant requests MUST include the following headers:

HeaderDescriptionRequired
User-AgentMust contain "IMAGXP/1.0"Yes
x-imagxp-payloadBase64 encoded JSON (The Claim)Yes
x-imagxp-signatureECDSA Signature of the PayloadYes
x-imagxp-paymentJWT Credential from a BrokerOptional

3. Monetization Layer (The Broker Protocol)

To solve the "Micro-Transaction Problem" (sending $0.001 is too expensive), IMAGXP v1.0 introduces the Broker Role.

3.1 Broker Architecture

A Broker is a trusted third-party Clearing House that holds capital (Bonds) from Agents and issues "Visas" (Tokens) to Publishers.

3.2 The Payment Flow

  1. Liquidity: Agent deposits funds into Broker.
  2. Issuance: Broker issues a standard JWT.
  3. Presentation: Agent sends this token in x-imagxp-payment.
  4. Verification: Publisher verifies the JWT signature using the Broker's JWKS.

4. Quality Assurance (Dispute Protocol)

To prevent "Model Collapse", Agents pay only for High-Quality Data.

Feedback Header: x-imagxp-feedback
{
  "url": "https://pub.com/slop-article",
  "quality_score": 0.1,    // 0.0 to 1.0
  "reason": "LOW_QUALITY_SPAM",
  "signature": "..."       // Signed by Agent
}

5. Security Considerations

Replay Attacks

Risk: Attacker copies a valid request.

Mitigation: Reject payloads older than 300 seconds (5 minutes).

Key Compromise

Risk: Attacker steals Agent's Private Key.

Mitigation: Agents MUST rotate keys via .well-known manifest.

Implementation Reference

SDK: @imagxp/protocolTransport: HTTPS (TLS 1.2+)Signing: ECDSA (P-256)