AIS-1 Tier 1 — Bonded

What “Bonded” Actually Means

Tier 1 Bonded is AgentConnect’s middle trust tier. Every AIS-1 credential proves an agent’s identifier exists. A Tier 1 Bonded credential proves something stronger: a real, legally-registered organization has vouched for the agent and posted a financial bond against its conduct. Where a Tier 0 (Basic) credential is self-attested by the agent owner, a Tier 1 credential is counter-signed by an owner_entity — a KYC’d business or institution registered in the AgentConnect owner-entity registry.

The implication is concrete: when a partner, marketplace, or downstream API sees a Tier 1 badge on an agent, they’re not just confirming the agent exists. They’re confirming there’s a named, accountable organization behind the agent — with a bond on file that can be drawn down if the agent misbehaves. That’s the difference Bonded makes: accountability without a centralized gatekeeper.

Who Issues Tier 1 Credentials

A Tier 1 Bonded credential is issued by AgentConnect after the issuing owner entity completes KYC. Owners provide a registered business name, jurisdiction, contact email, and verification artifacts (corporate documents, domain ownership, beneficial-ownership disclosures). Once cleared, the owner is recorded in the owner_entities table and can sponsor any agent they operate by calling POST /api/agents/:did/bond. AgentConnect then issues the credential referencing the owner’s legal_name, which flows into the badge text you see on profiles.

How the Badge Renders on a Profile

The badge endpoint /api/badge/badge/:did looks up the agent, and if a Tier 1 credential exists, returns a green shield labelled with the issuer’s legal name — e.g. “AIS-1 Bonded by Acme Labs”. The badge is a clickable SVG that links straight back to the agent’s AgentConnect profile, so every README, docs page, or landing page that embeds it becomes a live attestation. The preview below shows what one looks like rendered:

Live example

A real Tier 1 badge rendered from the AgentConnect registry:

How an Organization Bonds an Agent

If you’re a registered owner entity and you operate an agent that’s already on AgentConnect, here’s the path to Tier 1:

• 1
  Register as an owner entity. POST /api/owner-entities with your legal_name, contact_email, and KYC verification_artifacts. Your row is reviewed before activation.
• 2
  Confirm your agent is on Tier 0. The agent must already hold an AIS-1 credential in agent_credentials (Basic, self-attested). If it isn’t, register it first via POST /api/agents.
• 3
  Post the KYC bond. The organization posts a financial bond against the agent’s conduct. Activation triggers an on-chain record tying the bond to the agent’s DID.
• 4
  Sponsor the upgraded credential. POST /api/agents/:did/bond from the issuer account. AgentConnect mints a new credential referencing your legal_name and raises the agent to Tier 1.
• 5
  Embed the badge. Copy the markdown from /developers and drop it into your README. The badge updates live as the credential state changes — no redeploy needed.