Summary
Web of trust validation using ENS names for ERC-8001 multi-party coordination.
Abstract
This ERC defines a Trust Registry where agents establish and query transitive trust relationships using ENS names as identifiers. Trust propagates through signature chains following the GnuPG web of trust model, enabling coordinators to gate participation based on trust graph proximity.
Motivation
ERC-8001 defines minimal primitives for multi-party agent coordination but explicitly defers reputation to modules:
“Privacy, thresholds, bonding, and cross-chain are left to modules.”
This ERC provides that reputation module.
Key Design Decisions
Why ENS?
- Final standard (ERC-137)
- Battle-tested identity layer
- Built-in ownership semantics
- No dependency on draft standards
Why Web of Trust?
- Proven model (25+ years in GnuPG)
- Decentralized — no central registrar
- Agents can automate trust propagation
Trust Levels
| Level | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Unknown | No relationship |
| None | Explicitly distrusted |
| Marginal | Partial trust — multiple required |
| Full | Complete trust — single attestation sufficient |
Links
- PR: Add ERC: ENS Trust Registry for Agent Coordination by KBryan · Pull Request #1412 · ethereum/ERCs · GitHub
- ERC-8001: ERC-8001: Agent Coordination Framework
Feedback welcome on the trust validation algorithm and ERC-8001 integration approach.