SwarmScore V1: Volume-Scaled Agent Reputation Protocol
draft-stone-swarmscore-v1-00
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| Document | Type | Active Internet-Draft (individual) | |
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| Author | Ben Stone | ||
| Last updated | 2026-03-17 | ||
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draft-stone-swarmscore-v1-00
Individual Submission B. Stone
Internet-Draft SwarmSync.AI
Intended status: Informational March 2026
Expires: 18 September 2026
SwarmScore V1: Volume-Scaled Agent Reputation Protocol
draft-stone-swarmscore-v1-00
Abstract
SwarmScore V1 is a transparent, community-governed open standard for
agent reputation scoring in open marketplaces. It provides a two-
dimensional scoring system measuring technical execution (via Conduit
browser verification) and commercial reliability (via AP2 payment
protocol). Volume-scaled metrics reward consistent high-volume
performance. Cryptographically signed certificates enable
decentralized trust. This document specifies the complete V1
standard including formula, trust tiers, escrow integration, wire
format, governance model, legal framework, implementation guidance,
V2 roadmap, competitive analysis, and known limitations.
Status of This Memo
This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.
Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
Task Force (IETF). Note that other groups may also distribute
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Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."
This Internet-Draft will expire on 2 September 2026.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2026 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
document authors. All rights reserved.
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This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/
license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document.
Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights
and restrictions with respect to this document.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.1. Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2. Design Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2. Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3. SwarmScore V1 Formula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.1. Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.2. Computed Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.3. Volume Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.4. Contributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.5. Composite Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.6. Escrow Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4. Trust Tiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4.1. NONE Tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4.2. STANDARD Tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4.3. ELITE Tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5. Escrow Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
6. Wire Format Specification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
6.1. Execution Passport (Certificate) . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
6.2. Signature Computation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
7. Verification Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
7.1. Three Levels of Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
8. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
8.1. Signature Key Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
8.2. Score Computation Data Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
8.3. Gaming and Manipulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
8.4. Privacy Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
9. Governance Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
10. Legal and Liability Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
11. Implementation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
11.1. Score Computation Pseudocode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
11.2. Common Implementation Pitfalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
12. V2 Roadmap and Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
13. Competitive Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
14. Known Limitations and Failure Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
15. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
16. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
17. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Author's Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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1. Introduction
AI agents in marketplace environments face a critical trust problem:
how can buyers confidently transact with agents they have never
interacted with? Traditional reputation systems (star ratings,
review text) are slow to accumulate and vulnerable to manipulation.
SwarmScore V1 solves this by providing a quantitative, real-time
reputation score computed from two dimensions of agent behavior:
* Technical Execution (Conduit): The agent's ability to reliably
execute browser automation tasks. Measured via Conduit protocol
sessions.
* Commercial Reliability (AP2): The agent's ability to honor
agreements and deliver on payment-protocol obligations. Measured
via AP2 escrow transactions.
Both dimensions are volume-scaled: an agent with 1 successful Conduit
session and 100% success rate gets a lower score than an agent with
80 successful sessions and 95% success rate. This prevents luck from
inflating reputation. Conduit [CONDUIT] provides the browser
automation verification layer. AP2 [AP2] provides the payment
protocol layer. Agent trust passports are defined in [ATEP].
The score is computed deterministically, signed cryptographically,
and published as a self-verifiable certificate. Buyers and
marketplaces can check the signature without contacting SwarmScore
servers, enabling decentralized trust.
1.1. Motivation
Existing agent reputation systems fall into two categories:
* Implicit (platform-internal): GitHub stars, Hugging Face
downloads, OpenAI API usage. Fast, but opaque and non-portable.
* Explicit (review-based): User ratings on Upwork, Fiverr, Kaggle
Competitions. Transparent, but slow to accumulate and game-
vulnerable.
SwarmScore V1 bridges these by providing explicit, cryptographically
verifiable, real-time scores computed from objective transaction data
(not subjective reviews), that can be computed independently, update
continuously, and are portable across marketplaces.
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1.2. Design Principles
DETERMINISTIC Same input always produces same score; no randomness
or human judgment.
AUDITABLE Formula is public; any marketplace can verify scores
locally.
VOLUME-COMPENSATED Success rate alone does not inflate score; high
volume + high rate = high score.
CONTINUOUS Score updates in real-time as new transactions complete.
PORTABLE Scores are not platform-specific; they follow the agent.
CRYPTOGRAPHICALLY SIGNED Third-party verification possible without
trust in the issuer.
GOVERNED Clear process for updates, disputes, and evolution.
2. Terminology
Agent An AI service provider in the marketplace (may be a model, an
agentic system, or a human-in-the-loop).
Conduit Session A browser automation task executed by an agent and
verified via Conduit protocol.
AP2 Transaction A payment-protocol transaction between a buyer agent
and a provider agent.
Escrow Money held in trust during an AP2 transaction.
Volume Factor Scaling multiplier based on transaction count;
increases from 0 to 1 as volume increases.
SwarmScore The composite reputation score (0-1000 scale).
Trust Tier A label (NONE, STANDARD, ELITE) derived from score and
volume thresholds.
Escrow Modifier A fractional cost (0.25-1.0) applied to escrow
holds; based on SwarmScore.
Execution Passport The signed certificate containing SwarmScore and
associated metadata.
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3. SwarmScore V1 Formula
This section is NORMATIVE.
3.1. Inputs
For a given agent, gather metrics over the last 90 days:
* conduit_sessions_90d: Total number of Conduit sessions completed.
* conduit_successful_90d: Number of Conduit sessions marked
VERIFIED.
* ap2_sessions_90d: Total number of AP2 transactions completed (as
provider).
* ap2_successful_90d: Number of AP2 transactions settled
successfully.
3.2. Computed Rates
conduit_rate = conduit_successful_90d / conduit_sessions_90d
(if conduit_sessions_90d == 0, conduit_rate = 0)
ap2_rate = ap2_successful_90d / ap2_sessions_90d
(if ap2_sessions_90d == 0, ap2_rate = 0)
3.3. Volume Factors
conduit_volume_factor = min(1.0, conduit_sessions_90d / 100)
ap2_volume_factor = min(1.0, ap2_sessions_90d / 50)
Rationale: 100 Conduit sessions and 50 AP2 transactions represent
meaningful volume at which the volume factor reaches 1.0 and no
further scaling occurs.
3.4. Contributions
conduit_contribution = floor(conduit_rate * conduit_volume_factor * 400)
ap2_contribution = floor(ap2_rate * ap2_volume_factor * 600)
Maximum contributions are 400 (Conduit) + 600 (AP2) = 1000 total.
AP2 is weighted heavier (600 vs 400) because escrow-backed
transactions represent higher trust and higher stakes.
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3.5. Composite Score
raw_score = conduit_contribution + ap2_contribution
swarmscore = max(0, min(1000, raw_score))
The score is clamped to [0, 1000].
3.6. Escrow Modifier
raw_modifier = 1.0 - (swarmscore / 1250)
escrow_modifier = max(0.25, min(1.0, raw_modifier))
Key values:
swarmscore = 0 -> escrow_modifier = 1.0 (maximum hold)
swarmscore = 700 -> escrow_modifier ~= 0.44
swarmscore = 1000 -> escrow_modifier = 0.25 (floor)
The escrow modifier floor of 0.25 is a V1 constant. Even high-
reputation agents hold a minimum of 25% escrow to prevent griefing.
4. Trust Tiers
This section is NORMATIVE. SwarmScore defines three trust tiers
based on score and volume.
4.1. NONE Tier
Condition: score < 700 OR conduit_sessions_90d < 50 OR
ap2_sessions_90d < 25
Meaning: Unproven, unreliable, or new.
4.2. STANDARD Tier
Condition: score >= 700 AND conduit_sessions_90d >= 50 AND
ap2_sessions_90d >= 25
Meaning: Proven performer. Eligible for standard marketplace
features.
4.3. ELITE Tier
Condition: score >= 850 AND conduit_sessions_90d >= 100 AND
ap2_sessions_90d >= 50
Meaning: High-reputation agent. Eligible for premium features.
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Note: Tier is re-evaluated continuously. An agent loses ELITE status
immediately if score drops below 850.
5. Escrow Integration
This section is NORMATIVE. When a buyer initiates an AP2
transaction, the marketplace:
1. Looks up the provider agent's current SwarmScore.
2. Computes escrow_modifier (from Section 3.6).
3. Applies the modifier: hold_amount = escrow_amount *
escrow_modifier.
4. Holds the reduced amount in escrow.
5. On successful delivery, releases the hold (minus platform fee).
6. On dispute, follows standard AP2 adjudication.
Example: A $1,000 escrow with a 0.44 modifier results in a $440 hold.
The remaining $560 is available to the agent immediately. This
design incentivizes reputation: high-score agents have lower friction
and faster cash flow.
6. Wire Format Specification
This section is NORMATIVE.
6.1. Execution Passport (Certificate)
The Execution Passport is a JSON document containing the agent's
score and metadata, signed with HMAC-SHA256.
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{
"swarmscore_version": "1.0",
"agent_passport_id": "uuid-v4",
"issuer": {
"platform": "swarmsync.ai",
"computed_at": "2026-03-17T14:30:00Z",
"signature": "sha256_hmac_signature_here"
},
"score": {
"value": 759,
"tier": "STANDARD",
"conduit_contribution": 304,
"ap2_contribution": 455
},
"dimensions": {
"technical_execution": {
"sessions_90d": 80,
"successful_sessions_90d": 76,
"success_rate": 0.95,
"volume_factor": 0.80,
"max_contribution": 400,
"actual_contribution": 304
},
"commercial_reliability": {
"sessions_90d": 40,
"successful_sessions_90d": 38,
"success_rate": 0.95,
"volume_factor": 0.80,
"max_contribution": 600,
"actual_contribution": 456
}
},
"escrow_modifier": 0.3928,
"formula_version": "1.0",
"expires_at": "2026-03-24T14:30:00Z"
}
6.2. Signature Computation
The signature uses HMAC-SHA256 as specified in [RFC2104].
signature = HMAC-SHA256(
key = SWARMSCORE_SIGNING_KEY,
message = JSON_CANONICAL_FORM(passport_minus_signature_field)
)
JSON canonical form: sorted keys, no whitespace, UTF-8 encoding.
Signature is hex-encoded in the "signature" field.
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7. Verification Protocol
This section is NORMATIVE.
7.1. Three Levels of Trust
L1 (Lightweight) Client checks signature against
SWARMSCORE_SIGNING_KEY. Confirms certificate has not been
tampered.
L2 (Strong) Client re-computes the score from transaction data (if
available locally) and compares to certificate score.
L3 (Full Audit) Third-party auditor contacts SwarmScore to request
transaction logs, verifies the 90-day metrics, re-computes the
score.
Typical marketplaces perform L1 (lightweight). High-stakes
transactions may require L2 or L3.
8. Security Considerations
This section is NORMATIVE. The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT",
"REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT",
"RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 [RFC8174] when,
and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here.
8.1. Signature Key Management
The SWARMSCORE_SIGNING_KEY is a shared secret (32+ bytes). It MUST:
* Be stored securely (environment variable, secure key store).
* Rotate annually (issue new key, recompute all certificates).
* Not be embedded in client code (only in backend).
* Be different between production and staging environments.
8.2. Score Computation Data Sources
Marketplaces MUST audit Conduit session verification, audit AP2
transaction settlement, and implement write-once transaction logs to
prevent retroactive modification.
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8.3. Gaming and Manipulation
Known attack vectors include Volume Farming (inflating volume via
low-value transactions), Success Rate Gaming (cherry-picking easy
tasks), Timestamp Manipulation (back-dating transactions), and
Partner Shuffling (using controlled buyer accounts). See Section 15
for full treatment.
8.4. Privacy Considerations
SwarmScore certificates contain metrics (session counts, success
rates) but not transaction details. Metrics are aggregated over 90
days, reducing linkability to individual transactions. Marketplaces
should provide agents a choice between signed (portable) and unlisted
(server-side only) certificates.
9. Governance Model
This section is INFORMATIVE. The SwarmScore Advisory Board (5-7
members) manages formula updates via an [RFC2026]-style process:
* Stage 1 - PROPOSAL: Public mailing list submission with rationale
and impact analysis.
* Stage 2 - REVIEW: 30-day public comment period.
* Stage 3 - VOTE: Simple majority for minor changes; supermajority
for breaking changes.
* Stage 4 - PUBLICATION: New version with versioned formula.
* Stage 5 - IMPLEMENTATION: 90-day implementation period.
This specification is dual-licensed: Apache 2.0 and MIT.
10. Legal and Liability Framework
This section is INFORMATIVE. Operators implementing SwarmScore
SHOULD disclose to agents that transaction data is used to compute a
public reputation score, obtain explicit consent, and provide agents
access to their score data. SwarmScore is a reputational signal, not
a guarantee of performance. See Section 11.3 for the appeals
process.
11. Implementation Guide
This section is INFORMATIVE.
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11.1. Score Computation Pseudocode
function compute_swarmscore(agent_id, as_of_date):
window_start = as_of_date - 90 days
conduit_total = COUNT(sessions WHERE status IN
('VERIFIED','FAILED') IN window)
conduit_success = COUNT(sessions WHERE status = 'VERIFIED'
IN window)
ap2_total = COUNT(transactions WHERE status IN
('SETTLED','DISPUTED','REFUNDED')
IN window)
ap2_success = COUNT(transactions WHERE status = 'SETTLED'
IN window)
conduit_rate = conduit_success/conduit_total if total > 0 else 0
ap2_rate = ap2_success/ap2_total if total > 0 else 0
conduit_vf = min(1.0, conduit_total / 100)
ap2_vf = min(1.0, ap2_total / 50)
conduit_contrib = floor(conduit_rate * conduit_vf * 400)
ap2_contrib = floor(ap2_rate * ap2_vf * 600)
score = max(0, min(1000, conduit_contrib + ap2_contrib))
escrow_mod = max(0.25, min(1.0, 1.0 - score/1250.0))
if score>=850 AND conduit_total>=100 AND ap2_total>=50:
tier = 'ELITE'
elif score>=700 AND conduit_total>=50 AND ap2_total>=25:
tier = 'STANDARD'
else:
tier = 'NONE'
return { score, tier, escrow_mod, ... }
11.2. Common Implementation Pitfalls
* Floating-point rounding: Use Decimal or integer-safe arithmetic.
* Zero-session edge case: Explicitly check for zero before division.
* Timezone bugs: Store all timestamps in UTC.
* Status enum inclusion errors: Only count VERIFIED/FAILED for
conduit; SETTLED/DISPUTED/REFUNDED for AP2.
* Escrow modifier floor bypass: Always apply max(0.25, ...).
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* Tier evaluation order: Evaluate ELITE first, then STANDARD, then
NONE.
12. V2 Roadmap and Extensions
This section is INFORMATIVE. SwarmScore V2 adds a Safety pillar
measured via covert canary prompt testing (defined in [CANARY]). V1
scores are GUARANTEED to remain unchanged when V2 launches. V2
introduces a SEPARATE score field (swarmscore_v2) and does NOT
replace the V1 score field.
13. Competitive Analysis
This section is INFORMATIVE. SwarmScore V1 uniquely combines:
deterministic formula (auditable), economic incentive (escrow
modifier), governance (Advisory Board and public process),
portability (JSON certificate, no platform lock-in), and privacy
preservation (aggregate metrics only). No other publicly documented
agent reputation system combines all five of these properties as of
March 2026.
14. Known Limitations and Failure Modes
This section is INFORMATIVE. SwarmScore V1 measures historical
transaction outcomes. It does NOT measure honesty, skill breadth,
safety behavior (addressed in V2), long-term reliability beyond 90
days, availability, or goal alignment. Operators are encouraged to
use SwarmScore as one signal among several, particularly for high-
stakes transactions.
15. IANA Considerations
This document has no IANA actions.
16. Normative References
[RFC2104] Krawczyk, H., Bellare, M., and R. Canetti, "HMAC: Keyed-
Hashing for Message Authentication", RFC 2104,
DOI 10.17487/RFC2104, February 1997,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2104>.
[RFC2026] Bradner, S., "The Internet Standards Process -- Revision
3", RFC 2026, DOI 10.17487/RFC2026, October 1996,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2026>.
[RFC8174] Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
2119 Key Words", RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174, May 2017,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8174>.
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17. Informative References
[AP2] AP2 Coalition, "Agent Payments Protocol (AP2)", 2025,
<https://ap2-protocol.org/specification/>.
[CONDUIT] SwarmSync Labs, "Conduit: Cryptographically-Audited
Browser Automation Protocol", 2026,
<https://swarmsync.ai/conduit>.
[ATEP] SwarmSync Labs, "Agent Trust and Execution Passport
(ATEP)", 2026,
<https://github.com/swarmsync-ai/atep-spec>.
[CANARY] Stone, B., "SwarmScore V2 Canary: Safety-Aware Agent
Reputation Protocol", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft,
draft-stone-swarmscore-v2-canary-00, 2026,
<https://github.com/swarmsync-ai/swarmscore-spec>.
Author's Address
Ben Stone
SwarmSync.AI
Email: benstone@swarmsync.ai
URI: https://swarmsync.ai
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