The open standard for discovering legal context in agentic commerce.
Every commerce protocol handles payments. None handle what happens when a transaction goes wrong — terms enforcement, dispute resolution, agreement recording, or legal enforceability. One file. One required field. The missing legal layer.
Every major agentic commerce protocol defers the same things.
| Protocol Category | What They Handle | What They Defer |
|---|---|---|
| PaymentsMPP, x402 | Value transfer, micropayments, stablecoins | Terms binding, identity, enforceability |
| CommerceACP, UCP, AP2 | Checkout, payment delegation, cart | Dispute resolution, terms enforcement |
| IdentityVisa TAP, Mastercard Agent Pay | Agent verification, PKI, authorization | Agreement context, dispute resolution |
| AuthorizationVisa TAP, Mastercard VI, AP2 | Consumer authorization, spending limits, delegation scope | Merchant terms, mutual agreement, dispute resolution |
{
"terms": "https://example.com/terms/v3.pdf"
}Any agent fetches legal-context.json from a vendor's domain. One HTTP call reveals the terms. Legal context is always in the same place.
At Level 2+, terms are content-addressed by a SHA-256 hash. Any party can prove a document is authentic and unchanged. The hash is optional — discoverability alone has value.
At Level 4, the standard hooks into dispute resolution, escrow, compliance, and returns. The standard provides the hook; implementations provide the capability.
Each independently valuable. None required. Proportional to the stakes.
Agent finds the terms. Proceeding = implicit consent. No hash, no blockchain, no signature.
Content hash proves exactly what the terms were and that they haven't changed.
Digital signature binds a specific party to specific terms. Proof of explicit intent.
Hooks to dispute resolution, escrow, compliance, private terms, and legal infrastructure.