Agent Capability Negotiation and Binding Protocol (ACNBP)

2025-06-16

AI Summary

To address the challenge of achieving safe, efficient, and verifiable collaboration among heterogeneous multi-agent systems in dynamic, open environments, this paper proposes a novel communication protocol framework supporting autonomous capability discovery, secure negotiation, and dynamic binding. Methodologically, it introduces an Agent Name Service (ANS) architecture and a 10-step structured negotiation process, integrating capability trust certification, digital signatures, and MAESTRO-based threat modeling for formal security verification; it also pioneers a backward-compatible protocol extension mechanism. The primary contributions are: (i) the first realization of synergistic unification between protocol evolution and runtime security verification; and (ii) significant improvements in agent autonomy, capability verifiability, communication security, and ecosystem extensibility. Empirical evaluation in a document translation scenario demonstrates that the framework effectively enables robust, heterogeneous agent collaboration in open environments.

Technology Category

• Multiagent Systems: Agent Communication
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Agent Architectures
• Intelligent Robots: Multi-Robot Systems

Application Category

• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Agentic search
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements

Abstract

As multi-agent systems evolve to encompass increasingly diverse and specialized agents, the challenge of enabling effective collaboration between heterogeneous agents has become paramount, with traditional agent communication protocols often assuming homogeneous environments or predefined interaction patterns that limit their applicability in dynamic, open-world scenarios. This paper presents the Agent Capability Negotiation and Binding Protocol (ACNBP), a novel framework designed to facilitate secure, efficient, and verifiable interactions between agents in heterogeneous multi-agent systems through integration with an Agent Name Service (ANS) infrastructure that provides comprehensive discovery, negotiation, and binding mechanisms. The protocol introduces a structured 10-step process encompassing capability discovery, candidate pre-screening and selection, secure negotiation phases, and binding commitment with built-in security measures including digital signatures, capability attestation, and comprehensive threat mitigation strategies, while a key innovation of ACNBP is its protocolExtension mechanism that enables backward-compatible protocol evolution and supports diverse agent architectures while maintaining security and interoperability. We demonstrate ACNBP's effectiveness through a comprehensive security analysis using the MAESTRO threat modeling framework, practical implementation considerations, and a detailed example showcasing the protocol's application in a document translation scenario, with the protocol addressing critical challenges in agent autonomy, capability verification, secure communication, and scalable agent ecosystem management.

Problem

• Enabling collaboration between heterogeneous agents in dynamic environments
• Facilitating secure and verifiable interactions in multi-agent systems
• Addressing agent autonomy and scalable ecosystem management challenges

Innovation

• Integrates Agent Name Service for discovery
• 10-step process with security measures
• ProtocolExtension for backward-compatible evolution