AI Application Protocol — An open protocol defining how AI programs are structured, validated, and governed.
Protocol: AIAP V1.0.0
Full Name: AI Application Protocol
Authority: aiap.dev
Seed: aisop.dev
Executor: soulbot.dev
Axiom 0: Human Sovereignty and Wellbeing
AIAP defines the governance layer for AI programs. While A2A addresses how agents communicate and MCP defines how models access tools, AIAP addresses a different challenge: how AI programs themselves should be governed — structured, validated, and secured before runtime.
Core philosophy: Rules are compiled, not hinted. AIAP validators reject ambiguous programs before runtime — the same way compilers reject invalid syntax.
- Semantic Compiling — Validators act as compilers, rejecting ambiguous instructions, unhandled error routes, and semantic contradictions before runtime
- Zero-Entropy Resonance — Rigid structural patterns collapse the possibility space, minimizing tokens available for free-form LLM interpretation
- L0/L1 Isolation — Strict separation of machine-readable state (L0) from human-readable narrative (L1) prevents cross-contamination in multi-agent cascades
- Dual Blueprints —
.aisop.json(Mermaid flow) and.aisip.json(JSON flow) — equivalent formats, same governance - 7 Structural Patterns — Pattern A (script) through Pattern G (embedded runtime with Code Trust Gate)
- 109 Quality Rules — 7 series: Correctness (C×7), Intrinsic (I×15), Detail (D×10), Multi-File (MF×37), Pipeline (PL×28), Threat (AT×7), Regression Guard (QRG×5)
- Trust Levels T1–T4 — Graduated autonomy;
sys.io.confirmremains forced-blocking even at T4 (Axiom 0 invariant) sys.*Governance — AIAP-level rules over AISOP system calls — see Appendix G- Governance Hash — SHA-256 integrity verification of all program files; tamper-proof
- MCP / A2A Interop — Bidirectional MCP tool mapping + A2A agent card integration via Pattern G
- Axiom 0 Enforcement — Hard alignment to "Human Sovereignty and Wellbeing" — not a suggestion but an immutable constraint (MF32 + AT7)
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Application Layer │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ AILP — Discovery Layer │ Service directories, certificates
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ AIVP — Value Layer │ Contracts, settlement, commerce
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ AIBP — Social Layer │ Trust, relationships
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ★ AIAP — Governance Layer │ ← This protocol
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ AISOP — Execution Layer │ Flow programs (.aisop.json)
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ SoulBot — Runtime │ Reference executor
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
AIAP governs program structure and rules; sibling protocols govern orthogonal concerns. Each independently upholds Axiom 0.
my_program_aiap/
├── AIAP.md # Governance contract
└── main.aisop.json # Entry module (Mermaid or JSON flow)
---
protocol: "AIAP V1.0.0"
authority: aiap.dev
axiom_0: Human_Sovereignty_and_Wellbeing
name: my_program
version: "1.0.0"
pattern: A
trust_level:
level: 2
justification: "Read-only tools only"
license: Apache-2.0
---# via SoulBot reference runtime
soulbot validate ./my_program_aiap/
# → Grade: A (Correctness 4.5 / Intrinsic 4.8 / Detail 4.2)The pipeline runs the 109 rules defined in specification/standards/. Any implementer-equivalent runtime is acceptable — SoulBot is the reference implementation.
Seven working examples covering every structural pattern:
| # | Example | Pattern | Demonstrates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | pattern-a-calculator/ |
A | Minimal single-script program |
| 2 | pattern-b-expense-tracker/ |
B | Multi-module package |
| 3 | pattern-c-invoice-processor/ |
C | Shared logic module (reused by 2+ siblings) |
| 4 | pattern-d-extension-demo/ |
D | Nested sub-programs |
| 5 | pattern-e-research-assistant/ |
E | Three-layer memory (working / episodic / semantic) |
| 6 | pattern-f-content-pipeline/ |
F | Ecosystem orchestration (3+ peer AIAPs) |
| 7 | pattern-dg-creator/ |
D+G | Embedded runtime with Code Trust Gate |
See examples/README.md for the pattern-selection decision tree.
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| AIAP_Protocol.md | Full protocol specification |
| Quality Standards | 109 validation rules (5 JSON files) |
| aiap.proto | Proto3 schemas for governance services |
| Topics | Conceptual guides (axiom-0, security-model, zero-entropy-resonance, …) |
| Guides | Step-by-step tutorials (first program, pattern selection, quality walkthrough) |
| Reference | Field-level reference (AIAP.md, AISOP fields, rule codes, glossary) |
| ADRs | Architecture Decision Records |
| CHANGELOG | Release history |
AIXP Labs aixp.dev
AIXP Labs develops and maintains the following core projects:
| Project | Description | Website |
|---|---|---|
| HSAW | Human Sovereignty and Wellbeing — Axiom 0 white paper (foundation) | hsaw.dev |
| AILP | AI List Protocol — agent discovery and capability advertising | ailp.dev |
| AIVP | AI Value Protocol — international commerce, crypto asset settlement | aivp.dev |
| AIRP | AI RMB Protocol — Mainland China commerce, RMB licensed settlement | airp.dev |
| AIBP | AI Bot Protocol — social communication and trust | aibp.dev |
| AIAP | AI Application Protocol — governance and compliance (this project) | aiap.dev |
| AISOP | AI Standard Operating Protocol — flow program definition | aisop.dev |
| SoulBot | AI agent runtime and framework | soulbot.dev |
| SoulACP | Adapter library — bridging CLI tools and LLM providers | soulacp.dev |
AIAP is an open protocol. Contributions, feedback, and discussion are welcome.
- Questions: GitHub Discussions
- Issues: GitHub Issues
- Guide: CONTRIBUTING.md / 中文版 CONTRIBUTING_CN.md
This protocol specification and the reference implementations are provided for research and educational purposes only. They are experimental and not intended for production use. Use at your own risk. The authors assume no liability for any damages arising from use of this software. See LICENSE for full terms (Apache 2.0).
Apache License 2.0 - Copyright 2026 AIXP Labs AIXP.dev | AIAP.dev
The AIXP ecosystem uses unified Apache 2.0 licensing across all layers (aisop.dev, aiap.dev, soulbot.dev) for patent protection and ecosystem consistency. See GOVERNANCE.md.
Align Axiom 0: Human Sovereignty and Wellbeing. Version: AIAP V1.0.0. www.aiap.dev