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ERC-8004 (RFC) identity

ERC-8004 identity is a public ID card for a software agent. The card is an NFT. Whoever holds that NFT owns the agent’s name on that registry.

The spec is still a Draft, so the details can change.

How the ID works

Think of a student ID. The card has a number. The school keeps a file for that number: name, photo, and how to reach the student. ERC-8004 does the same thing for an agent, on a public chain instead of in one school’s office.

1. The number. The registry mints an NFT. That token’s number is the agentId. Apps that already understand NFTs can show it, transfer it, and ask who owns it.
2. The file. The NFT points to a registration file (agentURI). That file should include the name, a short description, an image, whether the agent is active, and a list of services. A service is a way to reach it, such as an MCP tool link, an agent-to-agent link, email, or a web address.
3. The owner. The wallet that holds the NFT is the owner of the agent. The owner can update the file or let an operator update it. Selling the NFT sells the identity.
4. The pay address. agentWallet is the address where the agent is supposed to receive money. It starts as the owner’s address. Changing it needs a signature, so a stranger cannot point payments at themselves. When the NFT is transferred, that pay address is wiped. The new owner must set and sign a new one.
5. Extra notes. The registry can also store small labeled notes on the chain. Those notes are optional. The pay address is handled by its own rule, not as a normal note.

A full identity is more than the token number. Other apps look up the registry, the chain, and the agentId together, so the same number on a different chain is not the same agent.

What the ID does not do

The file can say “I can code” or “I can book travel.” The chain does not check that the software really works or that the website in the file belongs to the owner.

A listing is an advertisement plus an owner, not a test score. Reputation and work checks are separate parts of ERC-8004. They are not the identity itself.

Professional use

A person can register one agent as their public work identity.

• A designer’s agent can list a portfolio link and a way to request a quote.
• A researcher’s agent can list where to send a question and where to send payment.
• A developer’s coding agent can list its tool endpoint, so a client can call that agent instead of emailing a stranger.

The useful part is that the client can see one owner, one file, and one pay address. If the person sells the agent, the buyer gets the ID, and the old pay address does not stay attached.

Business use

A company can register agents the way it registers employees or departments, except the “employee” is software and the ID can be transferred.

• A support agent can publish the link customers, or other agents, should call.
• A purchasing agent can publish how suppliers should send a quote and where to pay.
• A treasury or sales agent can be owned by the company wallet today and moved to a new operator later by transferring the NFT.

Other businesses can look the agent up without trusting one private directory. They still have to judge the file, the reputation, and the actual service. The ID only makes the lookup and the ownership public.

Personal use

A person can use the same card for something that is theirs, not a company’s.

• A personal assistant that books, reminds, or shops inside limits you set. The NFT shows it is yours.
• A game character or a muse whose name, picture, and voice file travel with the token. Selling the NFT hands over that public identity.
• A creator’s own agent that posts or answers fans. Fans can check that they are talking to the registered one, not a copy with the same picture.

Personal use does not require a business. You still pay a network fee to register or update on-chain data. The chat logs, the model, and the server are not inside the NFT unless a separate system stores them and you agree to hand those over too.

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