The Missing
Agent Contract
MCP connects tools. A2A connects agents. OSSA defines the contract — the missing layer for identity, trust, and governance.
The Missing Layer
15+ protocols, zero contracts. OSSA fills the gap.
OSSA started as a practical answer to a simple question: why does every agent framework define agents differently?
The academic community has since confirmed the scope of the problem — four major survey papers catalog 15+ communication protocols but identify zero standards for agent contracts, trust, or governance. MCP connects tools. A2A connects agents. Neither defines what an agent is, what it may do, or who is accountable when it acts.
The Open Standard Agents Initiative provides this missing contract layer: an open, vendor-neutral YAML specification that sits above protocols and below applications. Define your agent once in OSSA, then export to any protocol (MCP, A2A) or platform (LangChain, CrewAI, Kubernetes, GitLab).
Just as the OpenAPI Initiative standardized REST APIs, OSSA standardizes AI agent contracts — enabling true portability, auditable trust, and vendor-neutral governance.
The Mission
The agent ecosystem has protocols for tool access (MCP), agent-to-agent messaging (A2A), and negotiation (ANP). What it lacks is the contract layer — the specification that defines agent identity, capabilities, trust boundaries, and governance before any protocol runs.
Agents should be portable assets, not vendor-locked liabilities. OSSA provides the contract that sits above protocols and below applications. Define once in vendor-neutral YAML. Export anywhere. Audit everything. No lock-in.
Who We Are
Thomas Scola
Founder & Lead Editor
Founder of Bluefly.io. Passionate about open standards and developer tools. Created OSSA to bridge the gap between enterprise compliance and rapid AI innovation.
The Community
Contributors Worldwide
OSSA is shaped by developers who got tired of rewriting agent configs for every platform. We're always looking for new voices — especially ones that disagree with us.
What We Are NOT
A Framework
OSSA does not implement agents. It defines the specification that frameworks follow.
A Runtime
OSSA does not execute agents. It describes agents that runtimes can execute.
Proprietary
OSSA is not owned by any single company. It's maintained by the open source community.
Governance
We're designing an open governance model. Here's what we're working toward:
- Technical Steering Committee: Will guide technical direction and specification evolution
- Working Groups: Will focus on specific areas (schema, tooling, frameworks, etc.)
- Community Contributors: Anyone can contribute via merge requests and discussions — this part works today
- Specification Process: Open RFC process for proposing changes (coming soon)
Get Involved
Join the Open Standard Agents community and help shape the future of agent interoperability.
Contribute on GitLab
Submit merge requests, report issues, and help improve the specification.
Improve Documentation
Help make OSSA more accessible with better docs and examples.
Share Examples
Contribute real-world examples and use cases.
Provide Feedback
Share your experience and help prioritize features.
License
The Open Standard Agents Specification is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.
This means you are free to use, modify, and distribute OSSA in your projects, both open source and commercial, without restrictions.
Join the Initiative
Help build the future of open, portable AI agent standards.