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docs/standards/mapping.md

APS ↔ Agent Card ↔ Ecosystem Mapping

Overview

APS = machine-readable packaging + execution contract
Agent Card = human-readable capability & trust profile

APS does what OCI did for containers, Agent Card is like PyPI package page + model card.


Field Mapping

Concept Agent Card (human) APS Manifest (machine) Notes
Identity name, version,
publisher
id, name,
version, summary
Human vs system identifiers
Purpose description, use cases summary Card has richer narrative
Inputs/Outputs prose + examples JSON schema in capabilities.inputs/outputs APS ensures runtime contract
Execution narrative runtimes, entrypoint APS enforces portability
Tools list, links (future) tools[] mapped to MCP APS formalizes tool interface
Security & Trust safety notes, risks policies, signatures APS enables enterprise gating
Compliance human claims (future) structured claims Card cites; APS verifies artifacts
Monetization price, model (future) monetization block Optional, marketplace-friendly
Support maintainer N/A Operational, not spec concern

Standards Position

Layer Standard
Human metadata Agent Card
Packaging & run APS Manifest
Tools / Capabilities MCP
Agent-to-Agent messaging AGP
Tasks / Workflows TDF
Governance / Risk NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001
Regulation EU AI Act, GDPR/HIPAA/CCPA

Architecture

```mermaid flowchart TB CARD[Agent Card] --> MANIFEST[APS Manifest] MANIFEST --> REG[APS Registry] MANIFEST --> RUNTIME[APS Runtime]

MCP[MCP Tools] --> MANIFEST AGP[AGP Messaging] --> MANIFEST TDF[TDF Tasks] --> MANIFEST

NIST[NIST RMF] --> CARD ISO[ISO 42001] --> CARD EU[EU AI Act] --> CARD PRIV[GDPR/HIPAA] --> CARD