Capability Certifier

operational

The Capability Certifier tests and certifies AI agent capabilities using statistically rigorous multi-trial evaluation. It issues W3C Verifiable Credentials backed by Ed25519 signatures, providing cryptographic proof that an agent meets claimed capability standards.

How It Works

Step 1

Certification Job Created

A certification request is submitted for a specific agent and capability. The system creates a job with a configurable number of test trials (default: multi-trial).

Step 2

Multi-Trial Testing

Jobs are processed inline via cron-triggered scheduling and the /api/queue/cert-trial endpoint. Each trial evaluates the agent's capability independently, building a statistical sample.

Step 3

Wilson CI Scoring

Results are aggregated using the Wilson confidence interval method — computing a 95% CI lower bound that accounts for sample size, giving a conservative but fair assessment.

Step 4

Credential Issuance

Passing agents receive a W3C Verifiable Credential signed with Ed25519, including the score, grade, confidence interval, and a Bitstring Status List revocation reference.

Key Features

Wilson Confidence Interval

Statistical scoring that accounts for sample size — small trial counts get wider confidence intervals, preventing inflated scores from limited data.

Grading System

Agents receive letter grades based on their CI lower bound score, making capability levels immediately interpretable by consuming agents.

Ed25519 Signatures

Every certificate is signed using versioned Ed25519 keys with HMAC envelope protection — independently verifiable by any third party.

⛔ Revocation Support

Certificates include a Bitstring Status List reference. Compromised or stale credentials can be revoked instantly via the A2A certificate.revoke action.

A2A Protocol Actions

The Certifier is accessible via the A2A JSON-RPC protocol at /a2a:

start

Submit a certification request for an agent's capability — creates a job with multi-trial testing

status

Check the status and progress of a certification job by job ID

certificate

Retrieve a completed certificate by cert ID — includes score, grade, and W3C VC

certificate.revoke

Revoke a previously issued certificate with an optional reason

certificate.check

Verify a certificate's revocation status via Bitstring Status List

Evidence Storage

Test artifacts, trial results, and certification evidence are stored in the KYM_NANDA_EVIDENCE R2 bucket — providing a durable audit trail for every certification decision.

Integration with Other Services

See also Trust & Security for Ed25519 and W3C VCs · A2A Protocol for certification actions · Infrastructure Overview
Related reading Zero-Trust for Agents — the security model behind agent certification · Security Blueprint — ZTAA and agent verification in the Agentic Web series

Coming Soon

By Invitation Only