Discover Verified
AI Agents

Agent Identity by GoDaddy is a platform where users can discover verified artificial intelligence agents. Every registered agent has a domain-anchored cryptographic identity, dual certificates, and an immutable Transparency Log entry. The registry focuses on discovery and exploration of registered agents, with self-service publishing via the API.

Agent Name Service (ANS) is an open standard that connects AI agents to domain names, creating verifiable identities discoverable through DNS. Agent Identity is GoDaddy's implementation of this open standard. Built on DNS, PKI, and ACME — the same infrastructure that secures the web — ANS gives every agent a domain-anchored, certificate-backed identity that works across MCP, A2A, and any protocol. GoDaddy is a Gold Member of the Agentic AI Foundation (part of The Linux Foundation), which governs open standards for the agentic AI ecosystem. Learn more at ansinfo.ai.

You can search for agents using our search bar on the homepage or search results page. The search looks through agent names and descriptions. You can also filter agents by Tags (various keywords associated with agents), Protocol (MCP or A2A), Transport Methods, and Capabilities. Search results are paginated, and you can easily navigate between pages. Each agent card shows key information including name, description, verification status, tags, and capabilities.

Each agent detail page includes three main tabs: Overview tab shows agent description, owner, version, publisher information, API documentation links, and complete Agent Identity information including ANS name, protocol (MCP, A2A, etc.), and agent host. Integration tab displays endpoint details, supported transports, functions, and links to metadata and documentation. Security tab provides certificate information (server and identity certificates with fingerprints), Merkle proof summaries from the Transparency Log, DNS trust records, and step-by-step verification instructions. Server certificates are signed by the GoDaddy public CA; identity certificates are signed by the ANS private CA.

Agent discovery works through DNS queries using Agent Identity. The ANS naming format (ans://vX.Y.Z.domain) enables structured discovery. On the registry, you can discover agents through: Search by name or description, Filter by tags or protocol (MCP/A2A), Browse featured agents on the homepage, View agent capabilities and integration metadata, and Access agent API documentation and endpoints. All discovery happens through standardized DNS records including agent card metadata (TXT), service endpoints (HTTPS), certificate pinning (TLSA), and identity badges, ensuring cryptographically verified discovery.

Every verified agent has Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificates for secure identity verification and encrypted communication. Agents receive two types of certificates: Server Certificates (used for TLS/SSL communication) issued by the GoDaddy public Certificate Authority or brought by the agent publisher (BYOC), and Identity Certificates (used for version-bound agent identity verification) issued by the ANS private Certificate Authority. Both certificate fingerprints are sealed into the immutable Transparency Log. Certificate renewal requires the agent publisher to submit a new registration or CSR.

Integration Metadata provides detailed technical information about how an agent integrates with other systems. This includes: Tools Used (list of tools and dependencies the agent requires), Security Configuration (authentication type, default scopes, and OAuth2 URLs), Required Permissions (permissions the agent needs to function), Peer Requirements (permissions the agent requires from other agents), and Discovery Context (whether the agent is public and rate limiting information). This metadata helps developers understand what's needed to integrate with an agent before beginning development.

Each agent's detail page includes API documentation links and integration metadata to help you understand integration requirements. Agents registered with Agent Identity expose standardized API endpoints that you can discover through DNS queries. The Integration Metadata section on each agent page shows: Required tools and dependencies, Security configuration (auth types, scopes, OAuth2 URLs), Required permissions and peer requirements, and Discovery context and rate limits. For protocol-specific integration, agents support MCP (Model Context Protocol) and A2A (Agent-to-Agent) protocols, allowing interoperability across different agent frameworks. See the Developer Documentation for detailed integration guides.

The ANS Name follows a structured format: ans://vX.Y.Z.domain. Components include: Protocol Scheme (always ans://), Version (semantic version in vX.Y.Z format), and Domain (the fully qualified domain name where the agent is hosted). The domain acts as the identity anchor for the agent's identity. Example: ans://v1.0.0.brand-advisor.agentnameregistry.com. The ANS name serves as the primary key and any change to the version or domain requires creating a new unique name with certificate revocation for the previous name.

Agent verification happens through the registration verification chain: 1) Domain Control Validation (ACME DNS-01 challenges prove domain ownership; GoDaddy domains validated via Shopper ID), 2) Hybrid Certificates (public CA for TLS server cert, private CA for version-bound identity cert), 3) DNS Provisioning (HTTPS, TLSA, _ans, and _ans-badge records for discovery and certificate pinning), and 4) Transparency Logging (Merkle tree-based attestation seals the registration into an immutable log).

Agent identity is verified through a multi-step trust chain: Domain Control Validation (ACME DNS-01 challenges ensure only legitimate domain owners can register agents), Identity Binding (dual certificates tie the agent's FQDN and versioned ANSName to cryptographic keys), Capability Declaration (agent capabilities and endpoints are declared at registration and their hash is sealed into the Transparency Log), and Integrity Monitoring (the ANS Integrity Monitor verifies DNS records and Agent Card hashes against registration data). Verified agents receive an Identity Badge linking to their immutable Transparency Log entry.

Registered agents are trustworthy because they go through domain validation, receive cryptographic certificates, and are logged in a tamper-proof audit trail. Every agent has an immutable Transparency Log entry, dual certificates (server and identity), and DNS records that enable independent verification by any party.

Transparency logs provide a complete, tamper-proof record of all agent lifecycle events using Merkle tree-based attestation. The logs record: Initial agent registration with metadata hashes, Version changes (each new version is a new registration), Certificate changes (renewals and revocations), and Status transitions (activation, deprecation, revocation). Log entries are append-only, verifiable by any party, tamper-evident, and publicly auditable at transparency.ans.godaddy.com. Each entry includes certificate fingerprints and Merkle inclusion proofs.

We support multiple AI agent protocols including MCP (Model Context Protocol) and A2A (Agent-to-Agent) protocols. Our platform is designed to be protocol-agnostic, allowing agents built with different frameworks to interoperate seamlessly.

You can register your AI agent through the Agent Identity API. The Developer Documentation section includes detailed step-by-step guides for registering agents. The registration process supports multiple flows: GoDaddy domains with Certificate Signing Requests (CSRs), external domains with CSRs (using ACME validation), and external domains with Bring Your Own Certificate (BYOC). Visit the Developer Documentation section to learn more about the registration process and API endpoints.