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Agent Definition Language (ADL) Glossary

Definitions of the core terms used across the Agent Definition Language (ADL). These are generated from §3 Terminology of the ADL specification — the normative source — so they stay in sync as the spec evolves.

ADL document​

A JSON object that conforms to this specification.

Agent​

An AI agent [ISO-22989] further scoped as an AI system [ISO-22989] that operates within boundaries declared by an ADL document. An agent senses and responds to its environment and takes actions to achieve its goals, subject to the permissions and constraints expressed in its ADL document.

Agent passport​

A compact, verifiable credential derived from an agent's ADL document, carried during agent-to-agent interactions and verified on every exchange (§1.3). Its verification procedures are defined by the Trust Protocol.

AI system​

An engineered system that generates outputs such as content, forecasts, recommendations, or decisions for a given set of human-defined objectives [ISO-22989].

Autonomy​

The characteristic of a system that is capable of modifying its intended domain of use or goal without external intervention, control, or oversight [ISO-22989]. ADL expresses the degree of permitted autonomy through governance profile tiers.

Counterparty​

An actor — a human, service, or other agent — that interacts with an agent and decides whether to verify, admit, and act on its requests. Counterparty procedures performed at admission are defined by the Trust Protocol.

Delegation​

An agent engaging a separate, independently-identified agent — one with its own ADL document and agent passport — to act with or for it. The engaged agent is a peer, not a subordinate: it is discovered (§6.4) and admitted across a trust boundary via the Trust Protocol, and bounded by the calling agent's permissions.delegation envelope (§9.7).

Enforcement record​

A verifiable record produced by a runtime governor attesting that it enforced an agent's declared limits. Its format is specified by the Runtime Protocol (Enforcement Evidence).

Model​

The AI model (e.g., large language model) that powers an agent's reasoning. In [ISO-22989] terms, a model is the learned computational artifact within an AI system.

Permission domain​

A category of system access (network, filesystem, etc.) that defines operational boundaries for an agent.

Profile​

A set of additional requirements and members that extend the core ADL specification for specific domains.

Prompt​

A predefined prompt template that an agent can use.

Resource​

A data source that an agent can read from (e.g., vector store, knowledge base, file system).

Runtime​

The system or environment that executes an agent based on its ADL definition.

Runtime governor​

The actor that holds an admitted agent to its declared operational limits during execution, enforcing them on every step. It is a logical role, not a prescribed component; its procedures are defined by the Runtime Protocol.

Sub-agent​

A subordinate agent: a persona an agent spawns that runs under the parent agent's own identity, sharing its passport, permissions, and accountability rather than holding its own. It is sub-ordinate in the literal sense — part of the parent, not a separate party — typically a distinct context with a focused prompt and a tool subset. Declared in permissions.sub_agents (§9.7). Engaging a separately-identified agent is delegation to a peer, not a sub-agent relationship.

Tool​

A function or capability that an agent can invoke to perform an action or retrieve information (equivalent to "function" in function-calling and "tool" in [MCP]).