# Profiles

Profiles extend the core ADL specification with domain-specific requirements, members, and validation rules. They enable regulated industries and specialized use cases to build on ADL without modifying the core spec.

tip

When to use profiles — use profiles when your agents need to comply with industry regulations (HIPAA, SOC2, PCI-DSS) or organizational governance requirements. Profiles add structured compliance tracking without changing core ADL semantics.

## Overview[​](#overview "Direct link to Overview")

A **profile** is a set of additional requirements and members that extend ADL for a specific domain. When an ADL document declares a profile in its `profiles` array, it:

* **MUST** satisfy all requirements of that profile
* **MAY** use members defined by the profile
* **SHOULD** be validated against profile-specific rules

Profiles are identified by URIs (e.g., `urn:adl:profile:governance:1.0`).

## Available Profiles[​](#available-profiles "Direct link to Available Profiles")

| Profile                                        | Identifier                       | Status | Description                                                            |
| ---------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Governance](/profiles/governance/overview.md) | `urn:adl:profile:governance:1.0` | Draft  | Compliance frameworks, audit trails, enterprise governance             |
| [Portfolio](/profiles/portfolio/overview.md)   | `urn:adl:profile:portfolio:1.0`  | Draft  | Agent relationships and domain membership                              |
| [Registry](/profiles/registry/overview.md)     | `urn:adl:profile:registry:1.0`   | Draft  | Agent catalog identity, classification, and federation                 |
| [Financial](/profiles/financial/overview.md)   | `urn:adl:profile:financial:1.0`  | Draft  | PCI-DSS, SOX, GLBA, MiFID II, AML/KYC compliance                       |
| [Healthcare](/profiles/healthcare/overview.md) | `urn:adl:profile:healthcare:1.0` | Draft  | HIPAA compliance, PHI handling, clinical safety, FHIR interoperability |

## Profile Versioning[​](#profile-versioning "Direct link to Profile Versioning")

Profiles are versioned independently of the core ADL specification. Each profile declares which ADL versions it is compatible with in its `COMPATIBILITY.md` file.

* Profile versions follow [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/)
* A profile version remains compatible with ADL versions it declares
* When ADL introduces breaking changes, profiles release new versions as needed

## Proposing a New Profile[​](#proposing-a-new-profile "Direct link to Proposing a New Profile")

1. Open an issue using the [profile proposal template](https://github.com/agent-definition-language/specification/blob/main/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/profile_proposal.md)

2. Discuss scope, requirements, and target ADL compatibility

3. Create a directory under `profiles/` with:

   * `README.md` — Scope, status, maintainers
   * `COMPATIBILITY.md` — ADL version compatibility
   * `1.0/profile.md` — Profile specification
   * `1.0/examples/` — Example ADL documents using the profile

4. Submit a PR for review

## Profile Requirements[​](#profile-requirements "Direct link to Profile Requirements")

Profiles **MUST NOT**:

* Redefine core ADL members
* Conflict with other profiles

Profiles **MAY**:

* Add new top-level members
* Add members to existing objects
* Define additional validation rules
* Require specific values for optional members

## See Also[​](#see-also "Direct link to See Also")

* [ADL Specification — Section 13: Profiles](/spec/.md#13-profiles)
* [Contributing Guide](/contributing.md)