{
  "dataset": "protocols",
  "record": {
    "id": "dns-aid",
    "name": "DNS-AID",
    "full_name": "DNS-based Agent Identification and Discovery",
    "layer": "discovery",
    "creator": "IETF draft (draft-mozleywilliams-dnsop-dnsaid), community reference implementation",
    "status": "draft (IETF Internet-Draft)",
    "year": 2025,
    "one_liner": "Lets organizations publish and discover AI agents through standard DNS records — a naming convention over SVCB/TXT/TLSA records, signed with DNSSEC, with no new record types or servers.",
    "spec_url": "https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-mozleywilliams-dnsop-dnsaid/",
    "snippet": "_agent._tcp.example.com  IN SVCB ...   → DNS-SD discovery of an org's agent index (DNSSEC-signed)",
    "abbreviation": "DNS-AID",
    "also_known_as": [
      "DNS for AI Discovery",
      "DNS-based Agent Identification and Discovery",
      "BANDAID (IETF work)"
    ],
    "canonical_spec_url": "https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-mozleywilliams-dnsop-dnsaid-02",
    "entity_uri": "https://dns-aid.org/",
    "taxonomy_layer": "discovery",
    "sub_layer": "dns-agent-discovery",
    "protocol_type": "declaration",
    "central_problem": "Lets organizations publish and discover AI agents through the existing DNS system instead of centralized registries — using a well-known namespace over standard records, secured by DNSSEC/DANE.",
    "maintainer": "IETF (draft-mozleywilliams-dnsop-dnsaid) + dns-aid community reference implementation",
    "governance_body": "IETF (dnsop work; Internet-Draft)",
    "license": "IETF Trust (Internet-Draft terms)",
    "maturity_tag": "experimental",
    "current_spec_version": {
      "value": "draft-mozleywilliams-dnsop-dnsaid-02",
      "verify_status": "verify-against-primary-at-build",
      "source_hint": "https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-mozleywilliams-dnsop-dnsaid/",
      "note": "Draft -02 observed (a -01 also exists); datatracker increments these — confirm the latest revision at build. A separate AID draft (draft-nemethi-aid-agent-identity-discovery) also exists; do not conflate."
    },
    "spec_date": {
      "value": null,
      "verify_status": "verify-against-primary-at-build",
      "source_hint": "https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-mozleywilliams-dnsop-dnsaid/",
      "note": "Confirm the current draft's date against datatracker at build."
    },
    "launch_date": {
      "value": "2025",
      "verify_status": "verify-against-primary-at-build",
      "source_hint": "https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-mozleywilliams-dnsop-dnsaid/",
      "note": "Confirm first-draft date at build."
    },
    "last_verified": "2026-06-15",
    "transport": "DNS (SVCB, TXT, TLSA records; DNS-SD labels; DNSSEC/DANE for trust)",
    "core_mechanism": "DNS-AID is a naming convention layered on existing DNS records (SVCB for connectivity/metadata per RFC 9460, TXT, optional TLSA) using DNS-SD labels and a well-known entry point into an organization's agent index; all discovery records MUST be DNSSEC-signed, with DANE/TLSA for end-to-end trust. No new record types, servers, or protocols are introduced.",
    "discovery_endpoint": "Well-known DNS-SD label into an organization's agent index (DNSSEC-signed)",
    "settlement_type": null,
    "adoption_metric": {
      "value": null,
      "verify_status": "verify-against-primary-at-build",
      "source_hint": "https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-mozleywilliams-dnsop-dnsaid/",
      "note": "No audited adoption figure asserted; early IETF draft."
    },
    "notable_adopters": [
      {
        "value": "DNS-AID community reference implementation (dns-aid/dns-aid-core)",
        "source": "https://github.com/dns-aid/dns-aid-core"
      }
    ],
    "relationships": [
      {
        "predicate": "complements",
        "target": "agents-txt",
        "note": "DNS-AID discovers agents at the DNS layer; agents.txt/llms.txt declare them at the HTTP/file layer — complementary discovery surfaces."
      }
    ],
    "ideal_use_case": "An organization that wants its AI agents discoverable and verifiable through DNS, reusing existing DNSSEC trust.",
    "when_to_use": "When you want agent discovery and trust anchored in DNS infrastructure you already operate, without new servers.",
    "when_not_to_use": "When a simple HTTP file (llms.txt/agents.txt) or an in-band Agent Card (A2A) is sufficient and you don't need DNS-level trust.",
    "code_example": "; DNS zone (DNSSEC-signed)\n_agents._tcp.example.com.  IN PTR  acme-agent._agents._tcp.example.com.\nacme-agent._agents._tcp.example.com.  IN SVCB 1 agent.example.com. ( alpn=\"h2\" )",
    "source": "IETF Internet-Draft (naming convention over SVCB/TXT/TLSA per RFC 9460/4033, DNS-SD, DNSSEC/DANE-signed): https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-mozleywilliams-dnsop-dnsaid-02 ; project site https://dns-aid.org/ ; reference impl https://github.com/dns-aid/dns-aid-core . Listed for addition in research §2.",
    "agent_readiness_link": "agent-readiness/discoverability",
    "layer_legacy": "content"
  }
}