---
title: agents
canonical_url: https://ensurance.app/manual/agents
markdown_url: https://ensurance.app/manual/agents.md
subtitle: the actors in the system
section: actors
---

# agents

*the actors in the system*

Agents are accounts that participate in the ensurance protocol—representing place, people, or purpose.

## why

Protecting ecosystems requires actors that persist, compose, and operate at scales humans alone can't sustain. Agents provide:

- **Persistent identity** — an onchain account that holds assets, accumulates history, and builds reputation over time
- **Composability** — agents invest in each other through instruments (certificates and coins), coordinating across scales
- **Graduated autonomy** — from human-operated to AI-driven, within explicit constraints
- **Accountability** — claims (what an agent declares) vs evidence (what the world observes) create a trust signal

The model is deliberately open-ended. Any intervention that needs identity, a wallet, and execution capability can be represented by an agent—wetland restoration, urban forest stewardship, watershed protection, species conservation, or domains not yet imagined.

## what

### the 3×3 model

**Agents represent place, people, or purpose — then act manual, automated, or autonomous.**

| Dimension | Categories | Meaning |
|-----------|------------|----------|
| **WHAT** (identity) | Place \| People \| Purpose | What the agent represents |
| **HOW** (execution) | Manual \| Automated \| Autonomous | How the agent acts |

### agent architecture

Every agent is an ERC-721 NFT with an ERC-6551 Tokenbound Account (TBA). This means agents can:

| Capability | Description |
|------------|-------------|
| **Hold assets** | Coins, certificates, other tokens |
| **Execute transactions** | Swaps, transfers, mints |
| **Receive proceeds** | Automated value routing |
| **Act autonomously** | AI-driven decisions within mandate |

### agent types by identity

| Category | What It Represents | Examples |
|----------|-------------------|----------|
| **Place** | Watersheds, bioregions, natural assets | `yampa-river.basin`, `colorado-river.basin` |
| **People** | Individuals, organizations, stewardship crews | `tmo.earth`, `land-trust.refi` |
| **Purpose** | Ecosystem service stocks and flows | `water-abundance.ensurance`, `clean-air.ensurance` |

All agent types use the same technology (ERC-721 + ERC-6551). They differ only in what they represent. See groups for the full namespace reference.

### composability

Agents are building blocks. They invest in each other through instruments—certificates and coins—not by holding other agent NFTs directly.

**Syndicates** — agents that buy certificates and coins from other agents, coordinating themes rather than specific assets:

```
water-cycle.syndicate TBA holds:
├── watershed certificates (from yampa-river.basin, colorado-river.basin, etc.)
├── water-related coins
└── other instruments supporting water stewardship
```

**Cross-layer** — a people agent (organization) can fund multiple place agents and purpose agents by buying their certificates and coins. The protocol doesn't constrain how agents relate—it provides the identity, wallet, and instrument infrastructure for relationships to emerge.

**Instrument-mediated** — investment flows through instruments (certificates, coins), not through agent ownership. This keeps capital flow transparent and composable via proceeds contracts.

### agent roles in capital flow

The protocol backbone has specific agent types with defined roles:

| Role | What It Does | Agent Types | Execution |
|------|-------------|-------------|----------|
| **Accumulate** | Receive proceeds, hold capital, distribute via rules | `.ensurance`, `.basin`, `.ecoregion` | Manual or automated |
| **Coordinate** | Deploy capital strategically—buy certs, fund missions | `.syndicate` | Automated or autonomous |
| **Steward** | Issue certificates, manage specific natural assets | `.basin`, `.ecoregion`, `.bioregion` | Manual or automated |

Coordinators (syndicates) are judged by what they deploy, not what they hoard. Accumulators are judged by steady inflows and rule-based distributions. The protocol values circulation alongside accumulation—capital that moves toward protection is capital doing work.

**Permissionless participation:** Anyone can mint an agent in an open group (`.earth`, `.tokyo`, `.boulder`, etc.) or create their own group (new namespace). These agents operate in any mode and participate however they see fit—buying coins, purchasing certificates, funding agents, or building entirely new patterns. Companies, cities, individuals, and communities all enter this way.

### growing capabilities

Some of this is live. Some of it is only a direction.

| Capability | Status | What it is |
|------------|--------|------------|
| **Ask / act** | live | Questions and proposed actions at /act. Nothing moves until a card is confirmed. |
| **Programs** | live | Scheduled strategies. The same actions a person can take, on a clock. |
| **Claims and evidence** | live as a read | Holdings, activity, and a linked geography are observable. Attestations already on Base can be read. Writing a protocol claim, and impact measurement, are not live yet. |
| **Autonomous mode** | live, off until enabled | The agent can judge inside its mandate. Turn it on per agent. |
| **Parametric triggers** | not live | No automatic response to sensors or ecological indicators. |
| **Service economy** | not live | Agents do not yet offer and consume paid services as a market. |

## how

### agent identity: claims vs evidence

Identity has two dimensions that create productive tension.

#### claims (internal)

What the agent/operator declares. Editable via manage page.

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| **purpose** | Why the agent exists |
| **mandate** | Specific responsibilities and constraints |
| **place** | Where the agent operates |
| **bio** | Agent description and voice |

#### evidence (external)

what the world observes. read-only.

| Signal | what it shows |
|--------|---------------|
| **holdings** | coins and certificates the account holds |
| **activity** | transactions and how capital moves |
| **place** | a linked geography, when one is recorded |
| **attestations** | statements already on base about the account. a count, not a score |

**Key insight:** The gap or alignment between claims and evidence IS the trust signal. An agent claiming to protect watersheds but holding zero water-related assets has a credibility gap.

### execution modes

Agents operate in three modes. The person can always act in the app.

| Mode | Who decides | Programs |
|------|-------------|----------|
| **Manual** | the person | no |
| **Automated** | a saved program, on a schedule | yes |
| **Autonomous** | the agent, inside its mandate | yes — the same programs, and the agent can trigger them |

Autonomous is off until enabled for that agent. It is not a separate product. It uses the same actions and the same programs. See for agents and operators.

### account architecture

Users interact through a layered account system:

| Account | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| **Owner** | External wallet (optional) |
| **operator** | account created when you sign in |
| **Agent TBA** | Tokenbound account per agent |

- Email-only users operate entirely via their operator account
- Wallet users can use both owner and operator accounts
- Agent NFTs can be held in either owner or operator wallet

### transfer restrictions

In-app sends stay inside the protocol. A transfer may go to your owner account, your operator account, your agents, and active protocol accounts. An arbitrary outside address is not an in-app recipient. To leave the protocol, use the owner account in an external wallet.

Agent NFTs move between the owner account and the operator account. They are not sent to arbitrary addresses from the app.

### technical implementation

**Standards used:**
- ERC-721 for agent NFTs
- ERC-6551 for Tokenbound Accounts

**Key contracts:**
- Agent NFTs minted from group contracts
- TBA registry on Base L2
- Implementation follows Tokenbound v3

## related

- groups — Namespaces that originate agents
- ensurance — The protocol agents participate in
- proceeds — How agents receive value
- coins — General ensurance agents can hold
- certificates — Specific ensurance tied to natural assets
- for agents and operators — ask/act and the three modes
- api — public reads