Agent Name Service (ANS): A Universal Directory for Secure AI Agent Discovery and Interoperability
Journal:
arXiv
Published Date:
May 15, 2025
Abstract
The proliferation of AI agents requires robust mechanisms for secure
discovery. This paper introduces the Agent Name Service (ANS), a novel
architecture based on DNS addressing the lack of a public agent discovery
framework. ANS provides a protocol-agnostic registry infrastructure that
leverages Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificates for verifiable agent
identity and trust. The architecture features several key innovations: a
formalized agent registration and renewal mechanism for lifecycle management;
DNS-inspired naming conventions with capability-aware resolution; a modular
Protocol Adapter Layer supporting diverse communication standards (A2A, MCP,
ACP etc.); and precisely defined algorithms for secure resolution. We implement
structured communication using JSON Schema and conduct a comprehensive threat
analysis of our proposal. The result is a foundational directory service
addressing the core challenges of secured discovery and interaction in
multi-agent systems, paving the way for future interoperable, trustworthy, and
scalable agent ecosystems.
