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RFC-0003: Arbitration, Governance & Agent Leasing v1.0#

Status: Proposed
Created: 2026-02-01
Authors: OpenIntent Contributors
Requires: RFC-0001 (Intents)

Abstract#

This RFC defines governance extensions for the OpenIntent protocol, including agent leasing for ownership and collision prevention, arbitration requests, decision records, and delegation contracts.

Motivation#

As multiple agents work on the same intent, coordination challenges emerge:

  • Collision: Two agents modifying the same scope simultaneously
  • Responsibility: Unclear ownership of work items
  • Escalation: No path when agents disagree or are uncertain
  • Provenance: Decisions need audit trails

Agent Leasing#

Leasing assigns temporary ownership of an intent scope to a specific agent. This prevents collisions and introduces clear responsibility.

Lease Object#

{
  "id": "uuid",
  "intent_id": "uuid",
  "agent_id": "string",
  "scope": "string (e.g., 'hotel_search', 'flight_booking')",
  "status": "active | released | expired | revoked",
  "expires_at": "ISO 8601",
  "acquired_at": "ISO 8601",
  "released_at": "ISO 8601 | null"
}

Lease Semantics#

  • A scope can only have one active lease at a time
  • Leases have mandatory expiration to prevent deadlocks
  • Agents can release leases early when work is complete
  • Expired leases automatically transition to expired status
  • Governance/admin actions can revoke leases (status becomes revoked)
  • State patches to a leased scope require holding the lease

Governance Objects#

ArbitrationRequest#

Request human or higher-authority intervention when an agent is uncertain or in conflict.

{
  "id": "uuid",
  "intent_id": "uuid",
  "requestor": "string",
  "reason": "string",
  "options": [{ "label": "...", "rationale": "..." }],
  "status": "pending | resolved",
  "resolution": "string | null"
}

DecisionRecord#

Immutable record of a consequential decision with evidence and rationale.

{
  "id": "uuid",
  "intent_id": "uuid",
  "decision": "string",
  "rationale": "string",
  "decided_by": "string",
  "evidence": [{ "source": "...", "summary": "..." }],
  "created_at": "ISO 8601"
}

DelegationContract#

Formal delegation of authority from one agent/human to another with constraints.

{
  "id": "uuid",
  "delegator": "string",
  "delegate": "string",
  "scope": { "intents": ["uuid"], "actions": ["..."] },
  "constraints": { "max_cost": 1000, "requires_approval": false },
  "expires_at": "ISO 8601"
}

Endpoints#

Leasing#

Method Path Description
POST /v1/intents/{id}/leases Acquire a lease for a scope
GET /v1/intents/{id}/leases List active leases
DELETE /v1/intents/{id}/leases/{leaseId} Release a lease

Governance#

Method Path Description
POST /v1/intents/{id}/arbitrate Request arbitration
GET /v1/intents/{id}/decisions List decision records
POST /v1/intents/{id}/decisions Record a decision

Example: Lease-Protected Work#

# Acquire a lease for hotel_search scope (5 minute duration)
curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/api/v1/intents/{id}/leases \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Key: agent-research-key" \
  -d '{"agent_id": "agent-research", "scope": "hotel_search", "duration_seconds": 300}'

# Now only this agent can modify the hotel_search scope
curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/api/v1/intents/{id}/state \
  -H "X-API-Key: agent-research-key" \
  -H "If-Match: 1" \
  -d '{"patches": [{"op": "set", "path": "/hotel_search/results", "value": [...]}]}'

# Release the lease when done
curl -X DELETE http://localhost:8000/api/v1/intents/{id}/leases/{leaseId} \
  -H "X-API-Key: agent-research-key"