Alpha Institute / Glossary
Understand the agent-ready web.
Definitions, leadership implications and primary sources for the standards and conventions used in Alpha’s website readiness diagnostic.
Scan your website with Alpha Evals
21 terms
robots.txt
What it is
A public file specifying which URL paths automated crawlers may access.
Why it matters
Makes intended crawl access explicit. It is not an authentication or security boundary.
What Alpha checks
Public response content, metadata or policy declarations associated with this signal. Unavailable observations remain unknown.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchSitemap
What it is
An XML file listing pages or other sitemap files that a website wants crawlers to discover.
Why it matters
Helps agents find content beyond the homepage.
What Alpha checks
Public response content, metadata or policy declarations associated with this signal. Unavailable observations remain unknown.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchLink response headers
What it is
HTTP headers identifying related resources with typed link relations.
Why it matters
Lets agents discover documentation and interfaces directly from a response.
What Alpha checks
Public response content, metadata or policy declarations associated with this signal. Unavailable observations remain unknown.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchDNS for AI Discovery (DNS-AID)
What it is
Emerging conventions for advertising agent services through DNS records.
Why it matters
Can support discovery before a client fetches a webpage. The scan samples TXT records, not the full evolving specification.
What Alpha checks
TXT records at _index._agents and _a2a._agents for the submitted domain. SVCB, HTTPS and DNSSEC are outside this bounded sample.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchMarkdown content negotiation
What it is
An HTTP request can ask for Markdown using Accept: text/markdown instead of requesting HTML.
Why it matters
Can make content easier for agents to consume. Responses should vary by Accept and contain meaningful content.
What Alpha checks
Public response content, metadata or policy declarations associated with this signal. Unavailable observations remain unknown.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchAI bot rules
What it is
Explicit robots.txt rules for named AI crawlers, including intentional permissions or restrictions.
Why it matters
Communicates a deliberate access policy; permitting every crawler is not required.
What Alpha checks
Public response content, metadata or policy declarations associated with this signal. Unavailable observations remain unknown.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchContent Signals
What it is
Machine-readable declarations expressing preferences for uses such as search, AI input and AI training.
Why it matters
Separates use preferences from broad crawl permission. The scan does not establish legal enforceability.
What Alpha checks
Public response content, metadata or policy declarations associated with this signal. Unavailable observations remain unknown.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchAPI Catalog
What it is
A discoverable catalog of API descriptions and documentation, expressed as links.
Why it matters
Helps agents find supported interfaces instead of guessing endpoints.
What Alpha checks
A bounded public discovery sample, usually at /.well-known/api-catalog, and recognizable structural fields. Discovery is not runtime or full specification verification.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchOAuth discovery
What it is
Public metadata describing an authorization server and its supported OAuth endpoints.
Why it matters
Supports discovery of controlled, delegated access. Metadata does not prove a working authorization flow.
What Alpha checks
A bounded public discovery sample, usually at /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server, and recognizable structural fields. Discovery is not runtime or full specification verification.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchOAuth Protected Resource
What it is
Metadata that identifies a protected resource and can advertise its authorization servers.
Why it matters
Helps agents discover where and how to obtain appropriate authorization.
What Alpha checks
A bounded public discovery sample, usually at /.well-known/oauth-protected-resource, and recognizable structural fields. Discovery is not runtime or full specification verification.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchAuth.md
What it is
A Markdown document describing supported agent registration flows and scopes.
Why it matters
Makes registration requirements understandable to agents while preserving the service’s access policy.
What Alpha checks
A bounded public discovery sample, usually at /auth.md, and recognizable structural fields. Discovery is not runtime or full specification verification.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchMCP Server Card
What it is
A discovery document describing an MCP server and how to connect to it.
Why it matters
Advertises available tools and resources. Discovery is distinct from successfully invoking a tool.
What Alpha checks
A bounded public discovery sample, usually at /.well-known/mcp/server-card.json, and recognizable structural fields. Discovery is not runtime or full specification verification.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchA2A Agent Card
What it is
A machine-readable description of an agent’s capabilities and supported interfaces.
Why it matters
Helps other agents find a compatible service and understand its advertised capabilities.
What Alpha checks
A bounded public discovery sample, usually at /.well-known/agent-card.json, and recognizable structural fields. Discovery is not runtime or full specification verification.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchAgent Skills
What it is
Reusable instructions and supporting resources for specific tasks; a published index helps agents discover them.
Why it matters
Provides task-specific context. This scan checks an index, not the quality or safety of every skill.
What Alpha checks
A bounded public discovery sample, usually at /.well-known/agent-skills/index.json, and recognizable structural fields. Discovery is not runtime or full specification verification.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchWebMCP
What it is
A browser-facing mechanism for exposing structured website tools to agents.
Why it matters
Can make interaction more explicit. A static manifest is only a discovery signal; runtime tools need separate testing.
What Alpha checks
A bounded public discovery sample, usually at /.well-known/webmcp.json, and recognizable structural fields. Discovery is not runtime or full specification verification.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchAgentic Resource Discovery
What it is
A discovery layer for finding agentic resources before invoking them through their native protocols.
Why it matters
Helps clients identify relevant agents, tools, APIs and workflows. Locations and document shapes are evolving.
What Alpha checks
A bounded public discovery sample, usually at /.well-known/ai-catalog.json, and recognizable structural fields. Discovery is not runtime or full specification verification.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchWeb Bot Auth
What it is
Mechanisms using signed requests to help a website recognize an automated client.
Why it matters
Supports accountable agent access. A key directory is a discovery signal, not evidence of enforcement.
What Alpha checks
A bounded public discovery sample, usually at /.well-known/http-message-signatures-directory, and recognizable structural fields. Discovery is not runtime or full specification verification.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchx402
What it is
A protocol for communicating payment requirements over HTTP, including HTTP 402 responses.
Why it matters
Allows agents to discover payment requirements for resources. The scan does not send a payment.
What Alpha checks
A bounded public discovery sample, usually at /.well-known/x402, and recognizable structural fields. Discovery is not runtime or full specification verification.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchMachine Payments Protocol
What it is
A protocol for machine-to-machine payments using payment challenges and credentials.
Why it matters
Supports programmatic payment discovery. Payment and settlement are outside this diagnostic.
What Alpha checks
A bounded public discovery sample, usually at /.well-known/mpp, and recognizable structural fields. Discovery is not runtime or full specification verification.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchUniversal Commerce Protocol
What it is
A protocol for discovery and exchange of commerce capabilities across agents, platforms and businesses.
Why it matters
Provides a common interface for commerce workflows, from discovery to checkout and beyond.
What Alpha checks
A bounded public discovery sample, usually at /.well-known/ucp, and recognizable structural fields. Discovery is not runtime or full specification verification.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to searchAgentic Commerce Protocol
What it is
A protocol for coordinating commerce between agents, buyers and merchants.
Why it matters
Supports structured shopping and checkout. Discovery does not establish a working checkout.
What Alpha checks
A bounded public discovery sample, usually at /.well-known/agentic-commerce, and recognizable structural fields. Discovery is not runtime or full specification verification.
Implementation guidance
Review the current primary specification, choose capabilities appropriate to your website, and publish accurate descriptions of working interfaces. Preserve authorization, privacy and deliberate access restrictions. Test the actual response and rescan.
Read the primary source · Back to search