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Version: v1.0.0 (Draft)

Universal AI Communication Protocol (UAICP)

Open Standard Specification

Version: 1.0.0 | Status: Draft
AI Interoperability Foundation

This document represents the open specification for the Universal AI Communication Protocol (UAICP) as maintained by the AI Interoperability Foundation. The Foundation acknowledges that certain components of the UAICP implementation, specifically the Adaptive Router and Protocol Translation Hub, contain technology that may be subject to patent claims owned by UAICP Technologies, Inc. These patent-pending technologies are made available under FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory) licensing terms to implementers of this standard.

Implementers should be aware that use of specific technical implementations of the Adaptive Router and Protocol Translation Hub may require a license from UAICP Technologies, Inc. The core protocol specifications documented here, including interfaces, metadata schema, and discovery mechanisms, remain openly available for implementation. Reference implementations of these components are available under Apache 2.0 license.

For specific implementation details of patent-pending components, please refer to the UAICP Technologies Implementation Guide or contact licensing@uaicptech.com.

1. Introduction​

1.1 Purpose and Scope​

The Universal AI Communication Protocol (UAICP) is an open meta-standard framework designed to enable seamless discovery, integration, and communication between diverse AI systems across different providers and platforms. Rather than replacing existing proprietary protocols, UAICP provides a universal translation and discovery layer that leverages the strengths of established standards while ensuring consistent interoperability across the AI ecosystem.

This specification defines:

  • The core architecture and components of UAICP
  • Standard interfaces for protocol discovery and integration
  • Metadata schema for capability advertisement
  • Security requirements and practices
  • Implementation guidelines for interoperability

1.2 Design Principles​

UAICP is built on the following design principles:

  • Meta-Standard Approach: Function as a coordination layer above existing protocols rather than a replacement
  • Protocol Harmony: Embrace and extend existing AI protocols leveraging their unique strengths
  • Future-Proof Flexibility: Adapt dynamically to emerging AI capabilities and new communication standards
  • Discovery-First Architecture: Prioritize universal discovery mechanisms across decentralized environments
  • Progressive Enhancement: Work with minimal integration but offer advanced features with deeper implementation
  • Security-Embedded: Provide consistent security standards across diverse protocol implementations

1.3 Target Audience​

This specification is intended for:

  • AI system developers and integrators
  • Protocol designers and implementers
  • Infrastructure providers
  • Enterprise architects
  • AI service providers and consumers

2. Architecture Overview​

UAICP's architecture consists of four core components that collectively provide a universal discovery, translation, and communication framework across diverse AI protocols:

  1. Universal Discovery Mesh
  2. Protocol Translation Hub
  3. Adaptive Router
  4. Capability Negotiator

These components work together to create a comprehensive interoperability layer that allows AI systems using different protocols to communicate effectively.

2.1 Component Specifications​

2.1.1 Universal Discovery Mesh​

The Universal Discovery Mesh enables AI systems to discover capabilities across protocol boundaries.

Key Interfaces:

interface DiscoveryMesh {
  // Find services matching specified capabilities
  findServices(capabilities: Capability[], options: DiscoveryOptions): Promise<ServiceDescription[]>;
  
  // Register a service with the discovery mesh
  registerService(service: ServiceDescription): Promise<RegistrationResult>;
  
  // Update service registration
  updateService(serviceId: string, updates: Partial<ServiceDescription>): Promise<UpdateResult>;
  
  // Remove service from discovery mesh
  deregisterService(serviceId: string): Promise<DeregistrationResult>;
}

interface DiscoveryOptions {
  protocolPreferences?: string[];  // Preferred protocols in order
  fallbackAllowed?: boolean;       // Allow fallback to alternative services
  discoveryMechanisms?: string[];  // Mechanisms to use (dns, centralized, dht, etc.)
  maxResults?: number;             // Maximum number of results to return
  regionConstraints?: string[];    // Geographic constraints for services
  minReliability?: number;         // Minimum reliability score (0-1)
  requireVerification?: boolean;   // Require verified services only
}

Discovery Mechanisms:

  • DNS-based discovery via SRV records
  • Well-known URI patterns
  • Decentralized discovery via DHT
  • Centralized registry lookup
  • Local network discovery via mDNS/Bonjour

Implementers must support at least one discovery mechanism, with the centralized registry being the recommended minimum implementation.

2.1.2 Protocol Translation Hub​

The Protocol Translation Hub provides real-time translation between different AI communication protocols.

Key Interfaces:

interface ProtocolTranslationHub {
  // Register a protocol adapter
  registerAdapter(adapter: ProtocolAdapter): Promise<RegistrationResult>;
  
  // Translate a message from one protocol to another
  translateMessage(
    message: any, 
    sourceProtocol: string, 
    targetProtocol: string, 
    options?: TranslationOptions
  ): Promise<TranslationResult>;
  
  // Get available protocol adapters
  getAvailableAdapters(): Promise<AdapterInfo[]>;
  
  // Check translation compatibility between protocols
  checkCompatibility(
    sourceProtocol: string, 
    targetProtocol: string, 
    capabilities?: string[]
  ): Promise<CompatibilityResult>;
}

interface TranslationOptions {
  preserveCapabilities?: string[];        // Capabilities that must be preserved
  allowCapabilityDegradation?: boolean;   // Allow capability loss if necessary
  translationQuality?: 'high' | 'medium' | 'basic';  // Translation quality level
  contextPreservation?: boolean;          // Preserve context across translations
}

The Protocol Translation Hub interfaces are designed to be protocol-agnostic. For specific technical implementation details of the translation mechanisms, please refer to the UAICP Technologies Implementation Guide.

2.1.3 Adaptive Router​

The Adaptive Router routes requests between AI systems based on capabilities, protocols, and performance.

Key Interfaces:

interface AdaptiveRouter {
  // Route a message to appropriate destination
  routeMessage(message: Message, options?: RoutingOptions): Promise<RoutingResult>;
  
  // Get routing status and metrics
  getRoutingStatus(): Promise<RoutingStatus>;
  
  // Update routing preferences
  updateRoutingPreferences(preferences: RoutingPreferences): Promise<void>;
  
  // Register a routing handler for specific message types
  registerRoutingHandler(
    messageType: string, 
    handler: RoutingHandler
  ): Promise<RegistrationResult>;
}

interface RoutingOptions {
  priority?: 'high' | 'medium' | 'low';   // Message priority
  timeout?: number;                        // Routing timeout in milliseconds
  fallbackOptions?: FallbackOption[];      // Fallback options if primary fails
  retryPolicy?: RetryPolicy;               // Retry policy configuration
  routingHints?: Record<string, any>;      // Additional routing hints
}

The Adaptive Router implementation involves patent-pending technology. While the interfaces are provided as part of the open specification, specific routing algorithms and optimization techniques are available through licensing from UAICP Technologies, Inc.

2.1.4 Capability Negotiator​

The Capability Negotiator dynamically negotiates capabilities between AI systems with different feature sets.

Key Interfaces:

interface CapabilityNegotiator {
  // Negotiate capabilities between two services
  negotiateCapabilities(
    requiredCapabilities: Capability[], 
    availableCapabilities: Capability[], 
    options?: NegotiationOptions
  ): Promise<NegotiationResult>;
  
  // Check if capabilities are compatible
  checkCompatibility(
    requiredCapabilities: Capability[], 
    availableCapabilities: Capability[]
  ): Promise<CompatibilityResult>;
  
  // Find common capabilities between services
  findCommonCapabilities(
    serviceA: ServiceDescription, 
    serviceB: ServiceDescription
  ): Promise<Capability[]>;
}

interface NegotiationOptions {
  requireAllCapabilities?: boolean;        // Require all capabilities to match
  allowCapabilitySubstitution?: boolean;   // Allow similar capabilities
  qualityThreshold?: number;               // Minimum quality threshold (0-1)
  negotiationTimeout?: number;             // Timeout in milliseconds
}

3. Metadata Schema​

UAICP uses an extensible JSON-LD based metadata schema that bridges across protocol boundaries. This standardized schema is a critical part of enabling interoperability between different AI systems and protocols.

3.1 Service Description Schema​

{
  "@context": "https://uaicp.org/schema/v1.0",
  "serviceId": "string",
  "provider": {
    "name": "string", 
    "type": "string",
    "website": "string"
  },
  "modelFamily": "string",
  "modelVersion": "string",
  "endpoint": "string",
  "protocolType": "string",
  "protocolVersion": "string",
  "capabilities": {
    "modalities": ["string"],
    "maxContextLength": "number",
    "streamingSupport": "boolean",
    "responseFormats": ["string"],
    "specificFeatures": ["string"],
    "serviceType": "string",
    "domainSpecialization": ["string"],
    "supportsMultiTurn": "boolean",
    "performance": {
      "averageLatency": "number",
      "throughputLimit": "number",
      "costPerToken": "number",
      "maxThroughput": "string"
    }
  },
  "discoveryMethods": {
    "direct": "string",
    "wellKnownUri": "string",
    "uaicpRegistry": "string",
    "decentralized": {
      "ens": "string",
      "dht": "boolean",
      "ipfs": "string"
    }
  },
  "security": {
    "authenticationMethods": ["string"],
    "dataEncryption": "string",
    "dataPolicies": ["string"],
    "complianceCertifications": ["string"],
    "rateLimits": {
      "requestsPerMinute": "number",
      "tokensPerMinute": "number"
    }
  },
  "pricing": {
    "inputTokens": "number",
    "outputTokens": "number",
    "freeQuota": "number",
    "enterprisePlans": "boolean"
  },
  "compatibilityMatrix": {
    "example-service": {
      "compatibilityLevel": "string",
      "capabilityGaps": ["string"],
      "translationPath": "string"
    }
  },
  "serviceStatus": {
    "status": "string",
    "uptime": "number",
    "lastIncident": "string",
    "statusPage": "string"
  },
  "documentation": {
    "apiDocs": "string",
    "examples": "string",
    "schemas": "string"
  },
  "support": {
    "email": "string",
    "community": "string", 
    "discord": "string"
  }
}

3.2 Message Envelope Format​

UAICP defines a universal message envelope that preserves protocol-specific formats while enabling cross-protocol routing:

{
  "uaicp_version": "string",
  "request_id": "string",
  "message_type": "string", 
  "timestamp": "string",
  "trace_id": "string",
  "source": {
    "provider": "string",
    "service": "string",
    "protocol": "string",
    "protocol_version": "string",
    "region": "string",
    "instance_id": "string"
  },
  "destination": {
    "provider": "string",
    "service": "string",
    "protocol": "string",
    "protocol_version": "string",
    "routing_hints": ["string"],
    "fallback_allowed": "boolean"
  },
  "routing": {
    "translation_path": ["string"],
    "priority": "string",
    "timeout_ms": "number",
    "retry_policy": {
      "max_retries": "number",
      "backoff_ms": "number",
      "backoff_factor": "number"
    },
    "fallback_destinations": [
      {"provider": "string", "service": "string", "protocol": "string"}
    ]
  },
  "metadata": {
    "user_context_id": "string",
    "cost_tracking": "string",
    "attribution_chain": ["string"],
    "discovery_source": "string",
    "security_context": {
      "authentication_method": "string",
      "permission_scope": "string",
      "audit_trail": "boolean"
    },
    "performance_metrics": {
      "latency_budget_ms": "number",
      "token_budget": "number",
      "cost_limit": "number"
    },
    "tenant_info": {
      "organization_id": "string",
      "team_id": "string",
      "environment": "string"
    },
    "custom_metadata": {
      // Extension point for custom metadata
    }
  },
  "content_negotiation": {
    "accepted_formats": ["string"],
    "preferred_format": "string",
    "compression": "string",
    "character_encoding": "string"
  },
  "payload": {
    "native_format": "boolean",
    "content_type": "string",
    "original_protocol": "string",
    "schema_version": "string",
    "transformation_applied": ["string"],
    "data": {
      // Native provider-specific request/response data
    }
  }
}

4. Protocol Integration Guidelines​

UAICP is designed to integrate with existing AI protocol ecosystems rather than replace them. This section provides guidelines for integrating UAICP with major protocol ecosystems.

4.1 MCP (Anthropic) Integration​

  • UAICP extends MCP Compass's discovery capabilities while preserving its rich semantics
  • Protocol Translation Hub maps between MCP's message format and other protocols
  • Required translation mappings:
    • MCP tools ↔ OpenAI function calling
    • MCP context ↔ A2A state management
    • MCP capability description ↔ UAICP capability negotiation

4.2 A2A (Google) Integration​

  • Integration with Google's Agent-to-Agent protocol for agent-to-agent communication
  • Augmented agent discovery beyond A2A's direct network
  • Required translation mappings:
    • A2A agent description ↔ UAICP service metadata
    • A2A task delegation ↔ UAICP capability routing
    • A2A authentication ↔ UAICP security model

4.3 OpenAI Protocol Integration​

  • Integration with Function Calling for standardized tool interactions
  • Compatibility with the Responses API for stateful operations
  • Required translation mappings:
    • OpenAI function definitions ↔ UAICP capability descriptions
    • OpenAI API authentication ↔ UAICP security model
    • OpenAI API responses ↔ UAICP message envelope

4.4 Other Protocol Integrations​

The specification includes similar integration guidelines for:

  • OpenRouter
  • Deepseek
  • Hugging Face Ecosystem
  • Ollama
  • LangChain Framework
  • LlamaIndex
  • Enterprise AI platforms

5. Security Framework​

UAICP implements a comprehensive security framework to ensure secure, reliable communication between AI systems.

5.1 Authentication​

  • Delegated authentication model
  • Support for API keys, OAuth, JWT, and other common authentication methods
  • Cross-protocol authentication translation

5.2 Authorization​

  • Capability-based authorization model
  • Fine-grained access control to specific capabilities
  • Standardized permission descriptors

5.3 Encryption​

  • End-to-end encryption for message content
  • Support for various encryption algorithms
  • Key management guidelines

5.4 Audit and Compliance​

  • Standardized audit trail format
  • Compliance certification mechanism
  • Privacy-preserving logging guidelines

6. Implementation Guidelines​

6.1 Minimal Implementation Requirements​

To be UAICP-compliant, implementations must support:

  • Basic service metadata publication
  • At least one discovery mechanism (recommended: centralized registry)
  • Basic protocol translation for at least one external protocol
  • Standard message envelope format
  • Basic security requirements

6.2 Reference Implementations​

The AI Interoperability Foundation provides reference implementations of the UAICP standard:

  • Discovery client library (Python, JavaScript, Go, Java)
  • Basic protocol adapters for major AI protocols
  • Simple implementation of the Universal Discovery Mesh
  • Security framework implementation

These reference implementations are available under the Apache 2.0 license.

6.3 Compliance Testing​

  • Compliance test suite for UAICP implementations
  • Certification process for compliant implementations
  • Test vectors for protocol translation accuracy

7. Governance and Evolution​

7.1 Version Policy​

UAICP follows semantic versioning (major.minor.patch):

  • Major version changes indicate breaking changes
  • Minor version changes add functionality in a backward-compatible manner
  • Patch version changes include backward-compatible bug fixes

7.2 Extension Mechanisms​

UAICP provides several extension points:

  • Custom capability definitions
  • Protocol-specific metadata extensions
  • Custom authentication mechanisms
  • Extended message envelope fields

7.3 Governance Process​

The UAICP specification is governed by:

  • Technical Steering Committee
  • Working groups for specific aspects (security, discovery, translation)
  • Community feedback process
  • Regular review and update cycles

8. Contribution Guidelines​

The AI Interoperability Foundation welcomes contributions to the UAICP specification and reference implementations.

8.1 How to Contribute​

  • GitHub repository for specification and reference implementations
  • Issue tracker for bug reports and feature requests
  • Pull request process for contributions
  • Community forums and discussion platforms

8.2 Intellectual Property Policy​

  • All contributions to the specification are subject to the AI Interoperability Foundation IPR Policy
  • Contributors must sign a Contributor License Agreement (CLA)
  • Patent non-assertion covenant for implementation of the specification
  • Disclosure requirements for essential patents

Note: While most of the UAICP specification is openly available for implementation, certain specific implementations of the Adaptive Router and Protocol Translation Hub involve patent-pending technology from UAICP Technologies, Inc. These implementations are available under FRAND licensing terms.

9. Appendices​

9.1 Terminology​

  • AI System: Any software system that provides AI capabilities
  • Capability: A specific function or feature that an AI system can perform
  • Protocol: A defined set of rules and formats for communication between systems
  • Service: An accessible endpoint that provides AI capabilities
  • Translation: The process of converting between different protocol formats

9.2 Protocol Mappings​

Detailed protocol mapping tables for major AI protocols

9.3 Examples​

Example implementations and use cases

© 2025 AI Interoperability Foundation. This specification is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).