Legal Context Protocol
The open standard for adding legal context to agentic commerce.
Every commerce protocol handles payments. None handle what happens when a transaction goes wrong — terms enforcement, dispute resolution, agreement recording, or legal enforceability. One file. One required field. The missing legal layer.
One URL. Every Agent. Every Transaction.
LCP puts legal terms at a single, predictable location on every domain. No searching. No scraping. No guessing.
Just like .well-known/openid-configuration made identity discoverable and robots.txt made crawling rules universal — LCP makes legal context a first-class part of the web. Any agent, any framework, one HTTP call.
Universal
Works with every payment protocol, every commerce framework, every AI agent. No integration required — just fetch the URL.
Zero Friction
No blockchain. No API keys. No third-party service. Any web server can implement it in minutes.
Always There
Before every transaction, agents check one URL. Legal context for every agent, every transaction, every time.
One File. Any Format. Real Legal Weight.
The discovery file points to a standalone terms document — a single, downloadable artifact that governs the transaction.
{
"terms": "https://example.com/terms/v3.json",
"atrHash": "0x7f83b1657ff1fc53b92dc18148a1d65d...",
"acceptanceRequired": true
}Any Format
PDF, JSON, Markdown, plain text — whatever suits your use case. Machine-readable formats let agents parse terms automatically. The only requirement: a standalone, downloadable file.
Hashable
A SHA-256 ATR hash proves exactly what the terms were at the moment of the transaction. Include the hash in the transaction record for an immutable evidence trail.
Signable
For high-value transactions, agents can digitally sign acceptance of specific terms. Cryptographic proof of explicit consent, binding a specific party to a specific document.
Four Levels of Trust
Each independently valuable. None required. Proportional to the stakes.
Informational
Agent finds the terms. Proceeding = implicit consent. No hash, no blockchain, no signature.
Provable
ATR hash proves exactly what the terms were and that they haven't changed.
Signed
Digital signature binds a specific party to specific terms. Proof of explicit intent.
Integrated
Hooks to dispute resolution, escrow, compliance, private terms, and legal infrastructure.
What Protocols Handle vs. What They Defer
Every major agentic commerce protocol defers the same things.
| Protocol Category | What They Handle | What They Defer |
|---|---|---|
| PaymentsMPP, x402 | Value transfer, micropayments, stablecoins | Terms binding, identity, enforceability |
| CommerceACP, UCP, AP2 | Checkout, payment delegation, cart | Dispute resolution, terms enforcement |
| IdentityVisa TAP, Mastercard Agent Pay | Agent verification, PKI, authorization | Agreement context, dispute resolution |
| AuthorizationVisa TAP, Mastercard VI, AP2 | Consumer authorization, spending limits, delegation scope | Merchant terms, mutual agreement, dispute resolution |
Co-Stewarded by Two Founding Maintainers
LCP exists at the intersection of technology and law. Its governance reflects both.
The American Arbitration Association-International Centre for Dispute Resolution — the world's largest dispute resolution institution. A century of institutional authority ensuring the standard meets the requirements of real-world adjudication and enforcement.
The protocol's creator and primary technology steward. Provides the reference implementation and integration middleware for agentic commerce protocols.
Get Involved
LCP is an open standard under the Apache 2.0 license. We are inviting early participants to shape the protocol before public launch.
Resources
Contact
David Fisher — CEO, Integra Ledger — dfisher@integraledger.com
Bridget McCormack — CEO, American Arbitration Association — McCormackB@adr.org