Getting Started
A four-part adoption staircase from zero-effort integration to full legal infrastructure.
The protocol defines four adoption parts. Each part builds on the previous. No part requires backtracking.
These adoption parts are orthogonal to the three acceptance tiers -- adoption parts describe how much integration an implementer has done, while acceptance tiers describe how strong the legal proof is for a given transaction.
The Adoption Staircase
| Part | Name | Effort | Vendor Dependency | Protocol Changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open Concept | ~1 hour | None | None |
| 2 | Discovery | ~1 day | Reference impl or DIY | None (serve a file) |
| 3 | Protocol Extensions | ~1 week per protocol | SDK/API | Extension only |
| 4 | Full Legal Stack | Ongoing | Yes (full platform) | Extension only |
Each part provides increasing value:
- Part 1 gives you document integrity and timestamp proof
- Part 2 gives you machine-discoverable terms and a verification API
- Part 3 gives you per-transaction terms binding across payment protocols
- Part 4 gives you dispute resolution, escrow, compliance, and multi-party negotiation
Start Where You Are
If you have terms of service and accept payments: Start at Part 1. Hash your terms, anchor the hash. You now have provable terms records with zero dependencies.
If you want agents to discover your terms: Add Part 2. Serve legal-context.json. Agents can find your terms in one HTTP call.
If you use MPP, ACP, x402, or other protocols: Add Part 3. Embed contentHash in your protocol's metadata fields. Terms are now bound to every transaction.
If you need dispute resolution, escrow, or negotiation: Part 4. Full platform integration with resolvers and tokenizers.
Sections
- Part 1: Open Concept -- Hash, anchor, reference. No dependencies.
- Part 2: Discovery -- Serve legal-context.json. Enable agent discovery.
- Part 3: Protocol Extensions -- Embed contentHash in payment protocols.
- Part 4: Full Legal Stack -- Dispute resolution, escrow, negotiation.