Authority has to reach the execution layer
An agent can call a tool, change a record or begin work that continues through other systems. The operational record needs to connect that action to an identity, a scope and the policy that permitted it.
Agent frameworks provide orchestration, tools, observability and a range of controls. Their capabilities differ. A portable governance specification gives implementers a shared contract to map onto the runtime they choose.
XSI-AIMS is XSI’s open specification for that contract. It describes governance around the agent, including the instructions, memory and permissions through which the application constrains its work.
Four responsibilities in the governance contract
The Witness Layer records relevant activity and decisions. The Policy Bundle carries the versioned rules and enforcement metadata that apply to the agent.
The Bridge-of-Trust Executor connects authority across an execution boundary. The Event Promotion Gateway connects runtime telemetry with the evidence record.
Together, those responsibilities describe what the system should be able to account for: the requested action, applicable policy, authorizing party and observed outcome. An audit record supports investigation; its existence alone does not establish compliance or a regulator’s acceptance.
A common contract needs runtime bindings
Different frameworks expose different enforcement and observability mechanisms. A binding has to connect the specification’s requirements to those mechanisms and show where a required control is enforced.
A signed policy still needs a trusted signer, a current version and a check at the point of use. A record intended to resist tampering needs protected storage and verifiable anchors. Portable terminology cannot replace those implementation details.
The aim is a consistent governance contract across deployments, with runtime-specific integration underneath it. Compatibility and conformance must be tested for the actual binding and its scope.
One contract. Distinct runtime bindings.
Select diagram to enlargeOpen publication and implementation
XSI published the specification for public review on June 12, 2026, with a Q3 2026 ratification target. Publication, ratification and implementation conformance are separate states.
The public XSI-AIMS repository holds the specification and its review process. Implementers can identify ambiguities, test requirements and propose changes against the published text.
XSI develops products and runtime bindings against that contract. The specification gives those implementations a common set of governance responsibilities while leaving model selection and deployment topology to the implementer.
