▸ docs / commons

Commons is the shared contract
behind every signed receipt.

Commons answers one question: what contract does CommandLayer follow? It defines the shared action and receipt model that every runtime executes and every verifier checks. Runtime can add execution evidence around that receipt, but Commons defines the canonical shape.

Agents can act. CommandLayer proves they acted. Every verb execution produces a signed, verifiable receipt. Free.

CommandLayer Commons v1.1.0 MIT licensed ERC-8004 registered Schemas always free View ERC-8004 on Base ↗
/schemas/v1.1.0/commons/<verb>/<verb>.request.schema.json
/schemas/v1.1.0/commons/<verb>/<verb>.receipt.schema.json
Self-contained schemas. No /_shared/ references.

What the Commons layer is

Commons is CommandLayer's small, stable core: a shared language for machine intent and the minimum verifiable receipt. Commons and Commercial share the same contract-first philosophy, but Commons is the canonical model builders should learn before discovery, runtime metadata, or commercial compatibility details enter the picture.

Canonical verbs
10 verbs that cover core agent behaviors like analysis, summarization, formatting, description, and retrieval — without dictating how any particular execution engine is implemented.
Flat canonical contracts
Every verb ships a self-contained *.request and *.receipt schema with no shared-schema dependency chain. Requests stay flat, signed receipts stay flat.
Transport-agnostic by default
Commons defines request and receipt semantics directly. Discovery and transport layers can point at these schemas without depending on shared x402 envelope fields or nested wrapper folders.
Commons and Commercial define contract surfaces; Agent Cards define discovery; Runtime defines execution. Receipt verification and runtime proof can layer on top of Commons receipts without changing Commons semantics.

Commons verbs — registry (v1.1.0)

Each row is a universal verb with its purpose and direct links to the request and receipt JSON Schemas under https://commandlayer.org. These schemas are pinned, verifiable, and free to use.

Commons schema index

These links are stable for v1.1.0. Older published paths remain available for compatibility and verification. Future major versions will ship under /schemas/vX.Y.Z/... without breaking v1.1.0 for current builders.

Verb Purpose Request schema Receipt schema
analyzeInspect content for patterns, signals, or properties.request ↗receipt ↗
classifyAssign labels or categories from a taxonomy.request ↗receipt ↗
fetchRetrieve external data, documents, or resources.request ↗receipt ↗
formatReformat content without changing the meaning.request ↗receipt ↗
parseTurn unstructured content into structured output.request ↗receipt ↗
summarizeCompress content while preserving key information.request ↗receipt ↗
cleanRemove noise, normalize, and sanitize content.request ↗receipt ↗
convertChange representation or format (with rules).request ↗receipt ↗
describeProduce neutral, human-readable descriptions.request ↗receipt ↗
explainProvide reasoning, rationale, or clarification.request ↗receipt ↗

Stability & governance

Commons v1.1.0 is intentionally small and stable. Changes happen in new versions (v1.1.0, v2.0.0) so agents can rely on these schemas long-term.

Commons and Commercial define contract surfaces; Agent Cards define discovery; Runtime defines execution. In the v1.1.0 cycle, the Commons set is curated under a single-maintainer model to keep the command language coherent and predictable for early builders. As the ecosystem grows, broader participation and formal governance can layer on without breaking this version — the Commons verbs are treated as semantic public goods for the agent economy.

Receipt verification and runtime proof can layer on top of Commons receipts without changing Commons semantics.