# Agent Capability Negotiation and Binding Protocol (ACNBP)

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.13590 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.13590/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 6 of its 38 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 16 Jun 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [Enterprise-Grade Security for the Model Context Protocol (MCP): Frameworks and Mitigation Strategies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.08623/) (2025)
- [A Novel Zero-Trust Identity Framework for Agentic AI: Decentralized Authentication and Fine-Grained Access Control](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.19301/) (2025)
- [Agent Name Service (ANS): A Universal Directory for Secure AI Agent Discovery and Interoperability](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.10609/) (2025)
- [ETDI: Mitigating Tool Squatting and Rug Pull Attacks in Model Context Protocol (MCP) by using OAuth-Enhanced Tool Definitions and Policy-Based Access Control](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.01333/) (2025)
- [Securing GenAI Multi-Agent Systems Against Tool Squatting: A Zero Trust Registry-Based Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.19951/) (2025)
- [COALESCE: Economic and Security Dynamics of Skill-Based Task Outsourcing Among Team of Autonomous LLM Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.01900/) (2025)

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [A Survey of Context Engineering for Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.13334/) (2025)
- [LLM-based Agents Suffer from Hallucinations: A Survey of Taxonomy, Methods, and Directions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.18970/) (2025)
- [Agentic AI: A Comprehensive Survey of Architectures, Applications, and Future Directions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.25445/) (2025)
- [AgentHub: A Registry for Discoverable, Verifiable, and Reproducible AI Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.03495/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

As multi-agent systems evolve to encompass increasingly diverse and specialized agents, the challenge of enabling effective collaboration between heterogeneous agents has become paramount, with traditional agent communication protocols often assuming homogeneous environments or predefined interaction patterns that limit their applicability in dynamic, open-world scenarios. This paper presents the Agent Capability Negotiation and Binding Protocol (ACNBP), a novel framework designed to facilitate secure, efficient, and verifiable interactions between agents in heterogeneous multi-agent systems through integration with an Agent Name Service (ANS) infrastructure that provides comprehensive discovery, negotiation, and binding mechanisms. The protocol introduces a structured 10-step process encompassing capability discovery, candidate pre-screening and selection, secure negotiation phases, and binding commitment with built-in security measures including digital signatures, capability attestation, and comprehensive threat mitigation strategies, while a key innovation of ACNBP is its protocolExtension mechanism that enables backward-compatible protocol evolution and supports diverse agent architectures while maintaining security and interoperability. We demonstrate ACNBP's effectiveness through a comprehensive security analysis using the MAESTRO threat modeling framework, practical implementation considerations, and a detailed example showcasing the protocol's application in a document translation scenario, with the protocol addressing critical challenges in agent autonomy, capability verification, secure communication, and scalable agent ecosystem management.