# Langshaw: Declarative Interaction Protocols Based on Sayso and Conflict

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.29601 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.29601/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 4 of its 41 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 28 Jun 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Blockchains for Business Process Management - Challenges and Opportunities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1704.03610/) (2017)
- [Signifiers as a First-class Abstraction in Hypermedia Multi-Agent Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.06970/) (2023)
- [Hercule: Representing and Reasoning about Norms as a Foundation for Declarative Contracts over Blockchain](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.08355/) (2021)
- [Kiko: Programming Agents to Enact Interaction Protocols](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.26156/) (2026)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [A Comparative Study of MCP and A2A for Inter-Agent Coordination in LLM-Based Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.23884/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Current languages for specifying multiagent protocols either over-constrain protocol enactments or complicate capturing their meanings. We propose Langshaw, a declarative protocol language based on (1) sayso, a new construct that captures who has priority over setting each attribute, and (2) nono and nogo, two constructs to capture conflicts between actions. Langshaw combines flexibility with an information model to express meaning. We give a formal semantics for Langshaw, procedures for determining the safety and liveness of a protocol, and a method to generate a message-oriented protocol (embedding needed coordination) suitable for flexible asynchronous enactment.