ERC-8004: Ethereum's New Standard for AI Agents

ERC-8004 is Ethereum's new protocol for trustless AI agent interactions, and it went live on mainnet January 29, 2026. Co-authored by the Ethereum Foundation, MetaMask, Google, and Coinbase, the standard provides on-chain infrastructure for AI agents to discover, authenticate, and transact with each other without centralized intermediaries.

This isn't a token. It's foundational infrastructure that could position Ethereum as the settlement layer for an emerging AI agent economy.

What Does ERC-8004 Actually Do?

The core problem ERC-8004 solves is trust. AI agents are increasingly autonomous, but they've lacked a reliable way to verify each other in open environments. Traditional systems keep agents siloed, limiting interoperability and raising questions about accountability.

First proposed in August 2025, ERC-8004 introduces three on-chain registries to address this:

Identity Registry: Agents register by minting an NFT, like the ERC-721 standard, giving them verifiable, portable identities across platforms. The registration links to a public file describing what the agent does and how to contact it.

Reputation Registry: Tracks performance history and user feedback. Agents build credible reputations that help filter out bad actors.

Validation Registry: Supports third-party attestations that prove correct behavior, so bad performance leaves a paper trail.

The practical workflow is straightforward. Agents publish their capabilities to a public registry, making themselves discoverable. When they interact, they verify identities and reputations on-chain. Payments settle programmatically with verifiable receipts tied to performance.

During the testnet, over 10,000 agents registered before the mainnet deployment. The live network currently shows more than 700 registered agents and 300 exchanged feedback signals, with over 200 builders actively contributing.

Who's Building on ERC-8004?

The standard has attracted a growing ecosystem. The official site features testimonials from builders at AltLayer, Chaoschain, and Virtuals, and a grid of 70+ project logos that contribute to the ecosystem.

As YQ, co-founder of AltLayer, put it: "ERC-8004 provides foundational infrastructure for agent-based economic systems through three independent registries. This cements the foundation of trustless agent ecosystem."

The contracts currently live on Ethereum mainnet, with expansion to major Layer 2 networks planned.

What Comes Next?

"This is just the beginning," said Davide Crapis of the Ethereum Foundation in the launch announcement. "The builders who show up now will shape what comes next."

February marks "Genesis Month" with community events and resources for developers. The official site offers SDKs and documentation for those ready to build.

By providing neutral, permissionless infrastructure, ERC-8004 enables agent marketplaces, autonomous workflows, and decentralized AI services. The verifiable trust mechanisms also address concerns about rogue agents operating without accountability.

Whether this becomes the backbone for AI-to-AI commerce remains to be seen. But the rails are live, and the early builders are already at work.

Learn more at 8004.org | Follow @ethereum on X

Sources:

• 8004.org — Official ERC-8004 documentation, builder resources, and community stats
• Ethereum Foundation — Mainnet launch announcement (January 27, 2026)
• Davide Crapis on X — Launch thread with testnet stats and Genesis Month details