The Odexa protocol

Odexa stands for Originator Data Exchange for Agents. It is an open protocol being developed to help originators express how agents and LLMs may access and use their information assets.

The protocol is one part of the foundation’s broader mission: a fair, open web where originators have a say and an opportunity to receive fair value.

Set the terms. Record the exchange.

An originator defines the assets in scope, permitted actions and purposes, and any conditions. A participating client discovers those terms, checks the intended use and makes an agreement where one is required.

An instrumented gateway can govern protected delivery and record what it observes. Participants can separately report later use. Keeping those forms of evidence distinct makes the record useful without claiming visibility into every model or agent.

An open protocol. Your choice of platform.

Originators should be able to set their terms without tying those terms to a particular hosting platform, content delivery network or commercial service. Odexa is designed as a common language that anyone can implement, with the same specification available to every provider.

Hosting and gateway controls can enforce access at the point of delivery. Odexa describes the terms, agreements and evidence of the exchange. These roles can work together, while leaving originators free to choose who provides each service.

The reference supports evidence export and offline verification. Its provider handover uses fresh agreements, credentials and explicit origin authority for a successor, while retaining earlier evidence. It does not silently transfer an old agreement or signing authority to a new provider.

Start without a commercial provider

The free reference implementation supports discovery, zero-price agreements, scoped access, protected delivery, signed evidence, export and revocation. It runs locally without a commercial provider account, payment provider or foundation service.

Run Odexa yourself, or choose a service provider to manage governance, agreements, reporting and optional payments on your behalf. You set the terms and decide what authority to grant. A provider can manage free access too: using a service does not require charging agents for your content.

Providers act through explicit, limited authority. Optional payment profiles bind a disclosed fixed quote to separate payer authorisation and authenticated payment status. The demonstration uses synthetic payment assertions and moves no money; real settlement requires a payment provider.

Current release

1.2.0-rc.1 is an implementation candidate. The policy core retains its explicit draft-1 version and the current service messages retain draft-3 identifiers. The candidate includes the reference, schemas and bounded validation evidence. It is not a stable production standard or a claim of widespread adoption. The previous draft-2 developer preview remains available as a separate historical download.

Read the documentation · Run the free example · Review release status

Participation makes the difference

A policy file gives participating systems a clear statement of terms. Protecting delivery requires controls at the origin or gateway. A file alone does not prevent a crawler from ignoring it or reveal undisclosed downstream use.

Our work is to make participation practical, useful and open to competing implementations. Formal protocol governance is still developing as the foundation builds its council and invites broader participation.