The Web4 Agent Protocol is built on a robust architecture designed for security, scalability, and ease of adoption. Its structure empowers a new, more direct user-web experience, facilitated by AI agents. It is composed of three fundamental pillars that work in concert.
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Model Context Protocol (MCP) & Gateway Architecture: The technical foundation. This pillar defines how a user's AI Agent can discover and interact with any web service's API in a standardized way.
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Decentralized Authorization: The security and trust layer. This pillar ensures that all actions are performed securely on the user's behalf, with the user retaining full control by using their existing website accounts.
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Native Microtransactions: The economic engine. This pillar provides a flexible and decentralized monetization framework that gives users a choice in how they pay (with funds or with attention) and gives publishers a reliable way to monetize their services.
The ecosystem revolves around three key roles:
- User: The end-user who directs their
mcp-clientto perform actions. This client could be an LLM chatbot app (e.g., ChatGPT, Google Gemini), a search engine acting as an AI agent, or a dedicated application like the Claude desktop app. - Publisher: The website or service owner who deploys an
openapi-mcp-serverserver to expose their functionality. - Advertiser: The entity that funds the user's free access to content in exchange for their verified attention.