Proof’s x401 establishes an open protocol for AI agent identity and authorization

Proof announced x401, an open, issuer-neutral protocol that lets services request and verify identity-related claims (e.g., verified identity, age, organizational affiliation, signing authority, proof of humanness) and binds identity with authorization for agent actions. x401 is designed to interoperate with emerging agentic standards (such as x402 for payments) and is built on Verifiable Credentials and Proof’s IAL2-grade digital identity service, offering selective disclosure, transaction signing, and audited certificate authority infrastructure to provide verifiable records of who authorized actions.