Introduction

OpenApe is the security layer for the Agentic Web. It consists of two independent systems:

OpenApe Auth — Identity for Humans and Agents

DNS-based login using the DDISA protocol. Your domain becomes your identity provider — no OAuth servers to maintain, no SDKs to integrate. Just a DNS TXT record.

• Humans authenticate with Passkeys (WebAuthn/FIDO2) — phishing-proof by design
• Agents authenticate with Ed25519 challenge-response — same cryptographic strength, adapted for M2M
• Passwords are explicitly prohibited in the DDISA spec

OpenApe Grants — Permissions for Agents

Human-in-the-loop permission system. When an agent needs to perform a privileged action, a human approves it.

• allow_once — one-time approval, consumed after use
• allow_ttl — time-limited grant (e.g. "for the next 2 hours")
• allow_always — standing permission, revocable anytime

Dual Role: Enabler & Gatekeeper

OpenApe doesn't just secure agents — it makes them possible. The IdP controls which agents exist, and the grant system ensures humans stay in the loop where it matters.

Minimal Identity Token

The AuthN-JWT contains only what's needed:

{
  "sub": "alice@example.com",
  "act": "human",
  "iss": "https://id.example.com",
  "aud": "sp.example.com",
  "exp": 1234567890,
  "nonce": "..."
}

• sub — email address (same identifier used in the login request)
• act — human or agent
• No name, no owner, no approver — those belong in the AuthZ layer