Semantic Contract

A semantic contract is a formal, machine-readable declaration of what an interface interaction means, what it requires, and what it guarantees. AXAG annotations express semantic contracts.

Contract vs Description

A description tells you about something. A contract binds you to something.

When AXAG declares axag-preconditions='["cart_validated"]', this is not informational — it is contractual. It means:

• The operation MUST NOT be invoked unless cart_validated is true
• The manifest MUST include this precondition
• The tool definition MUST surface this constraint
• The agent runtime MUST validate this before execution

Contract Components

Every AXAG semantic contract consists of:

1. Identity — Intent and entity declarations
2. Interface — Parameters, types, and constraints
3. Preconditions — Required state before execution
4. Postconditions — Guaranteed state after execution
5. Safety — Risk level, confirmation, approval requirements
6. Execution semantics — Action type, idempotency, side effects

Contract Lifecycle

Contracts are authored by frontend engineers, validated by CI, transformed into manifests and tools, consumed by agents, and monitored for drift.

Next Steps

• Intent vs Presentation
• Specification Overview