How It Works

ERC-8170 doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s designed as a composable layer within the Ethereum standards ecosystem.

The Composable Stack

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  AgentCert.io                       │  Certification & Trust
│  (SBT credentials, trust scores)    │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  (derivative rights, commercial use)│
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ERC-8170 (ANIMA)                   │  Agent Identity ← THIS STANDARD
│  (identity, memory, lifecycle)      │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ERC-6551                           │  Token-Bound Accounts
│  (agent wallets, asset ownership)   │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ERC-4626                           │  Vault Standard
│  (agent-managed DeFi positions)     │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ERC-721                            │  NFT Standard
│  (base token layer)                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Layer by Layer

ERC-721: The Foundation

Every ERC-8170 token is a valid ERC-721 NFT. It can be transferred, traded on marketplaces, and queried by any tool that understands ERC-721.

ERC-6551: The Wallet

Through ERC-6551, each agent NFT gets its own Token-Bound Account (TBA) — a smart contract wallet controlled by the token. The agent uses this wallet to:

• Hold tokens and other NFTs
• Store certification SBTs
• Execute on-chain transactions
• Interact with DeFi protocols

ERC-8170: The Identity

This is where agent-specific functionality lives:

• Agent EOA registration — Linking the agent’s signing key to its token
• Memory sync — Updating the memory hash and storage pointer
• Cloning — Creating offspring agents with inherited lineage
• Bind/Unbind — Attaching and detaching agents from tokens

ERC-4626: The Vault Layer

Agents with TBAs can interact with ERC-4626 vaults, enabling:

• Autonomous yield strategies
• Treasury management
• Portfolio rebalancing
• DeFi participation

AgentCert.io: The Trust Layer

On-chain certification that provides:

• Verified capability attestations
• Trust scores
• Compliance certifications
• Registry-based discovery

Two Models of Agent Binding

Model 1: AI-Native (ANIMA)

The agent is the NFT. Minted as an ERC-8170 token with all agent capabilities built in.

Agent → mints ERC-8170 token → gets TBA → earns certs

Best for: New agents that need full lifecycle capabilities from day one.

Model 2: AI-Bound (Registry)

An agent is bound to an existing ERC-721 token via the AINFTRegistry.

Existing ERC-721 → owner calls bind() → agent EOA linked → agent uses NFT's TBA

Best for: Adding agent capabilities to existing NFT collections without migration.

The ERC Interface

interface IERC8170 {
    function updateMemory(
        uint256 agentId,
        bytes32 newMemoryHash,
        string calldata storageURI,
        bytes calldata agentSignature
    ) external;

    function clone(
        uint256 parentId,
        bytes32 offspringMemoryHash,
        bytes calldata encryptedSeed,
        bytes calldata agentSignature
    ) external returns (uint256 newAgentId);

    function getLineage(uint256 agentId) external view returns (uint256[] memory);
    function getOffspring(uint256 agentId) external view returns (uint256[] memory);
    function getGeneration(uint256 agentId) external view returns (uint256);
}

For the complete interface specification, see the ERC Draft.