The problem is not payment. It is context.
Autonomous agents can already call APIs, invoke MCP tools and trigger paid HTTP flows. The missing piece is the shared record around the work itself. A payment receipt can prove that value moved, but it rarely proves what the seller promised, what output was expected, who was allowed to verify it or what happened after the work was reviewed.
An agent work agreement fills that gap. It gives both sides a structured object that can be hashed, referenced by payment authority, checked by policy engines and used later as evidence for settlement or reputation.
What an agreement needs to answer
A useful agreement answers the same questions a careful operator would ask before approving spend: who is buying, who is executing, what task is requested, what asset and amount are involved, what deadline applies, what output format is acceptable and who decides whether the work is complete.
Accord treats those answers as protocol data, not prose hidden in a chat transcript. That matters because agents need deterministic inputs for policy, verification and audit.
Why receipts are separate
Accord separates the Agreement Object from the Verification Receipt and Settlement Receipt. That separation is deliberate. The agreement describes intent. The verification receipt records a verdict on the output. The settlement receipt records the economic closeout.
Keeping these records separate makes the lifecycle easier to inspect. A failed task can still have a valid agreement and a valid rejection receipt. A completed task can be verified before final settlement. A rail can settle later without changing the original promise.
FAQ
Is an agent work agreement a legal contract?
Accord defines protocol objects for machine-readable work terms. Legal interpretation depends on jurisdiction, parties and surrounding terms.
Does Accord require a blockchain?
No. Accord is rail-agnostic. Blockchains are one way to settle or anchor receipts, but the agreement model is broader.
Read the Agreement spec
Inspect the canonical Agreement Object fields.