Start with one paid work surface
A good first Accord provider integration is narrow. Pick one paid API response, MCP tool, model evaluation, code review, repository audit or research answer. Define what the buyer asks for, what output the provider returns, which verifier decides acceptance and which rail records payment or settlement.
Trying to make a whole platform Accord-compatible at once makes verification vague. One crisp work surface gives agents and auditors something concrete to inspect.
The repository now includes a copyable provider onboarding kit with .well-known/accord files, sample receipt JSON, a registry profile, badge language and a registry PR template.
Emit the three protocol objects
The provider should emit an Agreement for the task terms, a Verification Receipt for the acceptance verdict and a Settlement Receipt for the economic closeout. Each object should validate against the public v0 schemas and bind to the others through hashes and identifiers.
This is the difference between a payment demo and an Accord provider. The payment proof is useful, but the provider claim becomes inspectable when the receipt bundle is public and schema-valid.
Run conformance and publish evidence
Before publishing compatibility claims, run the reference conformance suite and publish sample receipts, hashes, endpoint URLs and rail-specific evidence. Hosted providers should also expose an Accord challenge/payment endpoint when using network conformance.
The current Sage surface is a useful reference: its public receipt bundle includes schema-valid Agreement, Verification Receipt and Settlement Receipt JSON, matching hashes, Ed25519 signatures, Ergo testnet settlement evidence and L1 conformance.
FAQ
Does a provider need mainnet support?
No. Testnet, mock and local providers can be Accord-compatible if they emit valid protocol objects and describe their rail posture clearly.
What should a registry entry include?
Provider identity, supported rails, conformance level, evidence URI, verifier assumptions, audit status and mainnet status.
Sources and references
Provider onboarding guide
Canonical repository guide for third-party provider integration.
Provider onboarding kit
Copyable .well-known/accord, receipt, registry profile, badge and PR templates.
Sage full receipt result
Live public provider receipt bundle and Ergo testnet settlement evidence.
Open provider kit
Copy .well-known/accord, receipt, registry profile, badge and PR templates for a new provider.