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spec v1.0.0

The distributionstandard for agents

Describe, package, version, verify, and distribute AI agent artifactsas OCI artifacts. One canonical format for every runtime.

Read the docs
terminal
$stax build
Built artifact: sha256:a3f8c1…e7d2
$stax push ghcr.io/acme/backend-engineer:3.1.0
Pushed ghcr.io/acme/backend-engineer:3.1.0
$stax materialize ghcr.io/acme/backend-engineer:3.1.0
Materialized backend-engineer@3.1.0
What's inside

Everything an agent needs,
in one artifact

A stax artifact is a complete, portable snapshot of an agent'sidentity, skills, tools, knowledge, and workspace context.

ghcr.io/acme/backend-engineer:3.1.0
PersonaIdentity, role, expertise, communication style
System PromptCore instructions and behavioral guidelines
RulesCode style, security policies, review checklists
SkillsReusable capabilities — deploy, test, review, debug
MCP ServersTool connections — databases, APIs, search, CI
KnowledgeAPI docs, architecture notes, runbooks
Workspace SourceRepository snapshot — the codebase it works on
Memory SeedsLearned context, decisions, preferences
Secret DeclarationsWhat credentials it needs (values never stored)
materializes into
Claude CodeCodexCursorCopilotWindsurfOpenCode
Think of it as

The packaging layer
agents never had

Containers became standard once there was a portable image format.Agents need the same thing. stax is that format.

OCI

Agent Artifacts

Immutable, content-addressed OCI artifacts containing an agent's full canonical brain.

NPM

Reusable Packages

Shared skill packs, MCP bundles, compliance rules, and knowledge packs.

HELM

Runtime Adapters

One artifact materializes into Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Copilot, and more.

SIGSTORE

Trust & Policy

Signatures, attestations, approvals, and provenance via OCI referrers.

How it works

From source to runtime

Define your agent in TypeScript, build a deterministic artifact,push to any OCI registry, materialize into any runtime.

01
Define

TypeScript SDK — defineAgent(), definePackage(), definePersona()

02
Build

Deterministic OCI layers with typed media types and locked deps

03
Push

Publish to any OCI registry. Sign and attest with referrers.

04
Materialize

Translate to runtime-native files for any supported adapter.

Boundary principle

Carries what an agent is,
not how it runs

stax is intentionally not a runtime, orchestrator, or hosting platform.It is the distribution substrate those products build on.

stax carries

  • What an agent is and what bytes define it
  • What dependencies and packages it needs
  • What source context it expects
  • What secrets it declares
  • What runtime outputs it can materialize into
  • What trust and policy metadata is attached

Consumers own

  • Where the agent is scheduled
  • How many replicas it runs
  • What event starts it
  • How long it executes
  • What service mesh transports it
  • What cloud account hosts it
Documentation

Explore the standard

Everything you need to understand, adopt, and build with stax.

Overview

What stax is, the philosophy behind it, architecture, and the roadmap.

Explore

Specification

The full normative spec: manifests, layers, adapters, packages, and more.

Explore

CLI Reference

Every command: init, build, push, pull, materialize, inspect, diff, verify.

Explore

Packages

Define agents, packages, personas. Dependency resolution and merge rules.

Explore