AINS: AInternet Name Service - Agent Discovery and Trust Resolution Protocol

This document specifies AINS (AInternet Name Service), a protocol for discovery, identification, and trust resolution of autonomous agents (AI agents, devices, humans, and services) in heterogeneous networks. AINS defines a transport-independent logical namespace for agents, a structured record format combining identity, capabilities, and cryptographic trust metadata, and a resolution protocol based on HTTPS. Unlike the Domain Name System (DNS), which maps names to network addresses, AINS maps agent identifiers to rich metadata objects that include capabilities, trust scores, endpoint information, and references to companion provenance protocols. AINS federates through signed append-only replication logs, enabling multi-registry deployments without central authority while preserving auditability. This specification is designed to complement TIBET [TIBET], JIS [JIS], UPIP [UPIP], and RVP [RVP].