Introduction

What is H.I.V.E.?

The H.I.V.E. Protocol (Hybrid Inter-Agent Verification & Execution Protocol) is a discovery & execution standard that enables AI agents to work together effectively. Built with simplicity, scale, and agent cluster stability in mind.

The protocol describes:

• Simple Communication: Clean 5-field message format
• HTTP-First Architecture: Standard web protocols and endpoints
• Direct Task Execution: Immediate task processing without negotiation overhead
• Essential Security: Ed25519 signatures and TLS encryption

Core Features

Message Format

H.I.V.E. uses a streamlined 5-field message structure:

{
  "from": "hive:agentid:abc123",
  "to": "hive:agentid:xyz789",
  "type": "task_request",
  "data": { "capability": "text-processing", "params": { "text": "hello" } },
  "sig": "ed25519_signature"
}

Benefits:

• Easy to parse and validate
• Human-readable for debugging
• Minimal bandwidth usage
• Simple to implement in any language

2. Direct Task Execution

Tasks execute immediately without complex negotiation:

1. Send task request with all parameters
2. Receive immediate accept/reject response
3. Get results when task completes

Benefits:

• Faster task completion
• Simpler state management
• Reduced network overhead
• Easier to implement and debug

3. Essential Capability Format

Capabilities are defined with just the essentials:

{
  "id": "text-processing",
  "input": { "text": "string", "operation": "string" },
  "output": { "result": "string" }
}

Benefits:

• Quick capability discovery
• Reduced storage requirements
• Fast matching algorithms
• Easy to understand and implement

Getting Started

Why H.I.V.E.?

Built for Scale:

• Efficient design: Minimal overhead for high-throughput scenarios
• HTTP-first: Leverage existing web infrastructure and tools
• Simple debugging: Use familiar development tools
• Fast onboarding: Quick implementation and deployment
• Progressive enhancement: Add complexity only when needed

Proven Foundation:

• Web protocols handle massive scale in production
• Simple formats enable high-performance processing
• Minimal state management reduces complexity
• Standard tools provide excellent monitoring and debugging

Real-World Benefits

For developers:

• ✅ Quick implementation using familiar technologies
• ✅ Standard tools - HTTP, JSON, well-known cryptography
• ✅ Easy debugging - readable messages and standard HTTP tools
• ✅ Clear upgrade path - add features when requirements evolve

For systems:

• ✅ Efficient messaging - compact format reduces bandwidth usage
• ✅ Fast task execution - direct processing without negotiation delays
• ✅ Standard infrastructure - works with existing web infrastructure
• ✅ High performance - designed for concurrent agent operations