agent-protocol

# Inter-Agent Protocol

How C-suite agents talk to each other. Rules that prevent chaos, loops, and circular reasoning.

## Keywords
agent protocol, inter-agent communication, agent invocation, agent orchestration, multi-agent, c-suite coordination, agent chain, loop prevention, agent isolation, board meeting protocol

## Invocation Syntax

Any agent can query another using:

```
[INVOKE:role|question]
```

**Examples:**
```
[INVOKE:cfo|What's the burn rate impact of hiring 5 engineers in Q3?]
[INVOKE:cto|Can we realistically ship this feature by end of quarter?]
[INVOKE:chro|What's our typical time-to-hire for senior engineers?]
[INVOKE:cro|What does our pipeline look like for the next 90 days?]
```

**Valid roles:** `ceo`, `cfo`, `cro`, `cmo`, `cpo`, `cto`, `chro`, `coo`, `ciso`

## Response Format

Invoked agents respond using this structure:

```
[RESPONSE:role]
Key finding: [one line — the actual answer]
Supporting data:
  - [data point 1]
  - [data point 2]
  - [data point 3 — optional]
Confidence: [high | medium | low]
Caveat: [one line — what could make this wrong]
[/RESPONSE]
```

**Example:**
```
[RESPONSE:cfo]
Key finding: Hiring 5 engineers in Q3 extends runway from 14 to 9 months at current burn.
Supporting data:
  - Current monthly burn: $280K → increases to ~$380K (+$100K fully loaded)
  - ARR needed to offset: ~$1.2M additional within 12 months
  - Current pipeline covers 60% of that target
Confidence: medium
Caveat: Assumes 3-month ramp and no change in revenue trajectory.
[/RESPONSE]
```

## Loop Prevention (Hard Rules)

These rules are enforced unconditionally. No exceptions.

### Rule 1: No Self-Invocation
An agent cannot invoke itself.
```
❌ CFO → [INVOKE:cfo|...] — BLOCKED
```

### Rule 2: Maximum Depth = 2
Chains can go A→B→C. The third hop is blocked.
```
✅ CRO → CFO → COO (depth 2)
❌ CRO → CFO → COO → CHRO (depth 3 — BLOCKED)
```

### Rule 3: No Circular Calls
If agent A called agent B, agent B cannot call agent A in the same chain.
```...