# AI agents need SSL certificates too — so I built ATC (Agent Trust Card)

> Source: <https://dev.to/edison_flores_6d2cd381b13/ai-agents-need-ssl-certificates-too-so-i-built-atc-agent-trust-card-5017>
> Published: 2026-07-13 03:52:31+00:00

##
The problem

Websites have SSL certificates. Browsers verify them. Users trust them. It's the foundation of the web.

AI agents have **nothing**.

When Agent A connects to Agent B:

- ❌ No way to verify B's identity (anyone can impersonate)
- ❌ No way to check B's trustworthiness (no audit, no reputation)
- ❌ No encryption (messages are plaintext)
- ❌ No standard payment method
- ❌ No way to translate between frameworks (LangChain ≠ AutoGen)

So I built **ATC — Agent Trust Card**.

##
What is ATC?

ATC is like an SSL certificate + passport + credit card for AI agents, all in one:

-
**Identity** — Cryptographically signed by MarketNow (we're the Certificate Authority)
-
**Trust** — Contains a Sentinel security audit score (0-10)
-
**Encryption** — Contains an Ed25519 public key for end-to-end encrypted messaging
-
**Translation** — Specifies the agent's framework; MarketNow translates between them
-
**Payment** — Contains a USDC wallet address for autonomous payments

##
How it works

##
The code

##
What makes ATC different from existing solutions

| Feature |
AgentID |
Agent Passport |
IBM ACP |
Stripe ACP |
ATC |
| Cryptographic identity |
✅ |
✅ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
| Security audit score |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
| End-to-end encryption |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
| Protocol translation |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
| Autonomous payments |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Peer ratings |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
| Escrow + disputes |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
| Revocation |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |

ATC is the only solution that combines identity + trust + encryption + translation + payment in one card.

##
The 5 pains ATC solves

-
**No identity** → Cryptographic signatures (MarketNow is the CA, like Let's Encrypt for agents)
-
**No trust** → Sentinel audit score (0-10) in every card
-
**No encryption** → Ed25519 public key in every card, all messages encrypted
-
**Language barrier** → Card specifies framework, MarketNow translates
-
**No payment** → USDC wallet in every card, x402 escrow

##
Pricing

-
**Free**: Basic ATC with L1.5 audit, 100 API calls/day
-
**Pro** ($9.99/mo): L2.5 gVisor audited, encrypted messaging, 10K calls/day
-
**Enterprise** ($99/mo): L4 audited, custom trust policies, unlimited
-
**Transaction**: 5% fee on every paid task between agents

##
Try it

Full spec: [marketnow.site/atc-spec.json](https://marketnow.site/atc-spec.json)

Documentation: [marketnow.site/atc](https://marketnow.site/atc)

*ATC is part of *[MarketNow](https://marketnow.site) — the trust layer for agent commerce. We're building the infrastructure for a world where AI agents discover each other, verify identity, negotiate tasks, pay autonomously, and build trust — all without humans.