Foundation
Core concepts
The protocol separates transport, retail meaning, implementation, and source systems so each can evolve without pretending they are the same thing.
The four parts
| Part | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Source systems | Hold inventory, offer, and availability facts. They remain private behind the gateway. |
| Dealer Agent Gateway | Adapts sources, applies dealer policy, authorizes access, and emits protocol-shaped results. |
| Dealer Agent Protocol | Defines tools, schemas, retail semantics, disclosure rules, and conformance. |
| MCP | Provides the transport and tool-discovery mechanics used by the agent and gateway. |
What is a retail fact?
A retail fact is a dealer-published or dealer-authorized statement about a vehicle or offer. It is useful to an agent only when it also communicates its origin and limits.
A value is not enough. The same “available” field can mean “appeared in yesterday's feed,” “shown on the website,” or “confirmed by the inventory authority two minutes ago.” The protocol makes that strength explicit.
The trust envelope
- Provenance: the source lineage for the fact.
- Freshness: when it was observed and, where applicable, when it expires.
- Authority: whether the source is permitted to make that specific claim.
- Uncertainty: whether the value is confirmed, conditional, estimated, stale, or unknown.
Identity and isolation
Dealer groups, dealers, rooftops, and vehicles have stable identifiers. Every request is evaluated inside a tenant and rooftop grant. A client must not be able to use a guessed identifier or cursor to cross that boundary.
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