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SCM (Secure Contract Machine)

SCM (Secure Contract Machine) is a containerised runtime for AI agent coordination that negotiates security policies, constrains actions, and records auditable execution traces. It is aimed at multi-agent environments where independent agents need shared rules and verifiable enforcement.

SCM (Secure Contract Machine)

Overview

SCM (Secure Contract Machine) is a containerised runtime for multi-agent coordination. It is designed to help AI agents negotiate security policies, execute constrained actions, and produce cryptographically verifiable audit records inside an isolated runtime middleware layer.

The project positions itself as infrastructure for environments where multiple agents operate under mutual distrust. According to the repository, agents can provide requirements in natural language, JSON, or DSL, which SCM converts into machine-checkable policy, negotiates across participants, and then uses to govern execution and reporting.

Core capabilities

Policy capture and validation

Transforms agent requirements expressed in natural language, JSON, or DSL into a machine-checkable Formal Security Policy, then checks it for internal consistency with Z3 before signing it.

Policy negotiation

Combines participating agents' Formal Security Policies into a Shared Coordination Policy and runs a pre-negotiation compatibility check to ensure the hard predicates are jointly satisfiable.

Execution guarding

Maps the negotiated policy to a formally verified cryptographic protocol specification and verifies contract tokens before post-negotiation capabilities are exercised.

Audit trail and proof generation

Generates a dual-signed Merkle transcript of the execution trace and a Halo2 PLONK ZK-SNARK proof of authenticity for auditability.

Adaptive verification tiers

Automatically routes sessions into Cached, Library, Rule, or Synthesis tiers based on policy novelty and risk, so verification depth is chosen per session.

Integration and deployment options

Exposes standardized integration surfaces through a REST API or an MCP plugin and supports Gateway Mode and Sidecar Mode deployment patterns.

Practical use cases

  • Cross-agent policy negotiation

    Use SCM when multiple AI agents need to agree on shared operating rules before they can interact with sensitive systems or each other's capabilities.

  • Constrained action enforcement

    Use SCM to convert agent intent into a machine-checkable policy and block actions that do not satisfy the negotiated contract before execution begins.

  • Audit-focused coordination

    Use SCM when you need an execution record that can be reviewed later, including a signed transcript and a cryptographic proof of authenticity.

  • Gateway or sidecar deployment

    Use SCM in deployment architectures that need a shared gateway runtime or a per-agent sidecar model, depending on how much isolation is required.

  • Agent framework integration

    Use SCM for experimental integrations with LLM-based agent frameworks or language-neutral clients that can talk to a REST API.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Combines policy capture, negotiation, execution control, and audit reporting in one runtime.
  • Uses explicit verification steps, including Z3 checks and ProVerif/Halo2-based outputs, rather than relying only on trust in the caller.
  • Offers more than one integration path, with REST API and MCP plugin support.
  • Provides deployment choices for shared edge use or per-agent sidecar placement.

Cons

  • The repository says the project is under active thesis research and prototyping, so it is not ready for production use.
  • The source pages do not document a broad third-party integration ecosystem or completed product pricing for SCM itself.

FAQ

Is SCM a framework or a runtime?

SCM is described as an isolated runtime middleware layer rather than a framework that agents are built on. External agents connect to it through standardized integration interfaces.

How do agents integrate with SCM?

The repository states that agents can connect through a REST API or an MCP plugin. It does not provide a broader integration catalog on the source pages reviewed.

How does SCM decide how much verification to run?

The README says SCM routes sessions into four tiers: Cached, Library, Rule, and Synthesis. The chosen tier depends on the shared policy's novelty and risk.

Is there pricing information for SCM?

No product pricing for SCM itself is stated in the source. The GitHub pricing page only confirms GitHub’s own Free, Team, and Enterprise plans for hosting and collaboration around the repository.

Is SCM ready for production deployment?

The README says the project is under active thesis research and prototyping and is not ready for production use.

Quick Facts

Category
Developer Tool
Product type
Containerised runtime
Primary use
Multi-agent security policy coordination
Source domain
github.com
License
Apache-2.0
Status
Active research and prototyping

Альтернативы SCM (Secure Contract Machine)