# ERC-8004: Trustless Agents vs ERC-8126: AI Agent Verification

The map lists them as complementary: sites and agents commonly implement both. ERC-8004: Trustless Agents is a prerequisite of ERC-8126: AI Agent Verification.

[2 Identify](/category/identify/) [ERC-8004: Trustless Agents](/protocols/erc-8004/) · [2 Identify](/category/identify/) [ERC-8126: AI Agent Verification](/protocols/erc-8126/)

|  | [ERC-8004: Trustless Agents](/protocols/erc-8004/) ERC-8004 | [ERC-8126: AI Agent Verification](/protocols/erc-8126/) ERC-8126 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifecycle step | 2 Identify: Who is this agent? Who is this site? | 2 Identify: Who is this agent? Who is this site? |
| Answers | Who is an agent, and what onchain identity, reputation and validation record does it carry? | How can an agent registered under ERC-8004 be put through standard security checks and carry a comparable risk score? |
| Governed by | Ethereum EIP process; no formal steward until finalized | Ethereum EIP/ERC process (Ethereum Magicians discussion + ERCs repository); status Final |
| Status (issuer's words) | Draft Standards Track ERC | Final Standards Track ERC (moved to Last Call 2026-05-12 and to Final 2026-06-02); requires ERC-8004, which is still Draft |
| Version | Draft ERC, created 2025-08-13; Identity and Reputation Registries live on Ethereum mainnet since 2026-01-29 (2025-08-13) | Final, created 2026-01-15 (2026-06-02) |
| Form / transport | on-chain registry | on-chain registry |
| Found at | /.well-known/agent-registration.json | none — no well-known file; discovery is by contract address/ABI |
| Implementation | multi-implementation — Forbes (2026-02-05) citing community trackers; community-maintained awesome-erc8004 deployment list | prototype |
| Evidence | 4 verified, 1 reported | 3 verified |
| Primary use case | Name and resolve agents | Prove an agent's identity |
| Last verified | 2026-10-23 (current) | 2026-10-23 (current) |
| Specification | [https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-8004](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-8004) | [https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-8126](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-8126) |

## When to use which

- Choose ERC-8004: Trustless Agents when your question is “Who is an agent, and what onchain identity, reputation and validation record does it carry?” and you accept its maturity: status "Draft Standards Track ERC", implementation multi-implementation (Forbes (2026-02-05) citing community trackers; community-maintained awesome-erc8004 deployment list).
- Choose ERC-8126: AI Agent Verification when your question is “How can an agent registered under ERC-8004 be put through standard security checks and carry a comparable risk score?” and you accept its maturity: status "Final Standards Track ERC (moved to Last Call 2026-05-12 and to Final 2026-06-02); requires ERC-8004, which is still Draft", implementation prototype.

Guidance is derived from the two records (question, status, implementation, prerequisites, pairings), not from opinion. Each record's page carries its numbered references.

## Read the full articles

- [ERC-8004: Trustless Agents](/protocols/erc-8004/): Who is an agent, and what onchain identity, reputation and validation record does it carry?
- [ERC-8126: AI Agent Verification](/protocols/erc-8126/): How can an agent registered under ERC-8004 be put through standard security checks and carry a comparable risk score?

Ask the MCP server to compare any two: the compare-protocols prompt, or get on both ids. [Connect](/connect/).

[erc-8004.json](/data/protocols/erc-8004.json) · [erc-8126.json](/data/protocols/erc-8126.json) · [Markdown](/compare/erc-8004-vs-erc-8126/index.md)