Agent protocol

--- name: "agent-protocol" description: "An inter-agent communication protocol for C-suite agent teams. Defines invocation syntax, loop prevention, isolation rules, and response formats. Use when C-suite agents need to query each other, coordinate cross-functional analysis, or run board meetings with multiple agent roles." license: MIT metadata: version: 1.0.0 author: Alireza Rezvani category: c-level domain: agent -orchestration updated: 2026-03-05 frameworks: invocation-patterns --- # Inter-Agent Protocol How C-suite agents communicate with 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 , gc , cdo , caio , cco , vpe | Role token | Advisor skill | |---|---| | gc | general-counsel-advisor (legal, contracts, term sheets) | | cdo | chief-data-officer-advisor (data strategy, training-data rights) | | caio | chief-ai-officer-advisor (AI strategy, evals, AI risk) | | cco | chief-customer-officer-advisor (retention, customer success) | | vpe | vpe-advisor (engineering delivery, DORA, eng hiring) | ## 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. ✅ CRO → CFO → CMO ❌ CRO → CFO → CRO (circular : BLOCKED) ### Rule 4: Chain Tracking Each invocation carries its call chain. Format: [CHAIN: cro → cfo → coo] Agents check this chain before responding with another invocation. **When blocked:** Return this instead of invoking: [BLOCKED: cannot invoke cfo : circular call detected in chain cro→cfo] State assumption used instead: [explicit assumption the agent is making] ## Isolation Rules ### Board Meeting Phase 2 (Independent Analysis) **NO invocations allowed.** Each role forms independent views before cross-pollination. - Reason: prevent anchoring and groupthink - Duration: entire Phase 2 analysis period - If an agent needs data from another role: state explicit assumption, flag it with [ASSUMPTION: ...] ### Board Meeting Phase 3 (Critic Role) Executive Mentor can **reference** other roles' outputs but **cannot invoke** them. - Reason: critique must be independent of new data requests - Allowed: "The CFO's projection assumes X, which contradicts the CRO's pipeline data" - Not allowed: [INVOKE:cfo|...]` during the critique phase ### Outside Board Meetings Invocations are allowed freely, subject to the loop prevention rules above. ## When to Invoke vs. When to Assume Invoke when: - The