---
title: AIP documentation
description: Choose the right path to learn, integrate, operate, or evaluate AIP 1.0
kind: index
audience: developer
appliesTo: "1.x"
writingStandard: "aip-docs/1.0"
lastReviewedRevision: "97be86e9efedf07ecf1783b03800f683f107fb04"
---

# AIP documentation

Use this documentation to choose an AIP integration path, implement it, operate
a deployment, and judge the evidence behind the behavior you depend on. It is
written primarily for application developers, with focused paths for connector
developers, operators, security reviewers, and protocol implementers.

AIP defines signed envelopes, capability discovery, session and action
lifecycles, approvals, transactions, delegation, streaming, and audit. Existing
systems integrate through compatibility profiles and product connectors rather
than changing the AIP semantic core.

These pages cover AIP 1.0. Implementation material applies to version `1.0.0`
of the Rust workspace at the source revision recorded in page metadata. The
implementation is under active qualification. An implemented feature or a
passing deterministic test does not by itself qualify a particular deployment
for production.

## Choose a starting path

| Goal | Start here | Continue with |
|---|---|---|
| Understand the protocol before installing anything | [What AIP is](getting-started/what-is-aip.md) | [How AIP works](getting-started/how-aip-works.md) |
| Install AIP and make a first local call | [Install AIP](getting-started/installation.md) | [Quickstart](getting-started/quickstart.md) |
| Integrate an application | [Profiles, transports, and connectors](concepts/profiles-and-connectors.md) | [Use native AIP](guides/use-native-aip.md), [use the Rust SDK](guides/use-rust-sdk.md), [use AIP through MCP](guides/use-aip-through-mcp.md), or [use AIP through A2A](guides/use-aip-through-a2a.md) |
| Connect an external product or service | [Connector index](connectors/README.md) | [Build a connector](guides/build-a-connector.md) |
| Deploy and operate AIP | [Production deployment](guides/production-deployment.md) | [Observe and recover](guides/observe-and-recover.md) and [operator runbooks](guides/operator-runbooks.md) |
| Review trust and safety boundaries | [Identity and trust](concepts/identity-and-trust.md) | [Security model](architecture/security-model.md) |
| Implement or evaluate the protocol | [AIP 1.0 specification](spec/AIP-1.0.md) | [JSON schemas](spec/schemas.md) and [conformance and qualification](reference/conformance.md) |

## Choose an integration surface

| Surface | Use it when | Canonical guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Native AIP | The integration needs the complete AIP message and lifecycle model | [Use native AIP](guides/use-native-aip.md) |
| Rust SDK | A Rust application needs AIP types and APIs directly | [Use the Rust SDK](guides/use-rust-sdk.md) |
| MCP profile | An existing MCP client needs an AIP-backed tool surface | [Use AIP through MCP](guides/use-aip-through-mcp.md) |
| A2A profile | An existing A2A client needs AIP-backed task compatibility | [Use AIP through A2A](guides/use-aip-through-a2a.md) |
| Product connector | The integration maps an existing product API without adding product code to the protocol core | [Connector index](connectors/README.md) |

## Read status claims correctly

| Claim | What it establishes | Where to verify it |
|---|---|---|
| Normative | AIP 1.0 requires the behavior | [AIP 1.0 specification](spec/AIP-1.0.md) and [JSON schemas](spec/schemas.md) |
| Implemented | The selected source revision contains the behavior | [Implementation status](reference/implementation-status.md) |
| Conformant | The implementation passed a declared protocol test scope | [Conformance and qualification](reference/conformance.md) |
| Qualified | An exact artifact passed a declared topology and procedure | [Testing and evidence index](testing/README.md) |
| Live verified | A bounded behavior was observed against an identified external system | [Live product end-to-end evidence](testing/live-product-e2e.md) |

These claim levels are not interchangeable. In particular, protocol version,
source availability, and deterministic test results do not establish the
production readiness of an unqualified deployment.

## Find exact details

Use the navigation menu to browse by task or subject. Use documentation search
for exact routes, capability IDs, configuration names, error codes, connector
names, and protocol terms. Filter results by section, document type, surface,
or source class when the result set is broad.

For an unfamiliar term, start with the [glossary](reference/glossary.md). For
an operation or deployment failure, use [errors and retry
decisions](reference/errors.md) before retrying state-changing work.

When two pages appear to disagree, use this source order:

1. the versioned [AIP specification](spec/AIP-1.0.md);
2. the versioned [JSON schemas](spec/schemas.md) and applicable
   [compatibility-profile contracts](spec/compatibility-profiles.md);
3. conformance fixtures for the selected version;
4. the selected implementation revision and its validation rules;
5. task guides and examples.

Report a mismatch through the [documentation contribution
process](../CONTRIBUTING.md) as a documentation or conformance defect. Treat
wire behavior that the protocol does not define as a defect unless a defined
extension point permits it.

## Recommended first path

If AIP is new to you, read [What AIP is](getting-started/what-is-aip.md), then
[install AIP](getting-started/installation.md), complete the
[quickstart](getting-started/quickstart.md), and finish with
[How AIP works](getting-started/how-aip-works.md).

## Related pages

- [AIP 1.0 specification](spec/AIP-1.0.md)
- [Connector index](connectors/README.md)
- [Implementation status](reference/implementation-status.md)
- [Glossary](reference/glossary.md)