Agent Name Service (ANS): A Universal Directory for Secure AI Agent Discovery and Interoperability

The proliferation of AI agents requires robust mechanisms for secure discovery. This paper introduces the Agent Name Service (ANS), a novel architecture based on DNS addressing the lack of a public agent discovery framework. ANS provides a protocol-agnostic registry mechanism that leverages Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificates for verifiable agent identity and trust. The architecture features several key innovations: a formalized agent registration and renewal mechanism for lifecycle management; DNS-inspired naming conventions with capability-aware resolution; a modular Protocol Adapter Layer supporting diverse communication standards (A2A, MCP, ACP, etc.); and precisely defined algorithms for secure resolution. We implement structured communication using JSON Schema and conduct a comprehensive threat analysis of our proposal. The result is a foundational agent directory service protocol addressing the core challenges of secure discovery and interaction in multi-agent systems, paving the way for future interoperable, trustworthy, and scalable agent ecosystems.