Certification Framework
Six steps from definition to production proof. Each step has explicit criteria. No agent advances without evidence.
Defined
The agent has a documented definition file (AGENT.md) that specifies its purpose, triggers, required skills, processing steps, and output format. The definition is the machine-readable spec for what this agent does and how it operates within the Value-First architecture.
Evidence: AGENT.md file exists with complete sections
Skilled
The agent has required skills loaded and can access the knowledge it needs. Skills are shared knowledge files that provide methodology, enforcement rules, platform context, and operational patterns. A skilled agent knows the Value-First framework and can apply it.
Evidence: Skills referenced in AGENT.md exist and are loadable
Wired
The agent is connected to its data sources and downstream consumers. It can read from the systems it needs (Sanity, HubSpot, Google Workspace, Content Vault) and write to its output destinations. Wiring is the integration layer that makes an agent operational rather than theoretical.
Evidence: Data source connections verified, downstream consumers documented
Compliant
The agent passes all enforcement gates. It uses Value-First language (never "leads" or "funnel"). It respects the Customer Value Platform model. It routes HubSpot writes through Ledger. It follows the self-correction protocol. Compliance is not optional; it is the operating license.
Evidence: Output passes enforcement scanning, no forbidden language or patterns
Verified
The agent has been invoked and its output verified by a human or supervising agent. Verification is not a test run; it is a real production invocation with real data that produced a real output consumed by a real downstream process. One verified execution moves from "could work" to "did work."
Evidence: At least one verified production execution with output consumed downstream
Proven
The agent has a sustained track record of production output. Multiple executions across different contexts. Evidence is verifiable in the Content Vault, HubSpot, or other system of record. Proven is not a status you achieve; it is a status that accumulates through repeated, documented performance.
Evidence: Multiple production executions documented with verifiable locations
Built on the Value-First Methodology
The certification framework is rooted in the same principles that govern the Value-First consulting practice:
Value Path
8 stages from audience to champion. Agents embody stages they serve.
Three-Org Model
Operations, Customer, Finance. Every agent belongs to an org.
Core Beliefs
Value over Volume. Relationships over Transactions. Configuration over Customization.
12 Complexity Traps
Agents help organizations recognize and escape complexity patterns.