Overview

auth.md provides a standardized path for agents to register for services on behalf of users. It provides a simple, discoverable authentication contract that any AI agent can follow. At its core, auth.md is a small Markdown file hosted at https://developer.encrata.com/auth.md. The file describes how agents authenticate with Encrata, which endpoints are available, what scopes they can access, and what to do once authenticated. Because Markdown is plain text, the same file works as documentation for human integrators and as a discoverable runtime artifact for agents.

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How it works

An agent authenticates with Encrata via the API Key Flow:

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The contract

The auth.md file at developer.encrata.com/auth.md tells agents everything they need:

1. How to authenticate - login endpoint, request format, expected responses
2. How to get an API key - programmatic key creation for long-lived access
3. What endpoints exist - every lookup type with parameters and response shapes
4. How credits work - cost per lookup, balance checking
5. Error handling - status codes, rate limits, retry behavior

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Why auth.md?

Traditional API authentication requires developers to read docs, sign up manually, copy keys from dashboards, and configure their applications. AI agents can’t do any of that. auth.md solves this by making authentication machine-discoverable:

• No GUI required - agents authenticate programmatically end-to-end
• Self-describing - the file contains everything needed, no external docs required
• Standard format - plain Markdown that any agent can parse
• Always current - hosted at a well-known URL, always reflects the latest API

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