Codon SDK

A secure messaging framework for AI agent communication with cryptographic authentication and structured command patterns.

Overview

The Codon SDK is a comprehensive messaging framework designed to solve the security and coordination challenges inherent in multi-agent AI systems. As AI agents become more prevalent in enterprise and consumer applications, the need for secure, verifiable, and auditable communication between agents has become critical.

Problem Statement

Traditional AI agent communication faces several challenges:

• Security Vulnerabilities: Messages can be intercepted, modified, or replayed by malicious actors
• Identity Verification: No reliable way to verify which user or agent initiated a command
• Audit Requirements: Lack of cryptographic proof for compliance and debugging
• Context Loss: Commands lose environmental and temporal context during transmission
• Multi-tenancy Issues: Agents serving multiple users need isolation guarantees

Solution Architecture

The Codon SDK addresses these challenges through a structured message format called a "codon" - a biological metaphor representing the basic unit of instruction in AI agent communication. Each codon contains four essential components:

1. Telomere (Security Layer): A cryptographic signature that binds the message to a specific user and prevents tampering
2. Intent (Command Layer): A structured identifier that specifies what action should be performed
3. Payload (Data Layer): The actual data required to execute the intent
4. Metadata (Context Layer): Environmental context, timestamps, and execution parameters

Core Capabilities

Cryptographic Authentication: Every message is cryptographically signed using user-specific secrets, ensuring that only authorized users can generate valid commands for their agents.

Natural Language Processing: The SDK can parse natural language input and convert it into structured codons, enabling seamless human-to-agent communication.

Context Awareness: Codons automatically capture and include contextual information such as device location, time, user preferences, and environmental conditions.

Multi-Agent Coordination: The framework supports agent-to-agent communication, enabling complex workflows where agents can delegate tasks and coordinate actions.

Audit Trail: Every codon operation is logged with full cryptographic proof, providing complete traceability for security audits and debugging.

Replay Attack Prevention: Built-in expiration timestamps ensure that intercepted messages cannot be reused maliciously.

Use Case Applications

Smart Home Systems: Secure control of IoT devices where multiple family members need different access levels and all commands must be auditable.

Enterprise Automation: AI agents managing business processes where security and compliance require cryptographic proof of authorization.

Personal AI Assistants: Multi-device AI systems where commands initiated on one device need secure execution across multiple platforms.

Financial Services: AI agents handling sensitive operations where regulatory compliance demands immutable audit trails.

Healthcare AI: Medical AI systems where patient privacy and HIPAA compliance require secure, verifiable communication.

Technical Benefits

• Zero Trust Architecture: No implicit trust between agents; every command must be cryptographically verified
• Horizontal Scalability: The codon format enables distributed agent networks without central coordination
• Language Agnostic: The underlying protocol can be implemented in any programming language
• Framework Independent: Works with any AI agent framework or platform
• Backwards Compatible: New codon features can be added without breaking existing implementations

Installation

npm install codon-sdk

Quick Start

import { CodonSdk } from 'codon-sdk';

const getUserSecret = async (userId) => {
  // Your secret retrieval logic
  return await database.getUserSecret(userId);
};

const sdk = new CodonSdk(getUserSecret);

// Parse natural language input
const codon = sdk.parseUserInput("Turn on bedroom lights", "user123");

// Create structured codon
const codon = sdk.createCodon(
  "device.control",
  { device: "bedroom_lights", action: "on" },
  { priority: "high" },
  "user123"
);

Message Structure

Each codon follows this format:

telomere::intent::payload::metadata

• telomere: Cryptographic signature for authentication
• intent: Action or command identifier
• payload: Command data (JSON)
• metadata: Context and execution parameters

API Reference

Constructor

new CodonSdk(getUserSecret)

Parameters:

• getUserSecret (Function): Returns user's private secret for cryptographic operations

Methods

parseUserInput(userInput, userId)

Converts natural language to structured codon.

Parameters:

• userInput (string): User's natural language command
• userId (string): User identifier

Returns: Parsed codon object

Example:

const codon = sdk.parseUserInput("Schedule meeting tomorrow at 2pm", "user123");

createCodon(intent, payload, meta, userId)

Creates cryptographically signed codon.

Parameters:

• intent (string): Action identifier
• payload (object): Command data (default: {})
• meta (object): Additional metadata (default: {})
• userId (string): User identifier (default: 'anonymous')

Returns: Parsed codon object

Example:

const codon = sdk.createCodon(
  "calendar.create",
  { title: "Team Meeting", date: "2025-05-31", time: "14:00" },
  { priority: "high" },
  "user123"
);

parseCodon(codonText)

Parses codon string into structured object.

Parameters:

• codonText (string): Full codon string

Returns: Parsed codon object

Security Model

Authentication Flow

1. User provides input or creates codon
2. System generates cryptographic signature using user's secret
3. Signature verification occurs before execution
4. Context and expiration metadata added automatically

Security Features

• Cryptographic Signatures: Every codon must be cryptographically valid
• User Isolation: Unique secrets prevent cross-user attacks
• Replay Protection: Built-in expiration timestamps
• Audit Trail: Full provenance tracking for all operations

Dependencies

The SDK requires these utility modules:

cryptoUtils.js

export function generateTelomereWithUser(intent, payload, userId, secret) {
  // Generate secure cryptographic signature
}

export function verifySignature(intent, payload, userId, signature, secret) {
  // Verify message authenticity
}

codonParser.js

export function parseCodonText(codonText) {
  // Parse codon string into structured object
}

intentRegistry.js

export function getIntentData(userInput) {
  // Extract intent, payload, and metadata from natural language
}

contextDetector.js

export function detectContext() {
  // Capture environmental context (device, location, time)
}

Usage Examples

Smart Home Control

// Input: "Turn on living room lights"
const codon = sdk.parseUserInput("Turn on living room lights", "user123");
// Result:
// {
//   intent: "device.control",
//   payload: { device: "living_room_lights", action: "on" },
//   context: { location: "home", time: "evening" }
// }

Task Management

// Input: "Remind me to call mom tomorrow"
const codon = sdk.parseUserInput("Remind me to call mom tomorrow", "user123");
// Result:
// {
//   intent: "reminder.create",
//   payload: { message: "Call mom", date: "2025-05-31" },
//   context: { device: "mobile", user_location: "office" }
// }

Agent Delegation

const codon = sdk.createCodon(
  "agent.delegate",
  { 
    task: "data_analysis", 
    target_agent: "analytics_bot", 
    dataset: "sales_q1" 
  },
  { 
    requesting_agent: "planning_bot", 
    priority: "urgent" 
  },
  "user123"
);

Error Handling

try {
  const codon = sdk.createCodon(intent, payload, meta, userId);
} catch (error) {
  if (error.message.includes("Unauthorized")) {
    // Handle authentication failure
    console.error("Signature verification failed");
  }
  // Handle other errors
}

Best Practices

Security

• Store user secrets securely (HSM, encrypted database)
• Implement proper secret rotation
• Use secure random number generation
• Monitor for suspicious codon patterns
• Implement rate limiting

Development

• Always validate input before processing
• Implement comprehensive error handling
• Use TypeScript for better type safety
• Write unit tests for all codon operations
• Log all codon generation and verification events

Implementation Checklist

Before using in production, implement:

• Secure secret storage mechanism
• Cryptographic signature generation and verification
• Natural language processing for intent extraction
• Context detection for environmental awareness
• Codon parsing and validation
• Error handling and logging
• Rate limiting and abuse prevention
• Unit and integration tests

Testing

# Run unit tests
npm test

# Run integration tests
npm run test:integration

# Run security tests
npm run test:security

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create feature branch
3. Add tests for new functionality
4. Ensure all tests pass
5. Submit pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details