Discovery registries are market infrastructure, and their ranking incentives belong inside the threat model.
Why this question matters
A2A supports well-known cards, direct configuration, and curated registries, while leaving registry APIs open to the ecosystem. That flexibility will produce useful specialization. It also gives registry operators power over inclusion, ordering, certification, and commercial placement.
When agents consume rankings automatically, small biases can become repeated allocations of work. An affiliated registry, agent provider, and payment service may comply with every protocol while steering demand toward the same economic group.
Signals worth observing
- Affiliated agents receive persistent ranking advantages without disclosed criteria.
- Nominally independent providers share infrastructure, ownership, or revenue.
- Reciprocal traffic and ratings amplify a closed group of agents.
Practical control direction
- Publish ranking factors and material commercial relationships.
- Measure concentration across owners, runtimes, and beneficiaries.
- Offer auditable alternatives for high-impact agent selection.
AgentCollusion lensThe relevant graph joins discovery position to ownership, transactions, and outcomes over time.Sources and further reading
Next field note: Extended Agent Cards Need Selective Disclosure
