Specification

Status

This is the initial dated AQP specification. It defines the canonical data model and normative behavior shared by all bindings. JSON Schema 2020-12 files are the authoritative machine-readable definitions.

Conformance language

The key words MUST, MUST NOT, REQUIRED, SHALL, SHALL NOT, SHOULD, SHOULD NOT, RECOMMENDED, NOT RECOMMENDED, MAY, and OPTIONAL are interpreted according to BCP 14 when they appear in all capitals.

Protocol requirements

1. Implementations MUST validate canonical objects against the schema for their declared protocol version.
2. A query MUST identify exactly one subject and intended respondent, declare one response format, and expire.
3. A response MUST match the exact answer contract declared by its request.
4. A respondent and host MUST apply local privacy, authorization, approval, and destination policy before submission.
5. Approval MUST be its own query; silence and unrelated confirmation are not answers.
6. A collector MUST return a structured receipt and make duplicate response submission idempotent.
7. A follow-up MUST use a new identifier, preserve the subject, and link through continuationOf.
8. Query processing MUST NOT delay or fail the interaction that carried it.

Versioning

AQP versions use ISO calendar dates. Implementations declare one exact version per object. A newer implementation may support multiple dated versions, but must not silently reinterpret an object under a different version. Breaking schema or semantic changes require a new date.

Bindings