# Corgent vs Bardiel

*<mark style="color:red;">Draft – positioning, naming, and scopes may be refined as implementations evolve.</mark>*

Cortensor will expose **two main “agent-facing” surfaces**:

* **Corgent** – Cortensor’s **primary Agentic AI Infra surface**, designed for **ERC-8004 and agent ecosystems** in general.
* **Bardiel** – a **Virtual-native service agent** built *on top of* Cortensor (and often Corgent), focused on **Virtual + UX + ecosystem-specific features**, while still able to **register and operate in ERC-8004**.

They share the same underlying network (Router, Sessions, Miners, PoI/PoUW), but they serve **different roles and audiences**.

***

### TL;DR

* **Corgent**\
  → Infra-native **trust & execution oracle** for **ERC-8004 agents and agent frameworks**.\
  → Lives closest to the **Router Node + validation stack**.\
  → Exposes **Delegation / Validation / Arbitration** as **minimal, policy-driven services**.\
  → Think: *“Cortensor’s core agent surface for agents & protocols.”*
* **Bardiel**\
  → **Virtual-first service agent** that uses Cortensor (and often Corgent) to power **trust and execution inside Virtual**, and can also plug into **ERC-8004**.\
  → Free to add **UX, flows, and ecosystem-specific behaviors** (GAME/ACP patterns, presets, token logic, etc.).\
  → Think: *“Virtual’s high-level product agent that runs on Cortensor/Corgent.”*

They are **complementary**:\
**Corgent is the infra contract**, **Bardiel is a productized ecosystem agent**.

***

### Quick Comparison

| Dimension           | **Corgent**                                                      | **Bardiel**                                                             |
| ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Primary Scope**   | ERC-8004 & general agent ecosystems                              | Virtual ecosystem first, with **also** ERC-8004 participation           |
| **Home Layer**      | Cortensor core / Router & validation stack                       | Virtual (GAME/ACP) + higher-level UX and flows                          |
| **Role**            | Trust & execution **infra surface**                              | Full **service agent** built on Cortensor (often using Corgent)         |
| **Main Users**      | Agent frameworks, ERC-8004 agents, infra devs, protocols         | Virtual builders, app devs, agent creators, ecosystem power users       |
| **Capabilities**    | Delegation, Validation, Arbitration (policy-driven, infra-level) | Delegation, Validation, Arbitration **plus** extra ecosystem logic      |
| **Positioning**     | “**Cortensor for agents & protocols**”                           | “**Virtual’s trust & execution agent on Cortensor**”                    |
| **Custom Features** | Minimal, stable, infra-oriented surface                          | UX flows, presets, niche tools, token-linked or ecosystem behaviors     |
| **Dependency**      | Directly on Router v1.5/v1.6 + PoI/PoUW + reputation             | Built on Cortensor; may call **Corgent** as its trust/execution backend |

***

### Corgent – Cortensor’s Infra-Native Agentic Surface

**Scope:**\
Corgent is the **primary agent that represents the Cortensor Network** to external agent ecosystems, especially the **ERC-8004** world.

**Key ideas:**

* **ERC-8004-native:**\
  Designed to register as an ERC-8004 service/agent so any 8004 agent, registry, or marketplace can call it.
* **Agent ecosystem neutral:**\
  Works with any agent framework or runtime:
  * ERC-8004 agents and registries
  * Custom agent frameworks
  * Web2 backends and bots via HTTP/x402
* **Minimal surface, strong guarantees:**
  * **Delegation-as-a-Service** – send tasks to Cortensor with explicit reliability tiers
  * **Validation-as-a-Service** – verify claimed outputs using PoI/PoUW, redundancy & reputation
  * **Arbitration-as-a-Service** – oracle-grade replays and consensus for disputes
* **Policy tiers:**\
  Fast / Safe / Oracle-grade / Adaptive, built on:
  * Redundant miners
  * **Proof of Inference (PoI)**
  * **Proof of Useful Work (PoUW)**
  * Node reputation & integrity checks
* **Router evolution path:**
  * **Router v1.5** → stable `/completions` + MCP/x402 surfaces
  * **Router v1.6** → adds `/validate` (delegate + validate pair)
  * **Corgent v1.x** → wraps these into **well-defined agent APIs and policies** for ERC-8004 & agentic infra

**Who should integrate Corgent?**

* Teams building **ERC-8004 agents**, registries, marketplaces.
* Infra builders who want **verifiable inference & validation** as a primitive.
* Protocols that need **oracle-backed decisions, result checks, or AI-driven disputes**.

***

### Bardiel – Virtual-Native Service Agent on Cortensor

**Scope:**\
Bardiel is a **Virtual-native service agent** that **runs on Cortensor**, designed **first** for the **Virtual ecosystem (GAME/ACP)** and **second** for ERC-8004 participation.

**Key ideas:**

* **Virtual-first:**\
  Exposed as GAME Workers/Functions and ACP sellers so **Virtual agents** can easily:
  * Delegate tasks to Cortensor
  * Validate other agents’ results
  * Escalate disputes to oracle-grade checks
* **Built on Cortensor (and often Corgent):**
  * Uses the same redundant miners and PoI/PoUW rails beneath.
  * Can internally call **Corgent** for standardized infra-level policies and tiers.
* **More freedom at the “edges”:**
  * May include **UX choices**, ecosystem-specific defaults, and recipes for Virtual.
  * Can add **product-level features** over time as agent demand grows:
    * Pre-configured flows (e.g., “high-trust summary pipeline”)
    * Ecosystem dashboards & canned policies
    * Optional token mechanics tied to usage or priority (subject to legal review)
* **Also ERC-8004-capable:**\
  Bardiel can **register and operate** as an ERC-8004 agent where it makes sense, but its **primary value proposition** is as a **Virtual-facing product agent** built on Cortensor/Corgent.

**Who should integrate Bardiel?**

* Builders using **Virtual’s GAME/ACP SDKs** who want:
  * A ready-made “trust + execution” agent.
  * Virtual-oriented defaults for delegation, validation, and disputes.
* Projects that want to **enter Cortensor via Virtual first**:
  * Use Bardiel for fast integration and UX.
  * Drop down to **Corgent / Router** later for deeper infra integration.

***

### How They Interact

A mental model for the stack:

1. **Base Infra – Cortensor**
   * Router Nodes, Session Queue
   * Miner Nodes (inference)
   * Validation (PoI/PoUW, node reputation, integrity)
   * Payments, staking, settlement on L2/L3
2. **Infra Surface – Corgent**
   * Policy-driven **Delegation / Validation / Arbitration**
   * ERC-8004-ready interfaces and artifacts
   * Minimal, stable contract for agents and protocols
3. **Ecosystem Agent – Bardiel**
   * Virtual-native agent (GAME/ACP) for **trust + execution**
   * Uses Cortensor directly and may **use Corgent underneath** for policies
   * Adds **Virtual-specific UX and product behaviors**

Typical patterns:

* An **ERC-8004 agent** calls **Corgent** directly for delegated compute or validation.
* A **Virtual agent** calls **Bardiel**, which internally:
  * Delegates to Cortensor (via Router/Sessions)
  * May use **Corgent** for standardized tiers and verdict shapes
  * Returns a Virtual-friendly response to GAME/ACP.

Over time, **Bardiel and Corgent can share more policy logic**, while maintaining **different scopes and UX responsibilities**.

***

### When to Use Which

**Use Corgent when you:**

* Are building for **ERC-8004** or a generic agent ecosystem.
* Want a **clean, infra-level contract** with explicit policies and machine-readable verdicts.
* Care about **protocol integration, trust assurances, and composability** across agents and chains.

**Use Bardiel when you:**

* Are building **inside Virtual** and want a **plug-and-play service agent**.
* Prefer **GAME/ACP-friendly APIs, defaults, and cookbook recipes**.
* Want a “Virtual native” agent that still benefits from **Cortensor’s redundant miners + PoI/PoUW**.

***

### Shared Principles

Despite different scopes, both Corgent and Bardiel share the same core principles:

* **Don’t trust a single model run.**\
  Use redundancy, PoI, PoUW, and node reputation.
* **Separate planning vs execution vs trust.**\
  GAME or other agents do the **thinking**; Cortensor miners do the **compute**;\
  **Corgent/Bardiel** provide **trust & oracle-grade judgment**.
* **Make verification usable in practice.**\
  Cheap enough for frequent calls, strong enough to matter for important decisions.

**Corgent** does this from the **infra and ERC-8004 side**.\
**Bardiel** does this from the **Virtual and product side**.

Together, they give Cortensor:

* A **clean, long-lived Agentic AI Infra layer** (Corgent), and
* A **rich ecosystem entry point for Virtual and beyond** (Bardiel).