(registered 2026-08-17, last updated 2026-08-17)

Media type name: application

Media subtype name: vnd.aep+zip

Required parameters: N/A

Optional parameters: N/A

Encoding considerations: binary

Binary (ZIP container; see RFC 6839 for the +zip structured syntax suffix).

Security considerations: An AEP (Action Evidence Package) is a signed, append-only evidence container: a ZIP archive with a flat internal layout carrying a canonical action record (RFC 8785 JCS), its SHA-256 hash, a detached signature, an RFC 3161 timestamp token, and metadata. Consumers MUST verify the enclosed signature and hash chain before trusting any member file; the signature proves possession of the runtime's key, not the integrity of the platform that held it (composition with remote attestation per RFC 9334 is specified separately in draft-sokolov-rats-aep-composition). Standard ZIP-parsing hazards apply and are constrained by the profile: nested directories are forbidden, member names are fixed by the profile, maximum uncompressed size is 10 MB (decompression-bomb bound), and duplicate entry names MUST be rejected. The container itself provides no confidentiality; if the recorded action contains personal or confidential data, transport- or object-layer encryption is requir
ed.

Interoperability considerations: The payload is a standard PKZIP archive (store or deflate) readable by any ZIP library. The profile (v1) fixes the member set and forbids features (nesting, encryption, ZIP64) that commonly break interoperability.

Published specification: AEP profile v1, urn:eatf:spec:aep:1.0 - https://schemas.tyche.institute/eatf/aep-v1.schema.json (metadata schema); composition context: draft-sokolov-rats-aep-composition (IETF Datatracker).

Applications which use this media: EATF verifier (open source), AEP sandbox tooling, RATS Conceptual Message Wrapper (RFC 9999) Record/Collection carriage of application-layer action evidence.

Fragment identifier considerations: As specified for +zip (none defined for application/zip).

Restrictions on usage: None.

Additional information:

1. Deprecated alias names for this type: N/A.
2. Magic number(s): 50 4B 03 04 (ZIP local file header)
3. File extension(s): .aep
4. Macintosh file type code: N/A.
5. Object Identifiers: N/A.

General Comments: Vendor designation "eatf" refers to the EATF open verification tooling published by Tyche Institute (Tallinn, Estonia).

Person to contact for further information:

1. Name: Anton Sokolov
2. Email: anton.sokolov&tyche.institute

Intended usage: COMMON

Evidence interchange for accountability of automated (e.g. AI-agent) actions.

Author/Change controller: Tyche Institute (Tallinn, Estonia); anton.sokolov&tyche.institute