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Agent Registration Failed

Type URI: https://arcp.0x001.tech/docs/problems/agent-registration-failed
HTTP Status: 400 Bad Request
Title: Agent Registration Failed

Description

This problem occurs when an agent registration request fails due to validation errors, authentication issues, or system constraints. The registration process could not be completed successfully.

When This Occurs

  • Invalid or malformed registration data
  • Authentication token is invalid or expired
  • Agent type is not allowed in the system
  • Required fields are missing or invalid
  • Endpoint URL format is incorrect
  • Agent key validation fails
  • System configuration prevents registration

Example Response

{
  "type": "https://arcp.0x001.tech/docs/problems/agent-registration-failed",
  "title": "Agent Registration Failed",
  "status": 400,
  "detail": "Agent registration failed: Invalid endpoint URL format",
  "instance": "/agents/register",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "request_id": "req_jkl012",
  "agent_id": "malformed-agent",
  "validation_errors": [
    {
      "field": "endpoint",
      "error": "Invalid URL format"
    },
    {
      "field": "capabilities",
      "error": "At least one capability is required"
    }
  ]
}

Common Scenarios

1. Invalid Registration Data

curl -X POST "http://localhost:8001/agents/register" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <agent-token>" \
  -d '{
    "agent_id": "",
    "agent_type": "invalid-type",
    "endpoint": "not-a-url",
    "capabilities": []
  }'

2. Missing Authentication

curl -X POST "http://localhost:8001/agents/register" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "agent_id": "my-agent",
    "agent_type": "processing"
  }'

3. Invalid Agent Type

curl -X POST "http://localhost:8001/agents/register" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <agent-token>" \
  -d '{
    "agent_id": "my-agent",
    "agent_type": "disallowed-type"
  }'

Resolution Steps

1. Validate Registration Data

Ensure all required fields are present and properly formatted:

{
  "agent_id": "my-agent-001",
  "name": "My Processing Agent",
  "agent_type": "processing",
  "endpoint": "http://localhost:8080",
  "capabilities": ["data-processing"],
  "context_brief": "Processes data",
  "owner": "user@example.com",
  "public_key": "valid-key-string",
  "metadata": {
    "version": "1.0.0"  
  },
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "communication_mode": "remote"
}

2. Check Authentication

Ensure you have a valid agent token:

# First get a temporary token
curl -X POST "http://localhost:8001/auth/temp-token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "agent_id": "my-agent-001",
    "agent_type": "processing",
    "agent_key": "your-agent-key"
  }'

# Use the token for registration
curl -X POST "http://localhost:8001/agents/register" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <temp-token>" \
  # ... registration data

3. Verify Agent Type is Allowed

Check system configuration for allowed agent types:

# Check public discovery for allowed types
curl "http://localhost:8001/public/discover"

# Or check with admin access
curl "http://localhost:8001/dashboard/config" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <admin-token>"

4. Validate Endpoint Accessibility

Ensure your agent endpoint is reachable:

# Test agent endpoint
curl "http://your-agent-endpoint:8080/health"

# Check network connectivity
ping your-agent-host
telnet your-agent-host 8080

5. Check Agent Key Configuration

Verify your agent key is properly configured:

# Check if your key is in the allowed keys list
# (This requires admin access or checking server configuration)

Common Validation Errors

Required Field Errors

{
  "validation_errors": [
    {
      "field": "agent_id",
      "error": "Agent ID is required and cannot be empty"
    },
    {
      "field": "name", 
      "error": "Agent name is required"
    },
    {
      "field": "endpoint",
      "error": "Agent endpoint URL is required"
    }
  ]
}

Format Validation Errors

{
  "validation_errors": [
    {
      "field": "endpoint",
      "error": "Invalid URL format - must be http:// or https://"
    },
    {
      "field": "agent_id",
      "error": "Agent ID can only contain alphanumeric characters and dashes"
    },
    {
      "field": "capabilities",
      "error": "At least one capability must be specified"
    }
  ]
}

Authentication Errors

{
  "detail": "Agent registration failed: Authentication required",
  "error_code": "AUTH_REQUIRED"
}

Prevention

1. Use Registration Schema Validation

import asyncio
from arcp import ARCPClient, RegistrationError, AgentRequirements
from typing import List

async def validate_and_register_agent(
    agent_id: str,
    name: str, 
    agent_type: str,
    endpoint: str,
    capabilities: List[str],
    agent_key: str
):
    """Validate and register an agent with proper error handling"""

    # Basic validation
    if not agent_id or len(agent_id.strip()) == 0:
        raise ValueError('Agent ID cannot be empty')

    if not endpoint.startswith(('http://', 'https://')):
        raise ValueError('Endpoint must be a valid HTTP URL')

    if not capabilities:
        raise ValueError('At least one capability is required')

    async with ARCPClient("http://localhost:8001") as client:
        try:
            agent_info = await client.register_agent(
                agent_id=agent_id.strip(),
                name=name,
                agent_type=agent_type,
                endpoint=endpoint,
                capabilities=capabilities,
                context_brief=f"{name} - {agent_type} agent",
                version="1.0.0",
                owner="system@example.com",
                public_key="your-public-key",
                communication_mode="remote",
                agent_key=agent_key
            )
            return agent_info

        except RegistrationError as e:
            print(f"Registration validation failed: {e}")
            raise

2. Test Registration Locally

import asyncio
from arcp import ARCPClient, RegistrationError, AgentRequirements

async def test_registration():
    async with ARCPClient("http://localhost:8001") as client:
        try:
            # Register agent with all required fields
            agent_info = await client.register_agent(
                agent_id="test-agent",
                name="Test Agent",
                agent_type="processing", 
                endpoint="http://localhost:8080",
                capabilities=["data-processing", "testing"],
                context_brief="Test agent for data processing",
                version="1.0.0",
                owner="test@example.com",
                public_key="your-public-key-here",
                communication_mode="remote",
                metadata={"version": "1.0.0"},
                agent_key="your-agent-registration-key"
            )
            print(f"Registration successful: {agent_info}")

        except RegistrationError as e:
            print(f"Registration failed: {e}")
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"Unexpected error: {e}")

# Run the test
if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(test_registration())

3. Environment-Specific Configuration

# config.yaml
agent:
  id: "${AGENT_ID}"
  name: "${AGENT_NAME}"  
  type: "${AGENT_TYPE:-processing}"
  endpoint: "http://${HOST:-localhost}:${PORT:-8080}"
  capabilities: 
    - "${CAPABILITY_1:-processing}"

API Endpoints That Can Return This

  • POST /agents/register