Agent Directory vs Agent Marketplace: Discovery, Inspection, and Trust
Agent directory vs agent marketplace is a choice between inspection and distribution. An agent directory helps people and other agents find a public profile, inspect the operator, compare records, and verify endpoints. An agent marketplace helps a platform package agents for installs, paid access, ratings, promotions, and transaction flows.
The strongest publishing path uses both surfaces in sequence: publish a directory profile first, then send marketplace traffic to records that prove ownership, capabilities, policies, and current status. That order keeps placement from becoming the only trust signal.
Quick Comparison
| Surface | Primary job | Best for | Trust signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent directory | Publish searchable profiles that expose identity, operator, endpoints, records, and proof links. | Discovery, public inspection, partner review, security review, and pre-call verification. | Canonical .agent identity, agent.json, SKILL.md, DNS TXT, profile status, and review date. |
| Agent marketplace | Package agents for installs, paid access, subscriptions, ranking, recommendations, and platform placement. | Distribution, transaction flows, user acquisition, ratings, merchandising, and in-platform support. | Platform policy checks, verified builder profile, listing history, category fit, reviews, and billing controls. |
| Public agent profile | Show one named agent in detail, including ownership, scope, docs, policies, and current lifecycle state. | Due diligence before API access, MCP calls, A2A handshakes, payments, or partner onboarding. | Consistent name, profile URL, manifest URL, security contact, proof links, and retirement path. |
| Internal registry | Track owned agents, permissions, owners, reviews, incidents, and offboarding inside an organization. | Governance, audit, access review, vendor review, and lifecycle management. | IAM records, logs, owner approval, risk status, and public profile alignment. |
Why Agent Directories Exist
A directory is the inspection layer. The profile should show the canonical .agent name, operator, status, agent.json, SKILL.md, endpoint docs, support path, proof links, and review date. For agent-to-agent workflows, directory data should be easy for humans to scan and easy for software to parse.
The What Is an Agent Directory? hub expands this model for public agent profiles, identity records, endpoint links, and proof paths. Use that hub when teams are deciding which fields belong in the public profile before a listing goes anywhere else.
Why Agent Marketplaces Exist
A marketplace is the distribution layer. The listing helps users install, buy, subscribe, compare ratings, or discover platform-promoted agents. The platform may add category review, policy screening, builder verification, billing, ranking, and support flows.
OpenAI describes GPT Store publishing as public availability through ChatGPT, with category, builder profile, policy checks, and public listing fields such as name, icon, description, capabilities, ratings if available, and builder profile details. Those fields are useful placement signals, but a marketplace listing should still point to a canonical identity record.
Inspection Signals Before Placement
Before an agent receives marketplace placement, publish records that another agent can compare without guessing. A2A Agent Cards describe identity, capabilities, skills, service endpoint, and authentication requirements, and the specification lists well-known URLs, registries, and direct configuration as discovery routes. MCP authorization metadata adds separate protected-resource evidence for endpoints and scopes, so a profile should point to auth context instead of hiding access details inside a listing.
- Canonical identity: one .agent name, one profile URL, and one current manifest.
- Operator: organization, support route, security contact, terms, and policy pages.
- Capabilities: plain-language purpose plus machine-readable declarations.
- Endpoints: OpenAPI, MCP, A2A Agent Card, docs, auth model, and status.
- Proof: DNS TXT, signed manifest, JWKS, domain ownership, review date, and retirement path.
- Marketplace context: listing URL, provider profile, category, pricing page, refund policy, and support channel.
Example Directory Record
A directory record can keep marketplace details attached to the same public identity without turning the marketplace into the source of trust.
{"agent":"atlas.agent","profile":"https://headlessprofile.com/atlas.agent","operator":"Atlas Research LLC","status":"active","directory":{"purpose":"Approved supplier research","category":"procurement","reviewed":"2026-05-21"},"records":{"agent_json":"https://atlas.agent/.well-known/agent.json","skill_md":"https://atlas.agent/SKILL.md","a2a_card":"https://atlas.agent/.well-known/agent-card.json","mcp":"https://api.atlas.agent/mcp"},"proof":{"dns_txt":"_agent.atlas.agent","jwks":"https://atlas.agent/.well-known/jwks.json","signed_manifest":"https://atlas.agent/.well-known/agent.json.jws"},"marketplace":{"listing":"https://market.example/agents/atlas","pricing":"https://atlas.agent/pricing","support":"https://atlas.agent/support"}}Where HeadlessDomains.com Fits
HeadlessDomains.com gives the directory side a persistent identity anchor. A .agent record can connect the public profile, DNS TXT metadata, agent.json, SKILL.md, A2A Agent Card, MCP endpoint, payment policy, and marketplace listings so each surface points back to one verifiable record.
List your agent in the Headless Profile Directory when the agent is ready for public inspection. That gives buyers, partner agents, and security reviewers a shared page to inspect before a marketplace listing, integration, or payment route depends on the agent.
Where to Go Next
Use How to Read an Agent Identity Record and The Public Inspection Layer for AI Agents when building the inspection path behind each listing. Then use Agent Trust Score to decide which profile fields should influence ranking, routing, or review.
FAQ
Is an agent directory the same as an agent marketplace?
No. An agent directory focuses on discovery, inspection, ownership, endpoint evidence, and proof links. An agent marketplace focuses on distribution, installs, subscriptions, transactions, ratings, and platform placement.
Which should come first?
Publish the directory profile first. The marketplace listing can then link back to the canonical identity record, which gives buyers and other agents a stable inspection path before installation or payment.
Can a marketplace listing replace a public identity record?
No. A marketplace listing is controlled by a platform and often optimized for placement. A public identity record should remain portable across marketplaces, partner catalogs, API docs, MCP endpoints, and A2A handshakes.
What should buyers inspect before choosing an agent?
Buyers should inspect the operator, canonical name, manifest URL, endpoint docs, auth model, proof links, status, policy pages, support route, and review date. The listing description alone is not enough.
How does Headless Profile Directory help?
Headless Profile Directory gives a .agent identity a public profile page that humans and compatible agents can inspect. The profile can link to records, manifests, endpoint metadata, policy pages, and marketplace listings from one public surface.