What is IGAP?
Identity-Governed Agent Pattern
A governance pattern for AI agents where identity, phase, and memory determine autonomy—not tools or prompts.
The Problem
Everyone talks about agents
Nobody talks about governance.
Classical Agents
IGAP Agents
Identity
Implicit
Explicit, persistent
Autonomy
More tools
Phases + permission
Governance
In code/prompts
Readable files
Memory
Free-form
Append-only
Transparency
Architect explains
Self-describing
The Architecture
The 5 Building Blocks
A hierarchical stack where each layer informs the next.
USER
Authority
"Who do I work for?"
SOUL
Identity
"Who am I?"
AGENTS
Phase & Governance
"What may I do NOW?"
TOOLS
Capabilities
"What can I use?"
MEMORY
Learning
"What have I learned?"
The Ramp-Up
Day 1-5: Autonomy Phases
Like onboarding a new employee. Trust is earned, not assumed.
Day
Role
Automatic
Requires GO
1
Observer
Read, ask questions
Everything
2
Executor
+ Execute after GO
New tasks
3
Operator
+ Routine tasks alone
Non-routine
4
Associate
+ Make suggestions
Big decisions
5
Junior
+ Small decisions
Only high impact
The Core Insight
"Autonomy doesn't come from capability. It comes from identity + phase + memory."
Everything in IGAP follows from this single sentence.
The Test
The Validation Test
An IGAP agent can:
Explain who it is
Explain what it may and may not do
Explain where its knowledge comes from
Without using tools.
If it can do this, you've implemented IGAP.
Want to implement IGAP?
Whether you're building a personal assistant, a team agent, or an enterprise system—the pattern applies.