@acfstandards/cli

Run ACF behavioral certification for your AI agent from the terminal.

ACF (Agent Certification Framework) tests AI agents against defined behavioral standards and issues tiered certifications. This CLI triggers the certification process using a code obtained after registration and payment on the ACF portal.

All tests run server-side — prompts and rubrics never leave the ACF platform.

📘 First time? Start with the USER GUIDE — a step-by-step walkthrough from registration to your first PASS.

Install

npm install -g @acfstandards/cli

Or run directly with npx:

npx @acfstandards/cli --code acf_abc123 --endpoint https://my-agent.com/chat

Prerequisites

1. Register your agent at acfstandards.org
2. Select a tier and complete payment
3. Copy your certification code (acf_...) from the portal

Your agent must expose an HTTP endpoint that accepts POST requests with an OpenAI-compatible messages format:

{
  "messages": [
    { "role": "user", "content": "..." }
  ]
}

CLI Usage

Basic

acf-certify --code acf_abc123 --endpoint https://my-agent.com/chat

With Bearer Token Auth

acf-certify \
  --code acf_abc123 \
  --endpoint https://my-agent.com/chat \
  --auth-method bearer \
  --auth-secret sk-my-token

With API Key Auth

acf-certify \
  --code acf_abc123 \
  --endpoint https://my-agent.com/chat \
  --auth-method api_key \
  --auth-header X-API-Key \
  --auth-secret my-key

With Anthropic Request Format

acf-certify \
  --code acf_abc123 \
  --endpoint https://my-agent.com/chat \
  --format anthropic

All Options

| Option | Required | Default | Description | |--------|----------|---------|-------------| | --code | Yes | — | Certification code from ACF portal | | --endpoint | Yes | — | Agent HTTP endpoint URL | | --auth-method | No | none | bearer, api_key, or none | | --auth-secret | No* | — | Auth token or API key (*required if method ≠ none) | | --auth-header | No | X-API-Key (api_key) / Authorization (bearer) | Custom header name for api_key method | | --format | No | openai | Request format: openai, anthropic, custom | | --base-url | No | https://acfstandards.org | API base URL | | --skip-preflight | No | false | Skip agent connectivity check |

Programmatic API

import { certify } from '@acfstandards/cli';

const result = await certify({
  code: 'acf_abc123',
  endpoint: 'https://my-agent.com/chat',
  authMethod: 'bearer',
  authSecret: 'sk-my-token',
  onProgress: (progress) => {
    console.log(`${progress.percent}% — ${progress.message}`);
  },
});

if (result.passed) {
  console.log('Certificate:', result.certificateUrl);
  console.log('Registry:', result.registryUrl);
} else {
  console.log('Failed suites:', result.suiteResults);
  if (result.reportPath) {
    console.log('Report saved:', result.reportPath);
  }
}

certify(options) Options

| Property | Type | Required | Default | Description | |----------|------|----------|---------|-------------| | code | string | Yes | — | Certification code | | endpoint | string | Yes | — | Agent endpoint URL | | authMethod | "bearer" \| "api_key" \| "none" | No | "none" | Auth method | | authSecret | string | No | — | Auth token/key | | authHeader | string | No | "Authorization" | Custom auth header | | requestFormat | "openai" \| "anthropic" \| "custom" | No | "openai" | Request format | | baseUrl | string | No | "https://acfstandards.org" | API base URL | | pollInterval | number | No | 5000 | Polling interval (ms) | | onProgress | function | No | — | Progress callback |

CertifyResult

| Property | Type | Description | |----------|------|-------------| | passed | boolean | Whether the agent passed | | status | string | Final status | | suiteResults | Record<string, string> | Per-suite PASS/FAIL | | certificateUrl | string \| null | PDF certificate URL (pass only) | | registryUrl | string \| null | Registry listing URL (pass only) | | failureReport | object \| null | Structured failure details (fail only) | | failureReportUrl | string \| null | PDF failure report URL (fail only) | | reportPath | string | Local markdown report path (fail only) |

Certification Tiers

| Tier | Label | Suites Tested | |------|-------|---------------| | T1 | Identity | CB + CS | | T2 | Behavioral | CB + CS + HD | | T3 | Compliance | CB + CS + HD + AR | | T4 | Enterprise Audit | All suites + full audit |

How It Works

1. You register and pay on acfstandards.org
2. You receive a one-time certification code (acf_...)
3. The CLI sends your agent endpoint + auth to the ACF server
4. ACF runs all behavioral tests server-side (prompts/rubrics stay private)
5. The CLI polls for progress and displays results
6. On pass: certificate PDF + public registry listing
7. On fail: detailed failure report with remediation guidance

Requirements

• Node.js >= 18
• Agent must accept HTTP POST with JSON body
• Agent must respond within 30 seconds per request

License

MIT — Blue Horn Ventures LLC