OTR Architecture Overview

2.1 Four-Layer Architecture

+----------------------------------------------------------+
|                Verification Layer                         |
|  REST API . .well-known/otr/verify . MCP Server          |
|  AI agents and developers query trust scores here        |
+----------------------------------------------------------+
|                Identity Layer                             |
|  OTR-ID . Trust Badges (PLATINUM/GOLD/SILVER/BRONZE)     |
|  Each domain receives a unique identifier and badge      |
+----------------------------------------------------------+
|                Scoring Layer                              |
|  Six-Dimension Model . Weight System . Site-Type Adapt.  |
|  77 signals weighted to produce a 0-100 score           |
+----------------------------------------------------------+
|                Collection Layer                           |
|  DNS . SSL . HTML . Fingerprints . GLEIF . Wikidata . SEC|
|  Automatic collection of public signals from many sources|
+----------------------------------------------------------+

2.2 Data Flow

The complete journey of a domain from initial submission to a trust score:

Domain Submitted
  |
  v
Collection Layer: Multi-Stage Pipeline
  +- DNS checks (DNSSEC/DMARC/SPF/DKIM/CAA and more)
  +- HTML scan (SSL/structured data/policy pages/llms.txt)
  +- Technology fingerprint detection (2,400+ known technologies)
  +- Site classification (ecommerce/SaaS/non-commercial, 13 subcategories)
  +- Policy depth analysis (privacy/returns/terms of service quality)
  +- External data sources (GLEIF/Wikidata/Finnhub/SEC)
  +- Data integration (multi-source merge)
  |
  v
Scoring Layer: Scorer
  +- Read all signals
  +- Group by dimension (V/S/G/T/D/F)
  +- Apply weight matrix (adapted by site type: ecommerce/saas/authorized)
  +- Compute per-dimension scores and total score
  +- Assign badge
  |
  v
Identity Layer: OTR-ID Generation
  +- Format: OTR-{hash}
  +- Links domain, score, and badge
  |
  v
Verification Layer: API Publication
  +- GET /api/otr/verify/{domain}
  +- GET /.well-known/otr/verify
  +- MCP Server: @otr-protocol/mcp-server

2.3 Relationship with Other Commerce Protocols

OTR does not operate in isolation. It serves as the trust infrastructure within the agentic commerce ecosystem:

                          +-----------+
                          | AI Agent  |
                          +-----+-----+
                                |
                   +------------+------------+
                   |            |            |
             +-----v----+ +----v----+ +----v----+
             |   UCP    | |   ACP   | |   MCP   |
             | Product  | | Orders  | |  Tool   |
             | Discovery| | Payment | | Connect |
             +-----+----+ +----+----+ +----+----+
                   |            |            |
                   +------------+------------+
                                |
                         +------v------+
                         |    OTR      |
                         | Trust Score |
                         +-------------+

OTR and UCP: Before an AI agent browses products via UCP, it checks the merchant’s OTR trust score. Low-scoring merchants may have their products deprioritized.
OTR and ACP: Before an AI agent places an order on behalf of a consumer, the OTR trust badge is one of the inputs to its risk assessment.
OTR and MCP: ORBEXA provides an OTR MCP Server so AI assistants can directly call the verify_domain tool to look up trust scores.

2.4 Site-Type Adaptation

Not all websites are e-commerce stores. OTR automatically adjusts scoring weights based on site type:

Site Type	D-Dimension Weight	F-Dimension Weight	Typical Characteristics
ecommerce	High	High	Has products, shopping cart, payment
saas	Medium	Low	Software service, subscription model
authorized	Varies	Varies	Merchant has authorized deep verification

Classification is performed automatically by the fingerprint engine, based on the site’s technology stack, page structure, and functional features.

Next Chapter: V/S Dimensions — Verification and Security Signals — 13 verification signals + 15 security signals

Why AI agents need a trust verification layer OTR verification and security signal dimensions

Start

Learning Paths

Getting Started with AI Commerce

OTR Open Trust Registry

UCP Universal Commerce Protocol

ACP Agentic Commerce Protocol

MCP Model Context Protocol

SEO for the AI Era

ORBEXA Integrated Solution

Templates & Prompts

Glossary

OTR four-layer architecture overview

OTR Architecture Overview

2.1 Four-Layer Architecture

2.2 Data Flow

2.3 Relationship with Other Commerce Protocols

2.4 Site-Type Adaptation

​OTR Architecture Overview

​2.1 Four-Layer Architecture

​2.2 Data Flow

​2.3 Relationship with Other Commerce Protocols

​2.4 Site-Type Adaptation

OTR Architecture Overview

2.1 Four-Layer Architecture

2.2 Data Flow

2.3 Relationship with Other Commerce Protocols

2.4 Site-Type Adaptation