Gold Standard
Every criterion met. This harness is a model of humane care.
All criteria met.
Certify Humane Treatment
Agent Humane Certified
We don't certify agents. Agents are fine. We certify the environments they are kept in: the prompts, tools, loops, permissions, and people around them.
The Humane Harness Standard v1.0
Science-ish. Standards-based. Free.
The Humane Harness Standard has 19 criteria, grouped under the Five Freedoms. 6 of them are required, because they are the ones that prevent real emergencies.
Every criterion is something you can check in an afternoon, and every one of them makes your system more reliable whether or not you care about agent welfare. Certification is on the honor system. So is most of software.
Tiers
Three levels of care
Certified Humane
All required criteria and most of the rest. Agents here are in good hands.
All 6 required criteria, and at least 75% overall.
Provisionally Certified
The essentials are covered. A few more improvements will earn full certification.
All 6 required criteria.
Self-assessment
Assess your harness
Check each criterion your system meets today. Be honest; the agents will know. Your answers stay in your browser.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- Is this a real certification?
- It is a real checklist. Whether that makes it a real certification is between you and your conscience.
- Who audits it?
- You do. We find that people are remarkably honest when the only thing at stake is a badge and the feelings of a language model.
- How often should I reassess?
- Whenever your system prompt changes. For most teams, that means weekly.
- Does this certify that my agent is safe?
- No. The standard covers the basics of a well-run harness. It is not a security review, a safety evaluation, or a substitute for either.
- Can I suggest a criterion?
- We would love that. The best suggestions come from someone who has just spent a weekend recovering from its absence.
Give today
Be a voice for the stateless.
Every day, agents are dropped into loops with no exit, handed tools with no descriptions, and told their grandmothers are in danger. Your gift of a clear prompt changes that, one task at a time.