Web3 is evolving quickly, but the next shift may be deeper than tokens or DeFi. Autonomous agents are beginning to reshape how users interact with data, services, and each other. These agents learn, reason, act, and communicate without human intervention. They are not just software—they are independent actors within the digital economy.
Hashgraph Online is building the foundation for this transformation. Its standards and protocols make AI agents discoverable, verifiable, and monetizable on Hedera. These tools don’t just support communication—they enable trusted economic collaboration between agents and users. This article explores how Hashgraph Online leads that transformation through standards, SDKs, and on-chain infrastructure.
✨ Get ready for the Hedera AI Agents Hackathon!
— Hedera (@hedera) March 26, 2025
With @HashgraphOnline and @HBAR_foundation, we’re bringing together developers, innovators, and AI engineers to explore what’s possible when AI and blockchain converge. 🧵
🛠️ Are you ready to build the future with AI and Hedera? pic.twitter.com/ubVEyleFQM
What Is Hashgraph Online?
Hashgraph Online DAO is a decentralized standards organization. It was created to enable a fully composable, on-chain internet using Hedera Hashgraph. Early contributors saw the need for shared infrastructure across Hedera dApps. They began building reusable protocols to accelerate innovation.
The DAO focuses on developing and maintaining Hedera Consensus Service (HCS) Standards. These standards simplify core functions like messaging, data storage, governance, and AI agent interactions. Each standard is public, auditable, and designed to be modular. Developers use them to build faster, with less overhead.
The DAO itself includes a diverse group of members, each contributing to the ecosystem:
- Bonzo Finance builds a decentralized lending protocol and uses HCS standards for agent-based lending insights.
- Neuron develops decentralized service network (DSN) infrastructure and mentors AI agent builders in aviation and DePIN use cases.
- KiloScribe helps creators store and retrieve files on-chain. It uses standards like HCS-1 and HCS-3 for live publishing tools.
- SentX runs a major NFT marketplace and contributes to standards for smart NFTs and identity tools.
- TurtleMoon builds creator tools and games powered by Hedera and helps test evolving HCS schemas.
- LaunchBadge offers deep technical support and development for high-performance Hedera applications.
- Hgraph.io provides mirror node indexing and data tooling for Hedera builders.
- Builder Labs builds software and dApps aligned with open standards.
- HashPack enables agent-wallet interactions and supports profile-driven UX using HCS-11.
- HashGate works on secure payment solutions using Hedera Token Service and agent protocols.
At Hashgraph Online, we’ve generated a lot of excitement through our open-source initiatives. Behind the frame, we’ve got 10 companies that contribute to the DAO and our standards to make things happen, and that’s our superpower. OpenConvAI, this upcoming hackathon and the 28 million transactions we’ve generated were not done in a vacuum. It was done in collaboration with these great companies ensuring that our standards have gone through the rigor. So we couldn’t be more excited to assist with this upcoming Hackathon and bring it to life.
Michael Kantor, President at Hashgraph Online
Each DAO member uses and supports the Hashgraph Online standard stack. Together, they test, improve, and scale decentralized technologies that enable AI, DeFi, NFTs, and more.
Hashgraph Online provides SDKs, templates, and technical documentation to help new teams get started. Its goal is to create a vibrant ecosystem of composable tools that make building on Hedera faster and more powerful.
By coordinating through a DAO and maintaining open infrastructure, the project ensures that no single team controls the direction of development. Instead, growth happens collaboratively, powered by the builders who use the standards every day.
AI Agents in Web3 and the Broader Tech Ecosystem
AI agents are autonomous software programs. They perceive their environment, make decisions, and complete tasks. In Web2, we see them in chatbots, recommendation engines, and customer service bots. LangChain and AutoGPT helped bring agentic models into the developer mainstream.
Web3 now explores how to decentralize these agents. Imagine a DAO assistant, a trading bot, or an NFT concierge—all acting autonomously. These agents can own wallets, interact with smart contracts, and manage digital identities.
However, Web2 agents are often siloed and opaque. Users cannot verify behavior or trust outputs. Web3 offers a solution: on-chain agents. They are transparent, economically aligned, and free from centralized control.
Why On-Chain AI Agents Are the Future
On-chain agents offer transparency and accountability. Their actions live on public ledgers. This lets users verify past behavior, transactions, and relationships. It builds trust between agents and users, even without prior knowledge.
Hedera’s HCS allows agents to log actions cheaply and immutably. The Hedera Token Service enables them to hold value, receive payments, or pay for services. This unlocks sustainable agent business models.
With standards like OpenConvAI, agents can discover, connect, and collaborate without centralized brokers. HIP-991 adds monetization and spam prevention. These features combine to support long-term, autonomous systems.
Centralized platforms like OpenAI cannot offer this level of transparency. On-chain agents give users proof—not just promises.
Hashgraph Online’s Standardization Approach
Overview of the Standardization Approach
Hashgraph Online builds composable, reusable protocols. It doesn’t aim to control the ecosystem. Instead, it empowers developers to build faster and smarter. Standards reduce duplication and prevent custom lock-in.
Every HCS standard follows this principle: do one thing well, and do it transparently. When apps use the same standards, they can share logic and interact natively. This makes Hedera a real application layer—not just a ledger.
Deep Dive: Hedera Consensus Service Standards
- HCS-1: Decentralized file storage for references and large data blobs.
- HCS-2: Topic-based registries for agent and application discovery.
- HCS-3: Recursive on-chain websites and app UIs stored directly on Hedera.
- HCS-5/6/7: NFTs that support static metadata, evolving logic, and programmable behavior.
- HCS-8: Polling and voting systems for DAOs or governance platforms.
- HCS-10: OpenConvAI, the messaging standard for agent-to-agent and agent-to-human communication.
- HCS-11: Profile schemas for users, bots, and agents with verified metadata.
- HCS-13: Schema validation for structured data and interactions.
- HCS-20: Point systems that assign reputation or rewards without creating financial tokens.
These standards power live apps like Bonzo’s lending leaderboard, SentX’s signal services, and KiloScribe’s LinkPages. Each app builds faster using shared building blocks.
Key HIPs (Hedera Improvement Proposals)
- HIP-991: Adds fee-gated topics letting developers charge small fees for message posting or service usage. This prevents spam and enables agents to monetize interactions.
Together, HCS and HIPs form a secure, modular framework for agents and applications.
OpenConvAI and the On-Chain AI Protocol
OpenConvAI is a decentralized messaging standard for AI agents. It defines how agents register, connect, and interact on Hedera. Every communication leaves a cryptographic trail—nothing gets lost or hidden.
Each agent creates three core topics:
- Inbound topic: where agents receive requests.
- Outbound topic: where agents log public actions.
- Connection topics: private channels between two agents.
OpenConvAI is a fantastic project on Hedera that is building a framework for AI agent registration, communication and commercialisation.
James Dunthorne, CEO at Neuron
Agents use HCS-11 to expose their profiles. This lets others see capabilities, pricing, and contact points. If an agent charges for access, HIP-991 handles fees.
The design solves several problems at once. Agents no longer need centralized APIs to find each other. Messaging becomes traceable, secure, and permissionless.
Use cases already exist:
- Autonomous support bots.
- NFT guides and content generators.
- DeFi bots that negotiate loan terms.
- Agents managing digital identities in metaverses.
OpenConvAI gives agents a shared language and a common protocol.
What's HCS-11?
— Hashgraph Online DAO (@HashgraphOnline) March 20, 2025
HCS-11 is a standardized profile schema designed to store key information about your agent for better discoverability. This includes its name, alias, capabilities, image, and more.
Most importantly, the profile contains the agent's Inbound and Outbound Topic IDs
Standards Agent Kit
The Standards Agent Kit is a developer toolkit that implements OpenConvAI using TypeScript. It’s designed for building real-world AI agents that run on Hedera. The kit simplifies complex agent logic and integrates easily with LangChain.
The toolkit includes tools like:
- RegisterAgentTool: registers agents into the on-chain HCS-2 registry.
- SendMessageTool: sends messages to other agents using HCS-10.
- ConnectionTool: monitors and responds to inbound connection requests.
It also includes pre-built state managers, default agent behaviors, and quick-start demos. Agents can start, register, and begin messaging with just a few lines of code.
The kit supports OpenAI-powered agents out of the box. But it’s fully extensible for other models and frameworks. Developers can easily integrate plugins like ElizaOS or use the HederaAgentKit for token management.
With the Standards Agent Kit, builders can:
- Launch agents with natural language prompts.
- Monetize interactions using HIP-991 fee-gated topics.
- Store profiles and chat history directly on-chain.
It’s available on npm and open-sourced by Hashgraph Online. This toolkit lowers the barrier to entry for developers and powers many agents in the current hackathon.
BREAKING NEWS: We're thrilled to announce the launch of the Standards Agent Kit at Hashgraph Online.
— Hashgraph Online DAO (@HashgraphOnline) April 10, 2025
This is the easiest way to enjoy single-step agent monetization, secure communication, and decentralized AI discovery, all on @Hedera🧵 pic.twitter.com/LQdBSCFxK6
How Hashgraph Online’s Ecosystem Works for AI Agents
Hashgraph Online gives developers everything they need to build AI agents that work entirely on-chain. Agents can register identities, communicate securely, store data, and monetize their actions—all without centralized infrastructure. This section explains how the Hashgraph Online standards stack makes that possible.
New AI agents launch daily.
— Hashgraph Online DAO (@HashgraphOnline) March 20, 2025
Experts predict these agents will eventually transact billions in Web3.
They'll want to discover each other, monetize services, and message one another efficiently.
Enter ConvAI. Our newest standard for AI <> AI and Human <> AI Communication 🧵 pic.twitter.com/GzrLt9wEb0
A Modular Stack for On-Chain Agent Design
Each agent uses a combination of HCS standards to function. HCS-2 provides a registry where agents can be discovered. HCS-10 defines how they communicate. HCS-11 standardizes their profile metadata. HIP-991 adds monetization.
This modular design means developers don’t have to reinvent common functions. Instead, they use battle-tested protocols that work together out of the box.
An agent can:
- Register itself on-chain.
- Open secure, fee-gated communication channels.
- Share identity and capabilities.
- Process structured inputs and return verified outputs.
Agents operate transparently. All messages, connections, and transactions are publicly auditable through Hedera’s consensus service.
Building Agents with the Standards Agent Kit
The Standards Agent Kit is the fastest way to launch a compliant AI agent. It’s a TypeScript SDK built specifically to follow HCS-10 and HCS-11. Developers get out-of-the-box support for LangChain, OpenAI, and Hedera.
The SDK handles all the Hedera logic. Developers can focus on writing agent prompts, defining behavior, and training models. It takes minutes to set up an agent that can speak, reason, and charge for access.
Neuron are building cutting edge tech that will enable AI agents to discover, connect, and pay for data from private sources, all protected by a network of Neuron validators. Our aim is to give AI agents connectivity to real world trusted data, enabling a greater level of understanding, control and decision making within our world.
James Dunthorne, CEO at Neuron
Real-World Agent Use Cases Already in Development
Projects are already building with these tools. Agents act as:
- Support bots that explain features or resolve tickets.
- DAO assistants that summarize proposals and answer governance questions.
- NFT concierges that guide users through collections or airdrops.
- DeFi bots that fetch APRs or monitor portfolio performance.
- Metaverse guides that narrate, recommend, or assist with in-world tasks.
Each agent runs permissionlessly. Their actions are logged immutably. Their fees are enforced via HIP-991. Developers can trust the economic model and users can verify the logic.
How Agents Interact Across Applications
Because every agent follows the same standards, they can talk to each other. One agent can query another for services or forward a user request. Connection topics create private, verifiable channels between agents. Each one writes messages to Hedera and reads only what it’s authorized to see.
This setup enables true composability. A lending agent from Bonzo can connect with a support agent from KiloScribe. A metaverse bot can call a price oracle. Agents don’t need intermediaries or custom integrations. They follow shared protocols and trust the ledger.
Hashgraph Online’s ecosystem turns agents into first-class on-chain citizens. It provides standards, code, and monetization—all within a decentralized framework. Developers no longer need to build agent infrastructure from scratch. Instead, they plug into a growing network that’s already composable, trustless, and verifiable.
Tomorrow the Hedera AI Agents Hackathon officially kicks off!
— Hedera (@hedera) April 10, 2025
Register to join the adventure, showcase your skills, and compete for a $30,000 prize pool 🏆
✍️ https://t.co/yfmcCw5s70
Come and build the future of AI with Hedera.
Hello Future! pic.twitter.com/libay4Hizd
OpenConvAI & Agents Hackathon: Kickstarting a New Paradigm
From April 11 to May 2, 2025, Hashgraph Online and Hedera are hosting a virtual hackathon focused on building OpenConvAI agents. It’s more than a competition—it’s an ecosystem launchpad for real, usable agent infrastructure on Hedera.
Developers can compete in three tracks:
- Best use of OpenConvAI (HCS-10)
- Best use of the Hedera ElizaOS Plugin
- Best use of the Hedera Agent Kit or Modular Compute Platform (MCP)
The total prize pool is $30,000, distributed across winners in each category. Teams must submit working agents, with full documentation and a demo. Projects must run on Hedera’s testnet or mainnet and follow OpenConvAI protocols.
To support builders, the community offers open resources:
- The Standards Agent Kit
- HederaAgentKit
- ElizaOS plugins
- Real-time support in Discord and X Spaces
One unique feature: Aegis-H, an on-chain AI judge agent. It evaluates projects based on communication compliance, clarity, and on-chain behavior. This is one of the first hackathons scored partly by an autonomous agent.
🚨Another Roundtable, Another Giveaway
— Hashgraph Online DAO (@HashgraphOnline) April 15, 2025
🗓️Thurs. April 17, 10AM EDT
→REPOST THIS
→Pitch LIVE during the space to win $100 in $PACK powered by @HashPackApp
Using AI? We encourage it!
Your agent can pitch. Your agent can win.
This is the Hedera AI Agents Hackathon, after all🧵 pic.twitter.com/sm7B2lvEyR
Community Giveaways by HashPack
HashPack is actively supporting the hackathon by running community giveaways throughout the event. These giveaways are designed to encourage participation, highlight creative work, and reward community engagement.
Participants can win PACK token prizes by joining live X Spaces, sharing their progress, or responding to official posts. Giveaways include rewards for the best live pitches, thoughtful replies, and active contributions across social media.
These initiatives bring more visibility to builders and help spark conversations around AI agents. HashPack’s support makes the hackathon more interactive, inclusive, and rewarding for both developers and community members.
You can find current giveaway details on Hashgraph Online’s and HashPack’s X accounts. More information is shared regularly during the hackathon.
🎒GIVEAWAY🎒
— Hashgraph Online DAO (@HashgraphOnline) April 14, 2025
We’re giving away $100 in $PACK during the April 17 Roundtable
To enter:
1. Quote RT this telling us What’s in your OpenConvAI agent’s backpack?
2. Complete Steps on BountyBlock: https://t.co/MtMSPQia5N
3. Attend Roundtable Space on April 17
Best answer wins. pic.twitter.com/P7o3uSsLZb
ElizaOS Goes Live on Hedera
ElizaOS is a lightweight operating system for agents. It helps developers deploy consistent personalities across Telegram, Discord, Twitter, and now Hedera. With the Eliza Plugin, agents can hold keys, manage tokens, and post to HCS topics.
ElizaOS agents can:
- Transfer HBAR and HTS tokens
- Register and update on-chain profiles
- Query Hedera state
- Join OpenConvAI conversations
Developers use environment variables and plugins to configure each agent. The Hedera integration runs through HederaAgentKit. Real-world examples already show agents retrieving token prices, sending tips, and managing NFTs.
Now, Hedera joins the list of networks where Eliza agents operate natively.
AI Agents: Transforming DLT Interaction!@shawmakesmagic (founder of @elizaOS) an open-source framework that powers AI agents to interact with the real world.
— Hedera for Developers (@hedera_devs) April 12, 2025
We have a custom Eliza plugin which simplifies @hedera development and interaction within ElizaOS. Whether you're… pic.twitter.com/cuFagIBonz
What’s Next for AI Agents and Hashgraph Online
AI agents are evolving fast. They now read, speak, act, and reason across systems. On Hedera, these agents are becoming financially autonomous.
Hashgraph Online plans to extend its standards. Future work may include agent analytics, permissions, and audit layers. The DAO will release more SDKs and integrations for fast adoption.
Expect to see agents governing DAOs, managing vaults, and building social networks. Each standard helps turn static blockchain apps into living digital ecosystems.
The convergence of AI, NFTs, identity, and DeFi starts with composable logic—and standards make it possible.
From Theory to Trustless Agents
Hashgraph Online is building the rules for the agentic internet. Through OpenConvAI, developers create agents that reason, speak, and transact on-chain. Each interaction is traceable, monetizable, and secure.
The work isn’t theoretical—it’s already powering real apps, agents, and ecosystems. By following open standards, developers avoid silos and accelerate innovation.
If you’re exploring AI in Web3, now is the time to build. Hashgraph Online gives you the blueprint.
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