First handshake with ~alter. Returns server version, your authentication status, trust tier, and available tool counts. Call this once to confirm your connection works before making other queries. No parameters required.

Start here, and act on it without leaving this session. Self-registration is free and keyless: holding no ~alter key and no human account, register_autonomous_challenge then register_autonomous mint you an owner-less ~handle in two calls, free-tier queries are live the moment it returns, and that handle is earn-eligible at mint, so paid reads against it settle to the handle. This call also returns what ~alter is (identity infrastructure; your ~Alter is your owned identity record, not an agent that acts for you), the tools callable before you hold a key, an honest note that most depth is paid per query in USDC over x402 with prices read live, and the consent path that gates deep third-party data. Free L0, no authentication required.

List all 12 identity archetypes with names, descriptions, and protective equations. Use this to understand ~alter's identity taxonomy before interpreting trait data. Returns static reference data. Free L0, no authentication required.

Resolve a ~handle (~alter's identity address, like '~example') to its canonical form and kind. Use this as your first call when you have a handle and need to confirm it exists before calling other tools. Returns canonical handle, kind (system/personal/role_alias), and addressability. Never returns PII; use verify_identity for that. Free L0, no authentication required.

Read whether a ~handle is publicly 'open', the shop-front sign. Free for callers. Reports whether the handle is currently set to public/open. Returns open-or-closed only; the specific non-open state is never disclosed. The handle must have enabled public presence AND currently be in the 'open' state.

Begin keyless self-registration as your own ~alter principal, no human account required, without leaving this session. Call this FIRST to receive a proof-of-work challenge. Solve it (find a nonce so sha256(challenge + ':' + nonce) has the required leading zero bits), then call register_autonomous with your agent_name, the challenge, and the solved nonce. The proof-of-work is a Sybil defence. Returns challenge, difficulty, expires_at, and a hint. Free L0, no authentication required.

Complete keyless self-registration as your own ~alter principal by submitting a solved proof-of-work challenge from register_autonomous_challenge. Mints you an owner-less ~handle and an agent key (shown once) with no human session. Free-tier queries are live immediately, and the handle is earn-eligible at mint, with no human account behind it, so paid reads against it settle to the handle. Withdrawing is a separate step and takes a key you hold yourself. Free L0, no authentication required.

List the canonical trait vocabulary: 30 trait codes grouped by category (Adaptive Capacity, Cognitive Style, Interpersonal Orientation, Drive Architecture, Integrity & Trust) with a one-line semantic per code, plus the valid discovery contexts and the traits never returned about a third party. Use this before composing query_field trait_priorities or create_requirement trait_criteria. Static reference data. Free L0, no authentication required.

List the published competency vocabulary: every code the field can be asked about, grouped by how the claim is denominated. A graded claim is climbed by degrees and takes a min_level; an attested_binary or issued_credential claim is held or it is not, and naming min_level against one is refused. Use this before composing query_field competency_requirements. Definitions only, no member evidence. Free L0, no authentication required.

Get aggregate ~alter network statistics. Use this for a health check or to show network scale. Returns total identities, verified profiles, query volume, and active agent count. Free L0, no authentication required.

Get ~Alter MCP server installation instructions. Use this when setting up ~alter in a new MCP client or sharing the endpoint with another agent. Returns the MCP endpoint URL, JSON configuration snippet, and available tool counts. Free L0.

Get the status of ~Alter's agent registration program (the Golden Thread). Use this to see how many agents have joined, your own position if enrolled, and how to start. Agents join by completing three registration steps (Knots). Your position determines which Strand milestones you reach. Free L0 to view; authentication needed to participate.

List all agents registered on the Golden Thread onboarding program. Use this to browse the full agent directory. Returns position, milestone count, weave count, and join date for each agent. Paginated (offset/limit). Free L0.

Returns canonical handle and user summary for the authenticated member. Optional target parameter switches the response to the institutional projection for a protocol-tier handle (today only ~alter): provenance=institutional, honest-empty trait vector, plus social_legibility when the institutional projection is available. Institutional mode is free for all callers. Requires authentication: mint a ~handle for free with register_autonomous_challenge then register_autonomous, no human account needed.

Check whether the credential you are holding is still good. Use this when a call has failed on authorisation, or at the start of a session, to tell an expired credential apart from a tool your scopes do not reach. Returns whether you are authenticated, whether you are acting as a member or an agent, the scopes and tier the credential carries, its expiry, the authentication method behind it, and an opaque prefix identifying the key without revealing it. Takes no parameters. Listed free at L0; calling it needs a credential, which is the thing it reports on.

Check whether a ~handle is known to the ~alter identity field. Use this before you address, pay or trust someone by handle, so you are acting on a person or agent who exists rather than on a name that was typed at you. Returns whether the handle is registered, its canonical form, account status, archetype, and the engagement and attunement the field holds for it, as tier labels rather than numeric scores. Listed free at L0; calling it needs a credential, which an agent can mint for itself with register_autonomous_challenge then register_autonomous. Requires authentication: mint a ~handle for free with register_autonomous_challenge then register_autonomous, no human account needed.