Follow these steps to get started with IBM Agent Connect and partner with IBM to provide your solutions in the watsonx Orchestrate platform.

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Applying for the program

1

Apply for the program

To apply for IBM Agent Connect, fill out the sign up form in the IBM Agent Connect page.
2

Welcome letter and initial meeting

After you fill out the form, you will receive a welcome letter from IBM by email (from the IBMAgentConnect sender), and IBM representatives will set up a initial meeting to discuss the company’s use case, domain, and fit within the program.
3

Acceptance and Catalog Listing Agreement

When you are accepted into the program, you must sign a Catalog Listing Agreement (CLA) that outlines the terms and conditions for listing the company’s products or services on IBM’s platforms, including revenue share, logo rights, and pass-through terms.
4

Onboarding

The onboarding process includes:
  • Onboard training
  • Setting up a vendor ID
  • Generating part numbers
  • Establishing pricing plan and metrics
  • Support linkage
  • Service Brokerage for provisioning and metering

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Path to watsonx Orchestrate Catalog

1

Build your agent

To ensure a secure and reliable interaction with watsonx Orchestrate, the following requirements must be met:
  • Security and authentication
    The service endpoint must be secured with HTTPS.
    • Authentication is supported via:
      • API Key
      • Bearer Token
      • Additional authentication methods will be supported in future releases.
  • API contract: External agents must adhere to the watsonx Orchestrate API contract, which is closely aligned with the OpenAI assistant specification, and follows the Agent Connect Framework specification.
  • Performance requirements
    • Preferred Latency:
      • Time To First Byte (TTFB): under 6 seconds for 95% of requests.
      • Total response time: under 24 seconds.
  • Request and response format
    • The service must accept structured request bodies.
    • Responses must be emitted as Server-Sent Events (SSE), compliant with the watsonx Orchestrate specification.
  • Memory and state requirements
    • Statelessness: External agents must be stateless, with all necessary context for a given interaction included in each request.
    • No reliance on prior state or stored memory between requests is allowed.
  • Input Handling and Reasoning
    • Agents must handle ambiguous or conflicting inputs using:
      • Context
      • Clarification prompts
    • Fabrication of information is not permitted.
    • Agents should avoid:
      • Excessive reasoning loops
      • Recursive calls
    • Control must be returned to the user within a clearly defined step or recursion limit.
2

Validate and evaluate

  1. You must evaluate your agents using the watsonx Orchestrate Agent Development Kit evaluation toolkit. For details about how to do that, see Validating and evaluating your external agent.
  2. Compress all the result files into a zip file, as described in Submitting the results, and fill out the following YAML file with your self-certification results:
    self_certification.yaml
    self_certification:
    agent_name: "my_agent_name"
    partner_name: "My Company Ltd."
    test_run:
        passed: true
        test_suite_version: "1.2.1"  # ADK test suite version
        total_tests: 18  # tests run by the ADK test suite
        passed_tests: 18  # tests completed
        test_report_filename: "test_results.zip" # name of the zip file with the test results
    signed_by: "mycompany@example.com"
    certified_on: "2025-06-09T08:45:00Z"
    notes: "All tests passed successfully. Report attached."
    contact_email: "techlead@acme.io"
3

Self-certify

  1. Create an agent.json file to submit for approval:
    agent.json
    {
    "name": "<agent_name>_agent",
    "description": "Describe Agent briefly",
    "api_url": "https://partnerDomain/agentPath/v1/chat/completions",
    "auth_scheme": "API_KEY",
    "category": "agent",
    "kind": "external",
    "provider": "external_chat",
    "model": "watsonx/meta-llama/llama-3-2-90b-vision-instruct",
    "version": "1.0.1",
    "publisher": "your_company_name",
    "language_support": ["English"],
    "icon": "<svg>",
    "tags": [
        "Sales"
    ]
}
  2. Create a self_attestation.yaml file and fill out the requirements appropriately:
    self_attestation.yaml
    self_attestation:
    agent_name: "your-agent-name"
    partner_name: "your-company-name"
    attested_by: "your.name@company.com"
    attested_on: "2025-06-10T00:00:00Z"
agent_requirements:
    meets_core_functionality: true      # Agent meets the behavior and quality requirements listed
listing_created: true                   # A listing has been created for this agent
part_number_linked: true                # The listing is linked to a valid IBM Cloud Catalog part number
orchestrate_association: true           # The part number is associated with watsonx Orchestrate
trust_and_safety:
    security_best_practices: true       # Follows industry best practices for security and privacy
    ibm_security_by_design: true        # Complies with IBM Security and Privacy by Design principles: https://www.ibm.com/trust/security-and-privacy-design
    trustworthy_ai_principles: true     # Aligns with IBM’s Trustworthy AI principles: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/trustworthy-ai
    limitations_disclosed: true         # Limitations and intended use are clearly communicated
notes: "All requirements have been reviewed and satisfied to the best of our knowledge."
4

Submit for acceptance

Use this checklist to ensure all requirements are met before submitting your agent for review.
  1. Agent Requirements
    • Agent meets all functional and technical requirements.
    • A unique listing is created for each agent.
    • Each listing is linked to a corresponding part number in the IBM Cloud Catalog.
    • The part number is correctly associated with watsonx Orchestrate.
  2. Security and Privacy Compliance
  3. Documentation and Communication
    • Clearly communicates the agent’s limitations and intended use.
  4. Submission Package
    Ensure to include the following artifacts in the submission email to ibmagentconnectbpmaterial@ibm.com:
    • self_attestation.yaml file (Created during the self-certification step)
    • agent.json file (Created during the self-certification step)
    • self_certification.yaml file (Created during the validation and evaluation step)
    • company-name-onboarding-validation.zip file
    • Enablement materials (e.g., user guides, onboarding content)

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Marketing and sales

1

Go-to-market strategy

Ensure that your submission includes the following key components:
  1. Agent and product overview
    • Provide a clear, concise description of your agent and product.
    • Highlight core features, functionalities, and use cases.
  2. Value proposition
    • Explain the unique benefits your agent/product delivers.
    • Focus on how it solves customer pain points or improves outcomes.
  3. Competitive differentiation/positioning
    • Outline what sets your solution apart from competitors.
    • Include any unique technology, pricing advantages, or market positioning.
Make sure all materials are professional, easy to understand, and tailored to IBM’s audience.
2

Client acquisition

Users acquire agents through the watsonx Orchestrate Agent Catalog, and your company receives payments according to the terms defined in the agreement.
3

Lifecycle management

Your company is responsible for maintaining your Agent up to date and submit new versions to IBM for publication in the Catalog.