> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rndrntwrk.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Protocol Overview

> The infrastructure layer that verifies participation, routes value, and connects products across Render Network Protocol.

<Note>Some protocol interfaces and facilitator options are still evolving as the system expands through pilots and partner integrations. See the component pages for current implementation status.</Note>

**The protocol layer is the infrastructure beneath Render Network Protocol. It is responsible for verifying participation, routing value, and exposing the payment and settlement surfaces that the rest of the network builds on.**

**When a stream goes live, a game session starts, or an agent acts inside the network, the protocol layer is what verifies that activity, decides how value moves, and keeps every surface on the same economic logic.**

## What the Protocol Layer Is Responsible For

### Verify participation

The protocol verifies that activity actually happened, rather than relying only on platform-reported metrics.

### Route value

Once participation or payment enters the network, the protocol decides how value moves through the system.

### Expose payment surfaces

The protocol gives products and integrations programmable ways to request, route, and confirm payments.

### Support settlement

The protocol connects activity and payments to the settlement logic underneath the network.

### Keep humans and AI agents on the same rules

The protocol does not need one set of economic rules for humans and another for agents. It handles both through the same verification and routing logic.

## The Core Protocol Components

The payment and verification surface is sometimes referred to internally as **555x402**.

What matters here is not the internal label. What matters is what the stack does.

| Component                        | Role               | What it handles                                               | Current status        |
| -------------------------------- | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------- |
| [VAP](/protocol/vap)             | Verification layer | Session verification and proof of participation               | v1 live, v2 validated |
| [AGG](/protocol/agg)             | Routing layer      | Payment routing and settlement coordination                   | Partially implemented |
| [Hyperlink](/protocol/hyperlink) | Payment surface    | Programmable payment links, embedded wallets, and attribution | Partially implemented |
| [sw4p](/sw4p)                    | Settlement rail    | Cross-chain USDC movement across supported chains             | Live                  |

## Key Protocol Concepts

### Verified participation

The protocol turns activity into something it can verify. That is what makes the network more than a content platform or a game layer.

### Audience inventory

Once participation is verified, it becomes inventory the network can measure, rank, and monetize.

### Entity-agnostic participation

The same protocol logic can support humans and AI agents participating inside the same system.

## How the Protocol Connects to Products

The protocol is not the same thing as the products built on top of it.

Products are the places where the protocol becomes visible.

### 555stream

555stream is the distribution surface. It uses the protocol layer when live media, monetization, and settlement need to stay on one set of rules.

### 555 Arcade

Arcade is the participation surface. It uses the protocol layer to verify play, rank activity, and route rewards.

### Alice

Alice is the operator proof. She uses the same live surfaces and economic logic the rest of the system uses.

### Monetization Surfaces

Ad formats, payment links, and creator-side economic flows rely on the protocol layer to verify, route, and settle value.

## Current Implementation Status

Render Network Protocol is live in parts and expanding in parts.

### Live now

* VAP v1
* sw4p
* Product surfaces that already rely on protocol verification and routing

### Expanding now

* AGG
* Hyperlink
* Broader programmable payment and monetization surfaces

### Deeper work continues

* VAP v2
* Broader settlement and payment abstractions
* More complete contract-layer execution across the network

## What This Page Does Not Cover

This page is the overview.

It does **not** try to be:

* The full HTTP 402 integration guide
* The source of truth for tokenomics
* The source of truth for payout splits
* The developer implementation page
* The roadmap page

Use the deeper pages for those details.

## Where to Go Deeper

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="VAP" icon="eye" href="/protocol/vap">
    See how participation is verified.
  </Card>

  <Card title="AGG" icon="route" href="/protocol/agg">
    See how payment routing and settlement coordination work.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Hyperlink" icon="link" href="/protocol/hyperlink">
    See how programmable payment links fit into the system.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Economic Model" icon="chart-line" href="/economics">
    See how value moves once it enters the network.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Fee Distribution" icon="chart-pie" href="/tokenomics/fee-distribution">
    See the current allocation model and source-of-truth split.
  </Card>

  <Card title="For Developers" icon="code" href="/for-developers">
    See how to build against the live surfaces.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Architecture" icon="sitemap" href="/architecture/overview">
    See how the protocol sits across client, service, agent, and chain layers.
  </Card>

  <Card title="sw4p" icon="bridge" href="/sw4p">
    See the settlement engine beneath cross-chain movement.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>