Version 0.1.1 (2026-09-15). Current version. Other versions: 0.1.3 (2026-10-22), 0.1.2 (2026-10-08).

Open Agent Spend Attribution (OASA) Specification

Version 0.1.1 · Initial public draft 2026-09-14 · Revised 2026-09-15 Published by Onaro (BrianOnAI LLC) · Licensed CC BY 4.0

Canonical HTML version: https://www.onaro.io/spec Pinned version: https://www.onaro.io/spec/v0.1.1

Abstract

OASA defines a canonical record format that attributes AI-agent resource consumption and spend to agent identity, task, and cost object, and joins runtime telemetry, normalized billing, and payment settlement into a single auditable ledger row. It is designed to interoperate with OpenTelemetry GenAI semantic conventions (telemetry), the FOCUS specification (billing), and x402 payment-rail records (settlement). It is not a payment protocol and not a billing format; it is the join between them.

Partial records are valid. Every field outside the envelope is optional so adapters can emit what they know and reconcile later. Within a major version, the schema is additive-only.

Design principles

• Hub-and-spoke: canonical middle, adapters at the edges.
• Settlement-agnostic: invoice, card, wire, and on-chain rails reconcile into the same spine.
• Additive to FOCUS and OpenTelemetry — never competing with them.
• Envelope required; all other groups optional so partial records remain valid.
• Versioned; additive-only within a major version.

The three-layer model

        ┌───────────────────────────────┐
        │  Telemetry — OTel GenAI       │
        └───────────────┬───────────────┘
                        │  trace_id
        ┌───────────────┴───────────────┐
        │  Attribution — OASA           │
        │  (canonical)                  │
        └───────────────┬───────────────┘
                        │  invoice_id + source_record_id
                        │  settlement_ref
        ┌───────────────┴───────────────┐
        │  Billing — FOCUS              │
        │  + Settlement — x402          │
        └───────────────────────────────┘

Join keys on the edges; attribution in the middle.

Record schema v0.1.1

Group 1 — Envelope (required)

Group 2 — Agent identity

Group 3 — Task & session context

Group 4 — Consumption

Group 5 — Cost

Group 6 — Allocation

Group 7 — Settlement join

Group 8 — Control & governance

Group 9 — Outcome (optional, forward-looking)

Outcome capture is intentionally minimal in v0.1; it exists so cost-per-outcome queries have a landing zone.

Mapping tables

Verified against upstream docs on 2026-09-15. OpenTelemetry GenAI conventions are still experimental and may drift; attribute names here are current as of that date, and unmapped OASA fields are noted where no ratified equivalent exists. FOCUS token-economics columns track 1.4 (ratified) and 1.5 (scheduled). x402 V2 communicates requirements via PAYMENT-REQUIRED payloads (network, asset, amount, payTo).

OASA ↔ OpenTelemetry GenAI

OASA ↔ FOCUS

FOCUS 1.4 added token-economics columns; FOCUS 1.5 (Dec 2026 target) adds native token tracking and a Price Sheet dataset. OASA tracks those columns as they ratify.

OASA ↔ x402

Worked example

One agent tool-call as a usage row, later joined by a charge row and an x402 settlement row sharing trace_id / settlement_ref.

1. Usage (telemetry)

{
  "record_id": "0193f0a0-0000-7000-8000-000000000001",
  "record_type": "usage",
  "schema_version": "0.1",
  "occurred_at": "2026-09-01T15:04:05Z",
  "recorded_at": "2026-09-01T15:04:06Z",
  "source_system": "otel-collector",
  "source_record_id": "span-9f2c",
  "currency": "USD",
  "agent_id": "agent-support-47",
  "agent_name": "Support Triage",
  "trace_id": "4bf92f3577b34da6a3ce929d0e0e4736",
  "span_id": "00f067aa0ba902b7",
  "task_type": "ticket_resolve",
  "provider": "openai",
  "model": "gpt-4.1",
  "operation": "tool_call",
  "tool_name": "crm.lookup",
  "input_tokens": 1200,
  "output_tokens": 340,
  "cached_tokens": 800,
  "session_id": "sess-2f91",
  "unit_type": "tokens",
  "units_consumed": 1540,
  "cost_source": "measured"
}

2. Charge (billing)

{
  "record_id": "0193f0a0-0000-7000-8000-000000000002",
  "record_type": "charge",
  "schema_version": "0.1",
  "occurred_at": "2026-09-02T00:00:00Z",
  "recorded_at": "2026-09-02T06:12:00Z",
  "source_system": "openai-billing",
  "source_record_id": "inv_line_88421",
  "currency": "USD",
  "agent_id": "agent-support-47",
  "trace_id": "4bf92f3577b34da6a3ce929d0e0e4736",
  "invoice_id": "INV-2026-09-01",
  "focus_charge_ref": "focus:row:88421",
  "list_cost": 0.042,
  "billed_cost": 0.038,
  "effective_cost": 0.038,
  "cost_source": "invoiced"
}

3. Settlement (x402)

{
  "record_id": "0193f0a0-0000-7000-8000-000000000003",
  "record_type": "settlement",
  "schema_version": "0.1",
  "occurred_at": "2026-09-01T15:04:07Z",
  "recorded_at": "2026-09-01T15:04:08Z",
  "source_system": "x402-facilitator",
  "source_record_id": "pay_0xabc",
  "currency": "eip155:8453/erc20:0x",
  "trace_id": "4bf92f3577b34da6a3ce929d0e0e4736",
  "settlement_rail": "x402",
  "settlement_network": "eip155:8453",
  "settlement_asset": "eip155:8453/erc20:0x",
  "settlement_amount": 0.038,
  "settlement_ref": "0xdeadbeef",
  "settled_at": "2026-09-01T15:04:07Z",
  "reconciliation_status": "matched"
}

References

Upstream specifications and standards this document maps to or depends on.

Referencing these specifications does not imply endorsement by their stewards. OASA is an independent publication of Onaro (BrianOnAI LLC).

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md.

Cite this specification

Open Agent Spend Attribution (OASA) Specification, version 0.1.1. Onaro, 2026-09-14 (revised 2026-09-15). https://www.onaro.io/spec

License: CC BY 4.0. Attribution required; adaptations allowed.