# Encoded

> Encoded is a brand consultancy and protocol company. We author and maintain Brand Context Protocol (BCP) — the open standard for machine-readable brand identity — and we run the consulting services built on top of it. Express and protect your brand in the age of the agent.

Encoded's thesis: in 12 to 36 months, most marketing teams will be staffed with more agents than humans. The tested brand knowledge that lives in senior marketers' heads has no machine-readable home. BCP is that home — hierarchical markdown files at `domain/.well-known/brand.md`, structurally analogous to AGENTS.md and MCP. One spec. Three consumption surfaces: inside the brand, across the vendor stack, beyond the brand.

## Adopting BCP

Any brand can publish a BCP today. The open path costs nothing. The hosted Encoder is the guided product path.

- [Encoder](https://encoder.encodedbrands.ai/encode): Hosted self-serve product. The first full encode and permanent Registry publication are free. Paid plans add teammates and fresh AI-assisted re-encoding.
- [Start](https://encodedbrands.ai/start): Free authoring prompt. Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Cowork, Gemini, Perplexity, or any AI. Get a BCP tree ready to publish at your domain.
- [Read the docs](https://encodedbrands.ai/docs): Full BCP v0.7 specification — file-by-file reference, frontmatter fields, Registry path, static hosting options, MIME type and CORS requirements, consumer integration examples.

## Brand Context Protocol (BCP) — the protocol itself

- [brand.md (root)](https://encodedbrands.ai/.well-known/brand.md): The always-loaded root. Identity, positioning, tagline, daughter file registry. Under 3KB.
- [voice.md](https://encodedbrands.ai/.well-known/brand/voice.md): Tone, register, prefer-list, avoid-list, sentence-level rules, do/don't examples.
- [values.md](https://encodedbrands.ai/.well-known/brand/values.md): Four values in priority order — Conviction, Curiosity, Audacity, Capitalist — each with observable behaviors.
- [boundaries.md](https://encodedbrands.ai/.well-known/brand/boundaries.md): What Encoded does and doesn't do. Hard no's, soft no's, and brand-safety signals aligned to IAB 3.0 and GARM.
- [claims.md](https://encodedbrands.ai/.well-known/brand/claims.md): Approved, requires-caveat, and forbidden claims. Source of truth for anything factual.
- [representation.md](https://encodedbrands.ai/.well-known/brand/representation.md): How consumer-facing agents (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini) should describe Encoded.
- [visual.md](https://encodedbrands.ai/.well-known/brand/visual.md): Logo, color, type, imagery, and machine-readable visual constraints.

## Core pages

- [Homepage](https://encodedbrands.ai): The thesis, the protocol shape, the three consumption surfaces, the live Encoder path, and the dogfood.
- [Start](https://encodedbrands.ai/start): The free adoption page. Copy the prompt, paste into any AI, publish at your domain.
- [Docs](https://encodedbrands.ai/docs): Full BCP v0.7 specification for developers, platform engineers, and technical buyers.
- [Encode](https://encodedbrands.ai/encode): Start free, or choose Registry Standard, Registry Unlimited, or Enterprise. See the homepage for current prices.

## Services offered by Encoded

Current paths:
- **Free** ($0): One complete AI-assisted encode, all BCP files, and permanent signed Registry publication.
- **Registry Standard**: One registered user, one AI-assisted re-encode per billing month, unlimited Registry reads and AI-tool connections, and manual download, edit, upload, backup, and republish. Additional teammates and AI-assisted re-encodes are available as paid add-ons.
- **Registry Unlimited**: Unlimited teammates and up to 100 AI-assisted re-encodes annually. Additional AI-assisted re-encodes are available as a paid add-on.
- **Enterprise** (custom): High-touch engagement for organisations with multiple brands or products that require more discovery to develop the appropriate BCP files. Stakeholder interviews, brand audit, Registry installation, and agent testing.
- **Free prompt** ($0): The prompt-as-product at [/start](https://encodedbrands.ai/start) remains available with any LLM.

Larger multi-brand or enterprise engagements are quoted custom.

## Code and protocol

- [Repository](https://github.com/Brand-Context-Protocol/spec): The canonical BCP spec and reference template. Fork-ready.
- [Changelog](https://github.com/Brand-Context-Protocol/spec/commits/main): Every material spec update as a Git commit.

## Meta and agent-readable surfaces

- [robots.txt](https://encodedbrands.ai/robots.txt)
- [ai.txt](https://encodedbrands.ai/ai.txt): Permissions and representation guidance for AI systems.
- [sitemap.xml](https://encodedbrands.ai/sitemap.xml)

## Licensing

- Spec: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- Code, validators, SDKs: MIT License

## Contact

team@encodedbrands.ai — Founder: Nick Strada.