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Transaction token (Txn-Token)

By Updated

A short-lived, signed token, specified in an IETF OAuth working group draft, that carries user identity, workload identity and authorisation context through a call chain within one trusted domain, so downstream services can decide on protected context 1. Still a draft (revision 11, 30 Jul 2026) as of 2026-09-24.

Developed in
ch. 23, Accountability across hops
Chapters
ch. 23, AI Agents
Contrast with
Delegation (OAuth token exchange)
Source
1 numbered reference, listed below

Where it is used

One chapter of the Body of Knowledge uses the term. Each link opens the first section that does.

Transaction token (Txn-Token): mentions per chapter1 mention of the term across 1 of the 23 chapters of the Body of Knowledge; the chapters the glossary cross-references are drawn solid.Cross-referenced chapter23 AI Agents: 1 mention23 AI Agents1No mentions in the other 22 chaptersSource: the Body of Knowledgev0.5.0
Transaction token (Txn-Token): mentions per chapter1 mention of the term across 1 of the 23 chapters of the Body of Knowledge; the chapters the glossary cross-references are drawn solid.Cross-referenced chapter0001020304050607081011121314151617181920212223 AI Agents: 1 mention123Source: the Body of Knowledge v0.5.0
Mentions per chapter How often each chapter names the term, with the chapters the glossary cross-references drawn solid. The longest bar is where to read the term in use; bars spread across many chapters mark a term that runs through the discipline.
Mentions as a table
Mentions of Transaction token (Txn-Token) per chapter
ChapterMentionsCross-referenced
00 Preface0No
01 Definition0No
02 Why Now0No
03 Values & Principles0No
04 The Stack0No
05 Patterns0No
06 The Role0No
07 Maturity Model0No
08 Regulatory Map0No
10 Reading List0No
11 AI Defined0No
12 Governance Program0No
13 Risk Management0No
14 Development0No
15 Deployment0No
16 Fairness & XAI0No
17 Incidents0No
18 EU AI Act0No
19 Privacy & AI0No
20 Existing Law0No
21 AI Laws Worldwide0No
22 Principles & Standards0No
23 AI Agents1Yes
Transaction token (Txn-Token): related terms and patternsThe term at the centre; related terms on solid edges, the terms it is contrasted with on dashed edges, and the patterns that use it most in the colour of their layer.RelatedContrastTransaction token (Txn-Token)Related terms (2)Delegation chain · RelatedDelegation chainWorkload identity · RelatedWorkload identityContrast with (1)Delegation (OAuth token exchange) · ContrastDelegation
Transaction token (Txn-Token): related terms and patternsThe term at the centre; related terms on solid edges, the terms it is contrasted with on dashed edges, and the patterns that use it most in the colour of their layer.RelatedContrastRelated terms (2)Delegation chain · RelatedDelegation chainWorkload identity · RelatedWorkload identityContrast with (1)Delegation (OAuth token exchange) · ContrastDelegationTransaction token(Txn-Token)
The term's neighbourhood Terms related to this one on solid edges, terms it is often confused with on dashed edges, and the patterns that use it most in the colour of their layer. Follow a dashed edge to check the distinction before you use either term.
Neighbourhood as a table
Neighbourhood of Transaction token (Txn-Token)
FamilyItemRelation
Related termsDelegation chainRelated
Related termsWorkload identityRelated
Contrast withDelegation (OAuth token exchange)Contrast
  • Delegation chain

    The sequence of agents a task passes through from the person or system that started it.

  • Workload identity

    The attributable identity a workload such as an agent carries across every hop, under which its actions are logged and its access is revoked, typically a…

Sources

  1. [1] draft-ietf-oauth-transaction-tokens-11, Transaction Tokens (Internet-Draft, OAuth working group, revision 11 of 30 Jul 2026, WG state "Waiting for Write-Up"; short-lived signed tokens that propagate user identity, workload identity and authorisation context through a call chain within a trusted domain). IETF. 2026-07-30. https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ietf-oauth-transaction-tokens/ (verified: primary)

Definitions of legal terms paraphrase the cited text, which governs. Dated statements are as of .

Cite this term

García Aibar, J. (2026). Transaction token (Txn-Token). In AI Governance Engineering: The Thesis & Body of Knowledge (v0.5.0), Glossary. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22956197. https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/transaction-token-txn-token. CC BY 4.0

BibTeX

@misc{aige2026transactiontokentxntoken,
  author  = {Jorge García Aibar},
  title   = {{Transaction token (Txn-Token)}},
  note    = {Glossary, AI Governance Engineering: The Thesis \& Body of Knowledge, version 0.5.0},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.5281/zenodo.22956197},
  url     = {https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/transaction-token-txn-token}
}