# An agreement protocol {% hint style="info" %} **Good to know:** "The **Ricardian contract**, as invented by Ian Grigg in 1996, is a method of recording a document as [contract](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract) at law, and linking it securely to other systems, such as accounting, for the contract as an issuance of value." Sometimes explained as : "an agreement whose execution is both automatable and enforceable." {% endhint %} The agreement protocol is a Ricardian Contract implementation based on Semantic Contracts that are rendered as websites and uploaded to Ipfs by Issuers. These interactive contracts can be shared with Parties who may sign them with their Ethereum Wallet. \ These contracts can be just simple agreements or legally binding service contracts, depending on the semantics. ### On-Chain Agreements Semantic Contracts can be tightly coupled to smart contracts using Ricardian Fabric, blurring the lines between traditional legal agreements and modern smart contracts. The acceptance of the semantic contract is connected to the signer wallet address which allows self fulfilling smart contracts to take action and execute the part of the agreement that is written in code and depends on accepting the semantics. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.ricardianfabric.com/guides/ricardian-contracts/an-agreement-protocol.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.