Definition

msp:intent states what a resource is meant to accomplish. It helps agents, validators, and implementation tools understand purpose without relying only on inference from content, title, layout, or surrounding context.

An intent may be expressed as a clear natural-language string or as a structured object when category, audience, scope, motivation, priority, or local interpretive framing is useful. The string form is the lean form. In object form, statement provides the primary intent declaration.

Usage

{
  "msp:intent": "Explain the purpose and structure of the MSP-1 metadata protocol."
}

Structured intent:

{
  "msp:intent": {
    "statement": "Teach beginner photographers how to use window light for portraiture.",
    "category": "instructional",
    "audience": "beginner photographers",
    "scope": "page"
  }
}

Section-level intent:

{
  "msp:section": {
    "id": "lighting-basics",
    "intent": "Provide foundational understanding of natural and artificial lighting principles."
  }
}

The intent term explains what the resource is for. It is related to description, type, and interpretiveFrame, but it is not interchangeable with those terms.

Related Terms