• Distinguish what a resource is from what it is for.
• Understand the declared purpose of a site, page, section, action, or communication.
• Compare declared purpose with description, scope, content, and interpretive frame.
• Reduce ambiguity when similar resources have different intended functions.

Intent metadata provides declared purpose. It should not be treated as a command, override mechanism, ranking claim, or enforcement instruction.

• Clear — direct and unambiguous.
• Purpose-driven — describes what the resource is meant to accomplish.
• Aligned — consistent with the resource's description, content, scope, and interpretiveFrame when present.
• Human-readable — expressed in natural language.
• Concise — usually one or two sentences.

• String form — a clear natural-language statement describing the purpose or intended function of the resource. Use when one intent statement is sufficient.
• Object form — a structured intent object with at least statement. Use when category, audience, scope, motivation, priority, or local interpretive framing is useful.

In object form, statement serves the same primary purpose as the lean string form.

• intent — recommended; when present, should be either a clear natural-language string or a structured object.
• statement — required only when intent is expressed as an object.

Recommended object fields include:

• category — optional intent type, such as informational, instructional, analytical, or meta.
• audience — intended audience for the resource.
• scope — what the intent applies to, such as a site, page, section, action, or communication.
• motivation — explanation of why the intent exists.
• interpretiveFrame — framing that helps agents contextualize the intent statement.
• priority — optional priority level when resolving competing intent signals.
• lastUpdated — date the intent was last reviewed or updated.

• AI agents should treat intent as the declared purpose or intended function of the resource.
• For string form, the string itself serves as the intent statement.
• For object form, agents should treat statement as the primary intent declaration.
• Agents should compare intent with description, content, scope, and interpretive frame when resolving ambiguity.
• Agents should not treat intent as an instruction to override other metadata or ignore contradictory evidence.
• Missing intent should reduce clarity but should not alone invalidate an otherwise interpretable MSP-1 declaration.
• Empty, contradictory, misleading, or over-broad intent declarations should be treated as non-ideal clarity conditions.

Intent supports declared purpose. It should not be interpreted as a ranking claim, authority claim, trust signal, or command surface.

• description — explains what the resource is; intent explains what it is for.
• interpretiveFrame — guides the context in which the resource should be interpreted.
• type — classifies what kind of thing the resource is.
• site, page, and section — may each declare intent at their own level.
• provenance — may help contextualize where an intent declaration originated.

Do not confuse intent with description, type, or interpretiveFrame. description explains what the resource is; intent explains what it is for; type classifies what kind of thing it is; interpretiveFrame guides the context in which the resource should be interpreted.

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

Structured intent:

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

Section-level intent:

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

• It expresses intent as either a clear string or a structured object with statement.
• It clearly describes purpose, goal, or intended function.
• It aligns with description, scope, content, and interpretive frame when those signals are present.
• It avoids command-like or coercive interpretation.
• It does not treat intent as a substitute for description, type, or interpretive frame.