---
title: Intents
---

# Intents

Intents represent needs, offers, and possibilities published by holons for matching and coordination.

## Intent Types

| Type | Description |
|------|-------------|
| **need** | Something a holon requires |
| **offer** | Something a holon can provide |
| **possibility** | An opportunity that could be explored |

## Matching

Intents are automatically matched based on:
- **Governance fit** (60%) — Overlap in governance tags
- **Text similarity** (40%) — Content overlap between titles and descriptions

Complementary types (need ↔ offer) are matched. Matching scores range from 0.0 to 1.0.

## State Lifecycle

```
open → matched → committed → expired
                            → withdrawn
```

## Governance Fit Tags

Intents can carry governance fit tags (e.g., `consent`, `membrane`, `federation`) that help with matching holons that share governance alignment.

## API

- `POST /intents` — Publish an intent
- `GET /intents` — List intents (filter by type, state)
- `GET /intents/{id}/matches` — Get matching intents