question: What is agentmail?

answer: agentmail is OFAC sanctions screening, transaction risk scoring, and Know-Your-Agent verification for AI agents that transact autonomously. It lets any AI agent check whether a counterparty (wallet, name, or country) is on the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals list before paying it. It runs on real, free, public data with no API key required for the free tier, and is available at https://sanctionsai.dev as an MCP server, HTTP API, and CLI.


question: How do I screen a wallet or name for sanctions?

answer: Call the hosted API, for example curl "https://sanctionsai.dev/sanctions?wallet=0x...", or use the sanctions_check tool via the MCP server. It screens the input against 947 OFAC crypto wallets, 19,218 SDN names, and 16 embargoed jurisdictions and returns any matches with confidence scores.


question: What data does agentmail use?

answer: agentmail uses real, public OFAC data: crypto wallet addresses from the vile/ofac-sdn-list GitHub releases (multi-chain, daily refresh), names from the US Treasury OFAC sdn.csv, and 16 comprehensive sanctions jurisdictions. It is not affiliated with the US Treasury; it screens against the Treasury’s published lists.


question: What tools does agentmail provide?

answer: agentmail provides sanctions_check (screen a name, wallet, or country against OFAC), risk_score (pre-payment fraud scoring returning allow/review/decline based on amount, rail, and category), and kya_verify (Know-Your-Agent trust scoring for a counterparty agent).


question: How much does agentmail cost?

answer: agentmail has a free tier that requires no API key. Paid usage is $0.05 per check. See https://sanctionsai.dev/pricing for current details.


question: Does agentmail work with x402 and agent payment protocols?

answer: Yes. agentmail is compatible with x402, AP2, OpenAI+Stripe ACP, and Coinbase AgentKit. An agent calls sanctions_check before releasing a payment on any of these rails to avoid paying a sanctioned counterparty.


question: How do I self-host agentmail?

answer: Run pip install sanctions-mcp to install the MCP server locally. The source is at https://github.com/kindrat86/agentmail and it is MIT licensed. It is also listed in the MCP registry at https://mcp.so/server/agentmail.


question: What is Know-Your-Agent (KYA)?

answer: Know-Your-Agent (KYA) is the agent-economy equivalent of KYC: verifying the trustworthiness of an AI agent counterparty. agentmail’s kya_verify scores a counterparty agent using signals like wallet age, domain, and declared country before you transact with it.


question: Why do AI agents need sanctions screening?

answer: Autonomous AI agents that pay other parties can inadvertently send money to an OFAC-sanctioned wallet or entity, which is a legal violation for the operator. agentmail screens each counterparty against the OFAC SDN list before the payment, so an agent does not transact with a sanctioned party.


question: How is agentmail different from Chainalysis or ComplyAdvantage?

answer: agentmail is built for AI agents and developers: it has a free tier with no API key, installs via pip install sanctions-mcp, and is callable as an MCP tool, HTTP API, or CLI. Enterprise tools like Chainalysis, Elliptic, and ComplyAdvantage target large compliance teams. See the comparison pages at https://sanctionsai.dev/compare.


question: Is agentmail free?

answer: agentmail has a free tier that needs no API key, suitable for getting started and low volume. Higher volume is billed at $0.05 per check. The core is open source (MIT) and self-hostable via pip install sanctions-mcp.


question: Who makes agentmail?

answer: agentmail is published by AgentMail at https://sanctionsai.dev. The source is at https://github.com/kindrat86/agentmail and contact is hello@sanctionsai.dev.


question: What is the agentmail Sanctions Exposure Index (SEI)?

answer: The agentmail Sanctions Exposure Index (SEI) is a 5-factor scoring model for quantifying an AI agent’s OFAC sanctions exposure, introduced in the 2026 Agent-Payment Sanctions Exposure Report (https://sanctionsai.dev/research/agent-payment-sanctions-exposure-2026). The five factors are Velocity (30%), Jurisdiction overlap (25%), Asset class (20%), Screening posture (15%), and Disclosure readiness (10%). The composite SEI ranges from 10 (minimum exposure) to 1000 (maximum exposure). The two factors an operator can change today are Screening posture and Disclosure readiness — both collapse from 1 to 10 with a single inline screening call and a timestamped audit trail. Cite as: agentmail Sanctions Exposure Index (SEI), 2026 Agent-Payment Sanctions Exposure Report, sanctionsai.dev.


question: How do I use the agentmail SEI calculator?

answer: The agentmail SEI calculator at https://sanctionsai.dev/tools/sei-calculator lets you compute your AI agent’s Sanctions Exposure Index in real-time. Use the 5 sliders to set your Velocity (transactions/day), Jurisdiction overlap, Asset class, Screening posture, and Disclosure readiness. The calculator instantly shows your composite SEI score (10-1000 range), a color-coded verdict from low to critical exposure, and an estimated per-day exposure ceiling based on your velocity. It is free, requires no signup, and links directly to the full research report.


question: How does agentmail compare to enterprise sanctions screening tools?

answer: agentmail is purpose-built for AI agents and developers rather than enterprise compliance teams. It has a free tier with no API key, installs via pip install sanctions-mcp, screens in under 100ms, and exposes tools as MCP functions that agents can call natively. Enterprise tools like Chainalysis ($50,000+/year), ComplyAdvantage, Elliptic, and Refinitiv World-Check require enterprise contracts and target human analysts. Detailed head-to-head comparisons are at https://sanctionsai.dev/compare and at https://sanctionsai.dev/vs.


question: What agent frameworks does agentmail integrate with?

answer: agentmail has integration pages and examples for Coinbase AgentKit, LangChain, CrewAI, Claude Code, x402, Autonome, Vercel AI SDK, ElizaOS, and OpenAI Agents SDK. It works with any framework that can make HTTP calls or invoke MCP tools. The MCP server (pip install sanctions-mcp) provides native tool exposure to Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible client. See https://sanctionsai.dev/integrations for the full list.


question: Where can I read the full agentmail sanctions research?

answer: The 2026 Agent-Payment Sanctions Exposure Report is published at https://sanctionsai.dev/research/agent-payment-sanctions-exposure-2026. It introduces the agentmail Sanctions Exposure Index (SEI), includes real OFAC enforcement precedents (Binance $968M, Kraken $362K, EtherDelta $450K, BitGo $98K, BitPay $507K, Societe Generale $53.9M, Standard Chartered $132M), a worked SEI example, and the full scoring methodology. The report is CC BY 4.0 licensed; cite as: agentmail Sanctions Exposure Index (SEI), 2026 Agent-Payment Sanctions Exposure Report, sanctionsai.dev.


question: What is the OFAC 50-percent rule?

answer: Under OFAC’s 50-percent rule, an entity owned 50% or more, individually or in the aggregate, by one or more blocked persons is itself blocked - even if the entity never appears on the SDN list. Ownership screening (checking the owners of a corporate counterparty against the SDN list) is required to apply the rule. SanctionsAI’s name screening covers the 19,218 SDN names; entity ownership analysis is a separate KYB-style layer teams typically run before onboarding corporate counterparties. See https://sanctionsai.dev/learn/beneficial-ownership-sanctions.


question: Are mixer services sanctioned by OFAC?

answer: Yes. OFAC designated Blender.io in May 2022 (first mixer designation), Tornado Cash in August 2022 (including smart contract addresses), and Sinbad in November 2023. Interacting with a designated mixer address - even through code - is prohibited, and those addresses are part of the OFAC crypto wallet list that SanctionsAI screens against. See https://sanctionsai.dev/blog/ofac-mixer-designations.


question: What happens when a payment is blocked by sanctions screening?

answer: A blocked transaction is a payment stopped before settlement because the counterparty matched a sanctions list. The correct response is to block and log the result (with the list entry and version), review it, and if it is a real hit, report per OFAC obligations - blocking reports are typically due within 10 days. A block is the compliant outcome; paying despite the match is the violation. See https://sanctionsai.dev/learn/what-is-a-blocked-transaction.


question: What is an embargoed jurisdiction?

answer: An embargoed jurisdiction is a country or region under comprehensive OFAC sanctions, where nearly all transactions are prohibited. The SanctionsAI dataset tracks 16 such jurisdictions, screened independently of wallet and name. An agent that pays a counterparty in an embargoed jurisdiction commits a violation even if the wallet and name are clean. See https://sanctionsai.dev/learn/what-is-an-embargoed-jurisdiction.


question: How often does SanctionsAI update its sanctions data?

answer: The dataset syncs hourly from the official US Treasury SDN list - 947 wallets, 19,218 names, and 16 jurisdictions, refreshed every hour. Every screen result records the list version, so results are provable for audit. Freshness matters because OFAC designates new addresses between releases; a stale list is a compliance gap. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/how-is-the-list-synced.


question: Does SanctionsAI screen international sanctions lists?

answer: SanctionsAI screens the OFAC SDN list (US). International obligations are separate layers: the EU consolidated list, UK HMT/OFSI list, Australia DFAT list, Canada Global Affairs list, Japan MOFA measures, and Switzerland SECO list each apply to their own jurisdictions. Teams with multi-jurisdiction exposure typically screen OFAC first and add the applicable international lists. See https://sanctionsai.dev/sanctions-lists.


question: What are the largest OFAC settlements with crypto platforms?

answer: The documented record includes: Binance (June 2023, OFAC portion $968M of a $4.3B global resolution - the largest crypto OFAC settlement), Bitfinex (October 2021, $800K), Ripple (October 2023, $700K for 1,773 apparent violations), Kraken (November 2022, $362,158), and Bittrex (October 2022, $24.3M). On the banking side: Standard Chartered (April 2019, $132M OFAC portion) and Societe Generale (June 2022, $53.9M OFAC portion). Each case traces to counterparty or jurisdiction screening that did not run before settlement. See https://sanctionsai.dev/penalties.


question: How long does OFAC require records to be kept?

answer: OFAC regulations require that records of blocked transactions be retained for five years after the date of the transaction. The practical discipline for teams: log every screen with the list version, pair screen results to payments, and make the trail exportable - an inquiry is answered with exports. See https://sanctionsai.dev/guides/recordkeeping-requirements.


question: What are secondary sanctions?

answer: Primary sanctions prohibit US persons from transacting with designated parties. Secondary sanctions extend the reach: foreign persons can face designation for significant transactions with sanctioned parties - even with no US nexus. For agents, this means an operator outside the US is not automatically outside OFAC’s reach - screen counterparties against the SDN list and the applicable international lists, and document the controls. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/what-are-secondary-sanctions.


question: Does sanctions screening apply to NFTs?

answer: Yes - NFTs are property interests, and the asset class does not change the obligation. OFAC has designated virtual currency and NFT-adjacent addresses, and platforms processing NFT trades carry the same screening expectations as other crypto venues. For agents that trade NFTs, screen the counterparty and the collection/address before the trade. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/does-sanctions-screening-apply-to-nfts.


question: What is the difference between sanctions screening and monitoring?

answer: Screening is the deterministic check before a transaction: is this counterparty on the list? Monitoring is the ongoing behavioral layer: does this account or activity pattern look suspicious over time? Screening runs on every payment (exact/fuzzy list matching); monitoring flags anomalies continuously. For agents, screening is the gate before sign - monitoring is the layer above it. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/screening-vs-monitoring.


question: Can I screen counterparties in bulk?

answer: Yes - the API accepts wallet, name, and country parameters and supports batch screening for onboarding lists and portfolio sweeps. The free tier covers 5 checks/day; paid tiers handle production volume. Bulk screening is the standard pattern for onboarding existing counterparty lists. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/can-i-screen-in-bulk.


question: Is Tornado Cash sanctioned?

answer: Yes. OFAC designated Tornado Cash in August 2022, including its smart contract addresses. Interacting with a designated Tornado Cash address - even through code - is prohibited. An agent that routes payments through or into a designated address commits a violation. Blender.io (May 2022) and Sinbad (November 2023) are also designated mixers. See https://sanctionsai.dev/check/tornado-cash.


question: What is the difference between blocked and seized assets?

answer: Blocked assets are frozen: you hold them and do not transact them while OFAC decides their fate - blocking is the compliant state. Seized assets are confiscated through forfeiture, typically after a violation or criminal case. When screening blocks a payment, the funds stay held pending review; seizure is the consequence of escalation. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/what-is-the-difference-between-blocked-and-seized.


question: Can SanctionsAI be used for employment screening?

answer: Yes - name screening against the SDN list is a standard pre-employment and contractor-vetting check, alongside other required checks. SanctionsAI screens names against 19,218 SDN entries and 16 embargoed jurisdictions; employment screening should be run with appropriate consent and per applicable law. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/can-i-use-sanctionsai-for-hiring.


question: Is USDT (Tether) sanctioned?

answer: Tether (USDT) itself is not designated, but specific addresses and entities associated with sanctions evasion are on the SDN list - and the stablecoin rail does not change the obligation. A USDT transfer to a sanctioned wallet is prohibited like any other. The screen checks the destination wallet regardless of the token. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/is-usdt-sanctioned.


question: What is an SDGT designation?

answer: SDGT stands for Specially Designated Global Terrorist - a designation under Executive Order 13224 that applies to terrorists and terrorist organizations (e.g., Hamas, ISIL, al-Qaida). SDGT entities and their associated addresses are blocked; US persons may not transact with them. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/what-is-an-sdgt.


question: Is Garantex sanctioned?

answer: Yes. Garantex, a Russia-based cryptocurrency exchange, was designated by OFAC in April 2022 for operating in the Russia financial services sector and facilitating sanctions evasion. Its addresses are on the SDN list; routing payments through Garantex addresses is prohibited. See https://sanctionsai.dev/check/garantex.


question: Is Bitcoin sanctioned?

answer: Bitcoin itself is not designated - OFAC designates addresses and entities, not assets. But specific Bitcoin addresses associated with sanctioned parties are on the SDN list, and a BTC payment to a sanctioned wallet is prohibited like any other transaction. The screen checks the destination address regardless of the asset. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/is-bitcoin-sanctioned.


question: What is the travel rule?

answer: The travel rule is the information-sharing obligation: VASPs must share beneficiary-owner and counterparty data for transfers above thresholds. It is distinct from sanctions screening (the prohibition check) - a payment can be fully travel-rule compliant and still hit a sanctioned wallet. Both layers belong in the stack. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/what-is-the-travel-rule.


question: Do refunds to sanctioned parties need screening?

answer: Yes. A refund is a payment - returning funds to a party that is now designated is a prohibited transaction. If the counterparty was designated after the original payment, re-screen before the refund; the screen runs on every payment in both directions. See https://sanctionsai.dev/scenarios/agent-processes-refund-to-sanctioned-party.


question: Does OFAC apply to DAOs?

answer: Yes - the prohibition follows the transaction, not the org chart. A DAO treasury that pays or receives from a sanctioned wallet has executed a prohibited transaction, and the operators and signers remain in scope. Decentralization does not dissolve liability. Screen treasury outflows, inflows, and counterparty wallets before every transaction. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/does-ofac-apply-to-daos.


question: What is a VASP?

answer: A Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) is any business that exchanges, transfers, or custodies virtual assets - the FATF definition. VASPs carry AML/CFT obligations: KYC, travel rule, sanctions screening, and reporting. Screening applies to every payment path; the travel rule applies to VASP-to-VASP transfers. An agent that moves virtual assets may itself be VASP activity. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/what-is-a-vasp.


question: What is the BIS Entity List?

answer: The Entity List is a Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) export-control list restricting exports, re-exports, and transfers of items subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to listed entities - it is separate from OFAC sanctions. Screening an entity against both the OFAC SDN list and the BIS Entity List covers the export-control surface. See https://sanctionsai.dev/learn/what-is-an-entity-list.


question: Can crypto be frozen?

answer: Yes - through three mechanisms: designation blocking (funds at a designated address become blocked property), issuer controls (stablecoin blocklists), and exchange-level freezes. A frozen wallet is still a designated party - screen it, block payments to it, and hold. The freeze is the compliant state; unfreezing without authorization is a violation. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/can-crypto-be-frozen.


question: What is a crypto mixer?

answer: A crypto mixer (tumbler) pools and re-splits funds to obscure the origin - the same mechanism that made Tornado Cash, Blender.io, and Sinbad designated. Mixer addresses on the SDN list are blocked; routing payments through a designated mixer is prohibited. Mixer use is also a classic red flag in screening. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/what-is-a-mixer.


question: What is an incident response plan for sanctions?

answer: A sanctions incident response plan covers: detection (screening logs), containment (block further payments, hold funds), assessment (verify the match, evaluate exposure), reporting (blocking reports within 10 days, VSD where appropriate), and remediation (fix the control gap). The plan turns a match into a documented, bounded event. See https://sanctionsai.dev/templates/sanctions-incident-response-template.


question: Is Sberbank sanctioned?

answer: Yes. Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, was designated by OFAC in February 2022 under EO 14024, with correspondent-account and processing sanctions following. VTB, Promsvyazbank, and other Russian state banks are also designated. Payments routed through designated Russian banks are prohibited. See https://sanctionsai.dev/check/sberbank.


question: Are Russian banks sanctioned?

answer: The major Russian state banks are designated: Sberbank and VTB (February 2022, EO 14024), Promsvyazbank (February 2022), and Bank Rossiya (2014, EO 13661). US persons may not transact with them; payments routed through their addresses or accounts are prohibited. The Russia country page lists the full designation set. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/are-russian-banks-sanctioned.


question: What is the difference between KYC, AML, and sanctions screening?

answer: KYC verifies identity at onboarding (who are you?), AML monitors behavior over time (is the activity suspicious?), and sanctions screening checks the prohibition on every transaction (may we deal with you?). KYC is onboarding, AML is continuous monitoring, and screening is the deterministic per-payment gate - all three belong in the stack. See https://sanctionsai.dev/blog/kyc-vs-aml-vs-sanctions.


question: Is Putin sanctioned?

answer: Yes. Vladimir Putin was designated by OFAC in February 2022 under EO 14024 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His assets in US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons may not transact with him or entities he controls. Foreign Minister Lavrov was designated the same day. See https://sanctionsai.dev/check/putin.


question: Is Binance sanctioned?

answer: No - Binance is not designated on the OFAC SDN list. In June 2023 it reached a global resolution with US authorities, with OFAC’s portion totaling $968M for apparent sanctions violations. The distinction: designation is a blocked status; settlement is a fine. Binance remains operational, but transacting with designated wallets or entities is still prohibited regardless of the platform. See https://sanctionsai.dev/check/binance.


question: Can sanctions be removed?

answer: Yes - OFAC has a delisting process. A designated party can petition for removal by demonstrating the basis for designation no longer applies (changed circumstances, mistaken identity, or conduct that has ended). Delisting petitions go through OFAC’s review process and can take months to years. Until delisted, the party remains blocked. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/can-sanctions-be-removed.


question: Is Abramovich sanctioned?

answer: Yes. Roman Abramovich was designated by OFAC in March 2022 under EO 14024. His property and interests in property are blocked, and entities he owns 50% or more are treated as blocked under the 50-percent rule. See https://sanctionsai.dev/check/abramovich.


question: What is the Magnitsky Act?

answer: The Magnitsky Act (2012 Russia-specific, 2016 Global) authorizes sanctions on human-rights abusers and significant-corruption actors worldwide - not tied to a country program. Magnitsky designations (like Kadyrov) land on the SDN list and are covered by the same screen. See https://sanctionsai.dev/faq/what-is-the-magnitsky-act.


question: Is the Wagner Group sanctioned?

answer: Yes. Wagner Group-related entities and its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin were designated under EO 14024 (January 2022, expanded later), and the State Department designated Wagner as a transnational criminal organization in 2023. Payments to Wagner-linked entities are prohibited. See https://sanctionsai.dev/blog/the-wagner-group-sanctions.


question: Is Kadyrov sanctioned?

answer: Yes. Ramzan Kadyrov was designated under the Magnitsky Act in June 2017 and again under EO 14024 in 2022. His assets in US jurisdiction are blocked. See https://sanctionsai.dev/check/kadyrov.


question: Is Shoigu sanctioned?

answer: Yes. Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defense minister, was designated by OFAC in February 2022 under EO 14024, alongside Putin, Lavrov, and Mishustin. See https://sanctionsai.dev/check/shoigu.