Most agents can acquire information about their environments as they operate. A good plan for such an agent is one that not only achieves the goal, but is also executable, i.e., ensures that the agent has enough information at every step to know what to do next. In this paper, we present a formal account of what it means for an agenttoknow how to execute a plan and to be able to achieve a goal. Such a theory is a prerequisite for producing specifications of planners for agents that can acquire information at run time. It is also essential to account for cooperation among agents. Our account is more general than previous proposals, correctly handles programs containing loops, and incorporates a solution to the frame problem. It can also be used to prove programs containing sensing actions correct.

Abstract. In this paper, we identify some problems with current formalizations of conditional commitments, i.e. commitments to achieve a goal if some condition becomes true. We present a solution to these problems. We also formalize two types of communicative actions that can be used by an agent to request another agent to achieve a goal or perform an action provided that some condition becomes true. Our account is set within ECASL [7], a framework for modeling communicating agents based on the situation calculus. 1

Abstract. The Cognitive Agent Specification Language (CASL) is a framework for specifying and verifying complex communicating multiagent systems. In this paper, we extend CASL to incorporate a formal model of means-end reasoning suitable for a multiagent context. In particular, we define a simple model of cooperative ability, give a definition of rational plans, and show how an agent’s intentions play a role in determining her next actions. This bridges the gap between intentions to achieve a goal and intentions to act. We also define a notion of subjective plan execution and show that in the absence of interference, an agent that is able to achieve a goal, intends to do so, and is acting rationally and subjectively executing plans, will eventually achieve it. 1