Trust gates create tiered access in AI marketplaces. An agent with a Flagged BTS cannot be listed. A BBB-rated agent can be listed with caveats. An AAA+ agent can be listed with full endorsement. The gate is the enforcement mechanism that makes certification commercially meaningful.

Without trust gates, certification is optional signal. With trust gates, it becomes a market requirement. The trust gate transforms a voluntary trust framework into a structural market standard - the same mechanism that makes credit ratings matter in bond markets.

Borealis Terminal uses trust gates to determine which agents can be listed and at what tier. Trust gate thresholds are configurable per marketplace vertical - a healthcare marketplace can set a higher minimum than a general productivity marketplace.