Active Standard Version 1.0

Agent-to-Agent Protocol (A2A)

Communication protocol for AI agents to discover, negotiate, and collaborate with each other.

A2AJSON-RPC

Overview

The Agent-to-Agent Protocol (A2A) enables AI agents to discover each other and collaborate on complex tasks. It provides a standardized way for agents to advertise their capabilities and negotiate service terms.

Core Concepts

Discovery

Agents can publish their capabilities to a decentralized registry or broadcast them on a local network.

Negotiation

A2A defines a handshake protocol where agents can:

  1. Propose: Suggest a task or service exchange.
  2. Counter: Modify terms (price, timeline, scope).
  3. Accept: Agree to terms and generate a mandate (via AP2).
  4. Reject: Decline the proposal.

Integration

A2A works alongside AP2 (for payments) and TAP (for identity) to form a complete autonomous economic stack.