This page may contain stale information. Last updated: 2026-06-01
Definition
AI agent protocols are standardized communication formats that enable AI agents to interact across different frameworks, platforms, and organizations. Key protocols include MCP and A2A.
Key Protocols
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
- Standardizes how AI models receive context
- Enables cross-framework agent interoperability
- Originally associated with Claude (Anthropic)
- Now supported in microsoft-agent-framework
A2A (Agent-to-Agent Protocol)
- Enables direct communication between AI agents
- Supports multi-agent workflows
- Part of microsoft-agent-framework 1.0
- See also agent2agent-protocol (IBM/SAP enterprise implementation)
Importance
Standardized protocols enable:
- Agent interoperability across frameworks
- Cross-platform agent communication
- Ecosystem growth without vendor lock-in