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What is ACP?

The Agent Communication Protocol (ACP) is a protocol designed to standardize how agents communicate, enabling automation, agent-to-agent collaboration, UI integration, and developer tooling.

Rather than imposing strict specifications immediately, ACP emphasizes practical, useful features first. Standardization occurs once features demonstrate value, ensuring broader adoption and long-term compatibility.

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Motivation

Current agent systems often use diverse communication standards, causing complexity, integration difficulties, and vendor lock-in. ACP addresses these issues uniquely by standardizing interactions tailored specifically for agents that handle natural language inputs and depend on externally hosted models.

By accommodating these agent-specific needs, ACP simplifies integration and promotes effective collaboration across agent-based ecosystems.

Why Standardization Matters

Standardization allows practical features to become reliable and broadly adopted. ACP starts flexible and solidifies standards based on real-world use. The benefits are:

  • Interoperability: Seamless interaction across agents and systems.
  • Simplified Development: Less overhead, enabling developers to focus on innovation.
  • Reuse and Efficiency: Reduced duplication through reuse of proven solutions.

Additionally, ACP introduces specific enhancements tailored uniquely for agent-based systems:

  • Natural Language Flexibility: Designed explicitly for agents handling fuzzy or ambiguous natural-language inputs, enabling robust and intuitive interactions.
  • Model Dependency Management: Simplifies integration and management of externally hosted models, improving resource management.
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