A2A protocol
A2A (Agent2Agent) is an open protocol, announced by Google in 2025, that lets agents built by different vendors discover each other and exchange tasks.
Text reviewed October 5, 2026
A2A (Agent2Agent) is an open protocol, announced by Google in 2025, that lets agents built by different vendors discover each other and exchange tasks.
Basic
MCP connects a model to tools and data. A2A connects agents to other agents: one agent can find another, describe a task, and receive results, even if they were built with different frameworks. The two protocols are complementary.
Deep
Agents publish a description of what they can do, and other agents send them tasks and receive updates and results over standard web protocols. The project moved to open governance under the Linux Foundation in 2025.
Expert
Adoption depends on frameworks and platforms implementing it; check each agent platform's documentation for support.
Depending on why you're here
- ·A common language for AI agents to work together
- ·Use MCP for tools, A2A for delegating to other agents
- ·Interoperability standards lower lock-in
- ·Agent to agent messaging; MCP covers agent to tool