Gaurav Shinh’s Post

🚀 Unlocking Agentic AI: From MCP to A2A, ACP, ACNBP & Beyond Agent-based systems are no longer theoretical. They're here—and protocols are the glue that makes them collaborate, delegate, and scale. If you're building with AI agents, here’s a quick guide to the evolving communication stack that powers next-gen autonomy 👇 🔌 MCP (Model Context Protocol) Think of this as the USB-C port for agents. It standardizes agent-to-tool communication via JSON-RPC, letting agents access APIs, databases, or search—ideal for stateless tool use and injecting external knowledge. 🤝 A2A (Agent‑to‑Agent Protocol) Built for collaboration across boundaries. Developed by Google, now open under the Linux Foundation, A2A enables task delegation, capability discovery, and real-time coordination between agents via HTTP/SSE and JSON-RPC. 🧠 ACP (Agent Collaboration Protocol) Structured conversations between agents. ACP introduces intent-based messaging (like REQUEST, INFORM, PROPOSE), shared ontologies, error handling, and multi-modal payload support—ideal for high-trust, real-time interactions. 🔐 ACNBP (Agent Capability Negotiation & Binding Protocol) Enabling smart agent matchmaking. This newer protocol supports secure discovery, negotiation, and commitment exchange between agents—essential when agents need to select trustworthy collaborators on the fly. 🌐 ANP + AG‑UI (Emerging standards) ANP handles agent discovery in dynamic ecosystems. AG‑UI powers real-time agent-to-user streaming (SSE/WebSockets), making agents feel alive in UI environments. 🧩 How it all fits together Imagine an agent workflow: Agent uses ANP to discover peers Agents negotiate with ACNBP Tasks are delegated via A2A External tools are accessed over MCP Conversations flow using ACP UIs stream results in real-time using AG‑UI Each protocol plays a unique role—but together, they enable resilient, intelligent, multi-agent systems. 🎯 Why this matters ✅ Modular: Plug in/out tools and agents 🛠️ Secure: Discovery, binding, identity baked in 📡 Scalable: Works across local, cloud, and hybrid systems 💬 Multimodal: Text, code, audio, and visuals 📈 Enterprise-ready: Backed by industry adoption Are you exploring multi-agent architectures yet? Curious how MCP, A2A, or ACP could reshape your enterprise workflows? Let’s connect and compare notes—agentic design is moving fast, and collaboration protocols are the key to making it work. #AgenticAI #A2A #MCP #MultiAgentSystems #AIProtocols #AIArchitecture #AIEngineering #FutureOfWork #EnterpriseAI #LLMops #AutonomousAgents