Agent Communication Protocol (ACP)
🧱 TL;DR
IBM’s Agent Communication Protocol (ACP) is an open, HTTP-native standard (now at v1.0.2) that lets heterogeneous AI agents communicate via a consistent REST interface; we categorize it as Trial due to rapid maturation, Linux Foundation stewardship, and active tooling (BeeAI), with limited real-world benchmarking to date. IBM Research GitHub BeeAI Docs
🚦 Radar Status
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Technology/Topic Name | Agent Communication Protocol (ACP) |
| Radar Category | Trial |
| Category Rationale | Open, framework-agnostic agent-to-agent protocol with clear REST model and SDKs (Python/ |
| Date Evaluated | 2025-08-19 |
| Version | ACP v1.0.2 (released 2025-08-15) |
| Research Owner | Sona Prabhakaran |
💡 Why It Matters
Brief explanation of:
Problem solved: Interoperability across siloed AI agents built with different frameworks, languages, and runtimes—reducing N(N-1)/2 point integrations. IBM Research
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Why now: Multi-agent apps are accelerating, and competing protocols (e.g., Google’s A2A, Anthropic’s MCP) are emerging; ACP offers open, HTTP-first messaging between agents, complementing tool-access protocols. IBMAkka
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Key differentiators: Lightweight REST API, multimodal message parts, async + streaming (SSE), open governance under Linux Foundation, and a reference ecosystem via BeeAI. agentcommunicationprotocol.dev IBM Research BeeAI Docs
📊 Summary Assessment
| Criteria | Status (✅ / ⚠️ / ❌) | Notes / Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Maturity Level | Medium | v1.x released; active commits and releases; still building production references. |
| Innovation Value | High | Positions a neutral “HTTP for agents” with multimodal messages and session concepts. GitHub |
| Integration Readiness | Medium–High | Clear OpenAPI, Python server + TS client, simple curl-based flows. GitHub |
| Documentation & Dev UX | Medium–High | Strong docs + quickstart + DL.AI course for onboarding. agentcommunicationprotocol.dev DeepLearning.ai |
| Tooling & Ecosystem | Medium | BeeAI platform (discovery/run/compose) and IDE integrations emerging. BeeAI Docs agentcommunicationprotocol.dev |
| Security & Privacy | Medium | Evolving guidance; identity/federation on roadmap; Linux Foundation governance. BeeAI Docs |
| Licensing Viability | High | Apache-2.0 licensed repo. GitHub |
| Use Case Fit | High | Cross-framework multi-agent workflows, agent replacement/swaps, inter-team/org collaboration. agentcommunicationprotocol.dev |
| Performance & Benchmarking | Low | No standardized public benchmarks yet; HA features added recently. agentcommunicationprotocol.dev |
| Community & Adoption | Medium | Linux Foundation contribution; growing stars, course, and articles; early-stage references. Linux Foundation GitHub |
| Responsible AI | Medium | Protocol-level neutrality; relies on agent/tooling layers for RAI controls. (No specific RAI guarantees in spec yet.) IBM Research |
🛠️ Example Use Cases
- Replace a LangChain-based “research agent” with a CrewAI equivalent without refactoring downstream agents—common REST envelope + manifests keep contracts stable. agentcommunicationprotocol.dev
- Cross-department agents (procurement, support, inventory) coordinate via ACP runs and sessions; external partner agents join the workflow through BeeAI discovery. BeeAI Docs
- Hierarchical orchestration (planner -> specialist agents) with async streaming updates over SSE for long-running tasks. agentcommunicationprotocol.dev
📌 Key Findings
- ACP standardizes agent-to-agent messaging (complements MCP’s agent-to-tool model; distinct from Google’s A2A discovery fabric). IBMAkka
- Developer ergonomics are strong: spin up a Python server, expose agents, call via HTTP; official SDKs and OpenAPI lower adoption friction. GitHub
- Production signals are improving (HA, distributed sessions), but benchmarks and case studies remain limited—keep it in Trial until more enterprise proofs accumulate. agentcommunicationprotocol.dev
🧷 Resources
| Type | Link |
|---|---|
| Official Website | IBM Research – ACP project page. IBM Research |
| GitHub Repo | i-am-bee/acp (Apache-2.0; v1.0.2 latest). GitHub |
| Documentation | agentcommunicationprotocol.dev (architecture, quickstart, what’s new). https://agentcommunicationprotocol.dev/core-concepts/architecture https://agentcommunicationprotocol.dev/introduction/quickstart https://agentcommunicationprotocol.dev/introduction/whats-new |
| Benchmark Results | None published as standardized suites (as of 2025-08-19). (N/A) |
| Sample Notebook | https://www.deeplearning.ai/short-courses/acp-agent-communication-protocol |
| Radar Entry |
🧠 Recommendation
Tailored advice for specific audiences:
- Consultants: Position ACP as the default interop layer when designing multi-agent solutions that must span client teams or frameworks. Start with a reference pilot (2–3 agents) and document message contracts + manifests early. agentcommunicationprotocol.dev
- Engineers: Wrap existing agents behind ACP now; use the Python server or TS client, add HA (Redis/Postgres) if you need scale, and wire basic observability. Treat sessions and message parts as first-class design elements. GitHub agentcommunicationprotocol.dev
- Product Teams: When evaluating multi-agent roadmaps, weigh ACP’s neutrality vs. vendor-tied stacks; prioritize protocols that keep swap-ability and cross-org collaboration open. Track adoption signals and case studies before broad rollout. BeeAI Docs
🔁 Follow-ups / Watchlist
Things to monitor that might change the radar status in future:
- Evidence of enterprise deployments and reference architectures.
- Progress on identity, access delegation, and federation for inter-org agents.
- Interop stories between ACP and A2A/MCP in the wild (tool + discovery layers).
- Additional tooling (registries, policy, observability) and performance baselines. BeeAI Docs IBM Research
✍️ Author Notes (Optional)
References:
https://agentcommunicationprotocol.dev/introduction/welcome
https://github.com/i-am-bee/acp
Additional context, red flags, or personal observations from the researcher.