What is this?
The Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol is an open standard that lets gen AI agents built on different frameworks and run by different companies talk to each other — discovering capabilities, negotiating how to interact, and collaborating on long-running tasks as agents, not just as tools.
The Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol is an open standard that lets gen AI agents built on different frameworks and run by different companies talk to each other — discovering capabilities, negotiating how to interact, and collaborating on long-running tasks as agents, not just as tools.Is this a piece of software I install, or something else?It's a protocol specification, not an app: this repo hosts the spec and documentation, and you adopt it through official SDKs when building A2A-compliant agents and clients.
It's a protocol specification, not an app: this repo hosts the spec and documentation, and you adopt it through official SDKs when building A2A-compliant agents and clients.How do I start building with it?Pick the SDK for your language — Python is pip install a2a-sdk, JavaScript is npm install @a2a-js/sdk — and there are also Go, Java, .NET and Rust SDKs, plus runnable samples.
Pick the SDK for your language — Python is pip install a2a-sdk, JavaScript is npm install @a2a-js/sdk — and there are also Go, Java, .NET and Rust SDKs, plus runnable samples.Does it work with the agent framework I'm already using?The SDKs cover Python, Go, JavaScript, Java, .NET and Rust, and agents built with frameworks like Google ADK, LangGraph, or BeeAI can be exposed as A2A servers.
The SDKs cover Python, Go, JavaScript, Java, .NET and Rust, and agents built with frameworks like Google ADK, LangGraph, or BeeAI can be exposed as A2A servers.Do agents have to share their internal memory or tools to collaborate?No — opacity is a core design goal: agents work together without exposing internal state, memory, or proprietary tool implementations, which protects security and intellectual property.
No — opacity is a core design goal: agents work together without exposing internal state, memory, or proprietary tool implementations, which protects security and intellectual property.Is this a Google-proprietary standard or genuinely open?It's an open source project under the Linux Foundation, contributed by Google, licensed under Apache License 2.0 and open to community contributions.
It's an open source project under the Linux Foundation, contributed by Google, licensed under Apache License 2.0 and open to community contributions.How do agents find each other?Through Agent Cards — documents detailing an agent's capabilities and connection info, so clients and other agents can discover it and negotiate interaction modalities like text, forms, or media.
Through Agent Cards — documents detailing an agent's capabilities and connection info, so clients and other agents can discover it and negotiate interaction modalities like text, forms, or media.What data can agents exchange?Text, files, and structured JSON data, across both short request/response exchanges and long-running tasks.
Text, files, and structured JSON data, across both short request/response exchanges and long-running tasks.Is there a structured way to learn it?Yes — a short DeepLearning.AI course, 'The Agent2Agent Protocol', built with Google Cloud and IBM Research, covers exposing agents as A2A servers, writing clients, and building a healthcare multi-agent system.
Yes — a short DeepLearning.AI course, 'The Agent2Agent Protocol', built with Google Cloud and IBM Research, covers exposing agents as A2A servers, writing clients, and building a healthcare multi-agent system.What's still on the to-do list?Planned enhancements include embedding authorization schemes in Agent Cards, a QuerySkill() method for checking agent skills dynamically, in-task UX negotiation (like adding audio mid-conversation), and more reliable streaming and push notifications.
Planned enhancements include embedding authorization schemes in Agent Cards, a QuerySkill() method for checking agent skills dynamically, in-task UX negotiation (like adding audio mid-conversation), and more reliable streaming and push notifications.What are similar projects?turnstone, spring-ai-alibaba, sprix-sage-router, iii, harness-sdk, Observal, ai-agents-the-definitive-guide, agent-governance-toolkit
turnstone, spring-ai-alibaba, sprix-sage-router, iii, harness-sdk, Observal, ai-agents-the-definitive-guide, agent-governance-toolkitWhich topics is it in?a2a-protocol, open-standard, a2a, sse, specification, protocol, dotnet, http, agent-orchestration, json, streaming, shell
a2a-protocol, open-standard, a2a, sse, specification, protocol, dotnet, http, agent-orchestration, json, streaming, shell