Ad Context Protocol (AdCP) vs Agentic Real Time Framework (ARTF)
The map lists them as complementary: sites and agents commonly implement both.
| Ad Context Protocol AdCP | Agentic Real Time Framework ARTF | |
|---|---|---|
| Lifecycle step | 5 Act: Do something for me | 5 Act: Do something for me |
| Answers | How can an AI agent discover ad inventory, execute a media buy, sync creative, and report performance across many ad platforms through one protocol? | How does a host advertising platform invoke a third party's agent service, deployed as a container inside its own infrastructure, to mutate a bid request in real time? |
| Governed by | AgenticAdvertising.org, an industry organization of publishers, platforms, agencies, and technology providers; foundation governance (structure, voting classes, Board composition, spec lifecycle) is set out in the project's CHARTER.md and published at agenticadvertising.org/governance | IAB Tech Lab (non-profit standards consortium); Agentic Task Force working group |
| Status (issuer's words) | Active open protocol, current release v3.2.5 | Final v1.0 specification, published after public comment; v2.0 development already underway |
| Version | v3.2.6 (2026-10-23) | v1.0 (2026-07-20) |
| Form / transport | well-known file | endpoint |
| Found at | /.well-known/adagents.json (publisher) and /.well-known/brand.json (brand/operator) | http://{host}:{health-port}/health/ready |
| Implementation | shipping | multi-implementation — IAB Tech Lab |
| Evidence | 3 verified, 2 reported | 4 verified |
| Primary use case | Let agents discover my API or service | Expose tools to agents |
| Last verified | 2026-10-23 (current) | 2026-10-23 (current) |
| Specification | https://docs.adcontextprotocol.org/ | https://github.com/IABTechLab/agentic-real-time-framework |
When to use which
- Choose Ad Context Protocol when your question is “How can an AI agent discover ad inventory, execute a media buy, sync creative, and report performance across many ad platforms through one protocol?” and you accept its maturity: status "Active open protocol, current release v3.2.5", implementation shipping.
- Choose Agentic Real Time Framework when your question is “How does a host advertising platform invoke a third party's agent service, deployed as a container inside its own infrastructure, to mutate a bid request in real time?” and you accept its maturity: status "Final v1.0 specification, published after public comment; v2.0 development already underway", implementation multi-implementation (IAB Tech Lab).
Read the full articles
- Ad Context Protocol: How can an AI agent discover ad inventory, execute a media buy, sync creative, and report performance across many ad platforms through one protocol?
- Agentic Real Time Framework: How does a host advertising platform invoke a third party's agent service, deployed as a container inside its own infrastructure, to mutate a bid request in real time?