# Agent Attribution Protocol (AAP) vs CoMP (Content Monetization Protocols)

They answer different questions: Agent Attribution Protocol is a step 9 (Account) standard, CoMP (Content Monetization Protocols) step 3 (Permit), so they are not substitutes.

[9 Account](/category/account/) [Agent Attribution Protocol](/protocols/agent-attribution-protocol/) · [3 Permit](/category/permit/) [CoMP (Content Monetization Protocols)](/protocols/iab-comp/)

|  | [Agent Attribution Protocol](/protocols/agent-attribution-protocol/) AAP | [CoMP (Content Monetization Protocols)](/protocols/iab-comp/) CoMP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifecycle step | 9 Account: Prove what happened; be judged | 3 Permit: What may the agent do here? |
| Answers | When an AI agent recommends a product and a sale happens later, on another device or session, can anyone prove which agent (and which recommendation) actually drove it? | How does a licensed AI system ask a publisher or content marketplace for content, saying who it is, how it authenticates and what it will use the content for? |
| Governed by | Single vendor (Rako); the spec text is published under Apache-2.0, but issuance, verification and settlement are centrally operated by Rako, which the spec calls the 'Protocol Authority' | IAB Tech Lab; specification under CC-BY 3.0 in github.com/IABTechLab/CoMP |
| Status (issuer's words) | "The open standard for AI agent affiliate attribution" (vendor's own description); v1.0 spec published, centrally operated | CoMP v1 (Final): open for public comment until 2026-04-09 and finalized 2026-04-28, per IAB Tech Lab's initiative page |
| Version | v1.0 (2026-04-02) | CoMP v1 (Final) (2026-04-28) |
| Form / transport | endpoint | endpoint |
| Found at | none | none defined; supply discovery is explicitly out of scope, and terms are reached through a licenseurl in the response |
| Implementation | shipping | none found |
| Evidence | 3 verified | 2 verified |
| Primary use case | Attribute and measure agent traffic | Serve readable content to agents |
| Last verified | 2026-10-23 (current) | 2026-10-23 (current) |
| Specification | [https://github.com/rakohq/aap-spec](https://github.com/rakohq/aap-spec) | [https://github.com/IABTechLab/CoMP/blob/main/CoMP-1.0.md](https://github.com/IABTechLab/CoMP/blob/main/CoMP-1.0.md) |

## When to use which

- Choose Agent Attribution Protocol when your question is “When an AI agent recommends a product and a sale happens later, on another device or session, can anyone prove which agent (and which recommendation) actually drove it?” and you accept its maturity: status ""The open standard for AI agent affiliate attribution" (vendor's own description); v1.0 spec published, centrally operated", implementation shipping.
- Choose CoMP (Content Monetization Protocols) when your question is “How does a licensed AI system ask a publisher or content marketplace for content, saying who it is, how it authenticates and what it will use the content for?” and you accept its maturity: status "CoMP v1 (Final): open for public comment until 2026-04-09 and finalized 2026-04-28, per IAB Tech Lab's initiative page", implementation none found.

Guidance is derived from the two records (question, status, implementation, prerequisites, pairings), not from opinion. Each record's page carries its numbered references.

## Read the full articles

- [Agent Attribution Protocol](/protocols/agent-attribution-protocol/): When an AI agent recommends a product and a sale happens later, on another device or session, can anyone prove which agent (and which recommendation) actually drove it?
- [CoMP (Content Monetization Protocols)](/protocols/iab-comp/): How does a licensed AI system ask a publisher or content marketplace for content, saying who it is, how it authenticates and what it will use the content for?

Ask the MCP server to compare any two: the compare-protocols prompt, or get on both ids. [Connect](/connect/).

[agent-attribution-protocol.json](/data/protocols/agent-attribution-protocol.json) · [iab-comp.json](/data/protocols/iab-comp.json) · [Markdown](/compare/agent-attribution-protocol-vs-iab-comp/index.md)