---
type: Glossary Term
title: "ACP (four protocols)"
description: "ACP refers to four distinct specifications from four groups across three steps of the map."
resource: "https://agenticweb.wiki/terms/acp/"
tags: ["glossary"]
status: stable
generated: { by: agenticweb-builder/1.0, at: 2026-10-30T00:00:00Z }
verified: { by: process:agenticweb-engine, at: 2026-10-30T00:00:00Z }
stale_after: 2026-11-29T00:00:00Z
sources:
  - id: ref-1
    resource: "https://agentclientprotocol.com"
    last_modified: 2026-09-05T00:00:00Z
  - id: ref-2
    resource: "https://spec.acp.agntcy.org"
    last_modified: 2026-09-05T00:00:00Z
  - id: ref-3
    resource: "https://github.com/i-am-bee/acp"
    last_modified: 2025-08-01T00:00:00Z
  - id: ref-4
    resource: "https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol"
    last_modified: 2026-04-17T00:00:00Z
---

# ACP (four protocols)

**ACP** refers to four distinct specifications from four groups across three steps of the map. Zed’s *[Agent Client Protocol](/protocols/agent-client-protocol/)* connects code editors to coding agents (Act). AGNTCY’s *[Agent Connect Protocol](/protocols/agent-connect-protocol/)* (Cisco, LangChain, Outshift) defines an OpenAPI execution descriptor and REST runtime lifecycle for invoking remote agents (Act). IBM’s *[Agent Communication Protocol](/protocols/agent-communication-protocol/)* was an agent-to-agent messaging protocol, archived in August 2025 and merged into A2A (Coordinate, defunct). The OpenAI/Stripe *[Agentic Commerce Protocol](/protocols/agentic-commerce-protocol/)* lets an agent complete a checkout with a merchant (Pay). Published guides routinely state facts about one as though they applied to all; the widely repeated claim that "ACP merged into A2A" is true only of IBM’s.

# Knowledge Graph

* **Related standards**: [Agent Client Protocol](/okf/protocols/agent-client-protocol.md), [Agent Connect Protocol](/okf/protocols/agent-connect-protocol.md), [Agent Communication Protocol](/okf/protocols/agent-communication-protocol.md), [Agentic Commerce Protocol](/okf/protocols/agentic-commerce-protocol.md)

[^ref-1]: https://agentclientprotocol.com (https://agentclientprotocol.com)
[^ref-2]: https://spec.acp.agntcy.org (https://spec.acp.agntcy.org)
[^ref-3]: https://github.com/i-am-bee/acp (https://github.com/i-am-bee/acp)
[^ref-4]: https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol (https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol)