agenticweb.wiki

Ad Context Protocol (AdCP)

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This page is about the Ad Context Protocol (AdCP), the open protocol for AI agents that buy and sell advertising, published by AgenticAdvertising.org [1][21]. The project's own charter calls it the "Advertising Context Protocol" ("notably the Advertising Context Protocol (AdCP).") [17]. AdCP runs over the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and the Agent2Agent Protocol (A2A) [1]; it does not move money, unlike the Agentic Commerce Protocol or the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) [1][8].

Overview

AdCP is an open protocol that lets AI agents working for advertisers and agencies find advertising inventory, buy it from publishers' agents, send creative and read delivery reports [1][21]. It defines tasks and schemas, and carries them over the Model Context Protocol or over the agent-to-agent protocol named in the note above [1]. Publishers list the agents allowed to sell their inventory in a file on their own website, and brands describe themselves in a second file [4][5]. A group of ad tech companies launched it, and a nonprofit trade association, AgenticAdvertising.org, now runs it [32][1][20]. Releases come every few days; the current line went generally available this autumn [14][3]. Payment and settlement stay outside the protocol [1][8]. IAB Tech Lab runs a separate set of agentic advertising protocols, and has said in public that many comparisons of the two misread how they relate [37][38].

How it works

GET {origin}/.well-known/adagents.json expect HTTP 200, JSON, one of two forms: direct: "authorized_agents": [ { "url": ..., "authorized_for": ..., "authorization_type": ... } ] pointer: "authoritative_location": "https://... (the file to fetch next)" then call get_adcp_capabilities on each authorized agent url (MCP or A2A)

Who uses it

Deployments found on 2026-10-29. The first three are independent of the protocol's owner; the registry and the SDKs are run by AgenticAdvertising.org and its repository.

Who reads it

Statements dated as published. "Vendor says" marks AgenticAdvertising.org or its board speaking about its own work.

Recent coverage

See also

References

  1. AdCP documentation 3.2.8, AdCP — Introduction to the Protocol, checked 2026-10-29: "AdCP 3.2 is generally available (release 3.2.1, wire pin "3.2")." "Payment rails, legal agreements, settlement, disputes, credits, and makegoods remain account or platform integrations unless the relevant AdCP contract is explicitly present." "These agents communicate over two transport protocols: MCP (for AI assistants calling tools) and A2A (for agent-to-agent collaboration)." "Same tasks, same schemas, different transport." "It is a community example, not a maintained reference implementation." "AdCP is a project of AgenticAdvertising.org, an industry organization of publishers, platforms, agencies, and technology providers advancing open standards for AI-powered advertising." "Pinnacle's buyer agent signs the POST with RFC 9421 HTTP Message Signatures before it leaves the network." "agents": [{ "url": "https://ads.streamhaus.tv/mcp", "protocol": "mcp" "GET /api/registry/agents?capability=get_products&channel=ctv" "npm install @adcp/sdk pip install adcp go get github.com/adcontextprotocol/adcp-go/adcp" "The Prebid Sales Agent is a full-stack seller agent (Python backend, TypeScript protocol layer) with GAM integration, built by a Prebid working group." — https://docs.adcontextprotocol.org/dist/docs/3.2.8/intro
  2. AdCP documentation 3.2.8, Versions reference, checked 2026-10-29: "3.2 (current stable: 3.2.1)" "3.2.0 | — | *Never released." "3.0.0 | 2026-04-22 | GA — stable baseline for the 3.x cycle." "Withdrawn. Do not use.*" — https://docs.adcontextprotocol.org/dist/docs/3.2.8/reference/versions.md
  3. AdCP documentation 3.2.8, Release notes, checked 2026-10-29: "*Status:* General availability, published 2026-09-30." — https://docs.adcontextprotocol.org/dist/docs/3.2.8/reference/release-notes.md
  4. AdCP documentation 3.2.8, adagents.json specification, checked 2026-10-29: "Publishers must host the `adagents.json` file at:" "https://example.com/.well-known/adagents.json" "*`authorized_agents` (required)" "`authorized_for` (required)" "`authorization_type` (required)*" "The file must be valid JSON with UTF-8 encoding and return HTTP 200 status." "validate publisher-origin discovery (`direct`, `authoritative_location`, and `ads.txt` `MANAGERDOMAIN`)." — https://docs.adcontextprotocol.org/dist/docs/3.2.8/governance/property/adagents.md
  5. AdCP documentation 3.2.8, brand.json specification, checked 2026-10-29: "The `brand.json` file provides a standardized way for brands to claim their identity and establish discoverable brand information." "Brands host the `brand.json` file at:" "https://example.com/.well-known/brand.json" — https://docs.adcontextprotocol.org/dist/docs/3.2.8/brand-protocol/brand-json.md
  6. AdCP documentation 3.2.8, Accounts Protocol overview, checked 2026-10-29: "AdCP Accounts Protocol defines the commercial layer for advertising transactions — billing, operator authorization, and usage reporting between buyers, brands, and vendor agents." "Buyer passes `billing` in `sync_accounts` — `operator`, `agent`, or `advertiser` — when a choice is needed." — https://docs.adcontextprotocol.org/dist/docs/3.2.8/accounts/overview.md
  7. AdCP documentation 3.2.8, Accounts and agents, checked 2026-10-29: "*Account* — A billing relationship between a buyer and seller." — https://docs.adcontextprotocol.org/dist/docs/3.2.8/building/by-layer/L2/accounts-and-agents.md
  8. AdCP documentation 3.2.8, Known limitations, checked 2026-10-29: "*No in-protocol payment or settlement.*" "`report_usage` provides the consumption data that feeds invoicing, but invoicing and settlement happen out-of-band through the buyer/seller commercial relationship." — https://docs.adcontextprotocol.org/dist/docs/3.2.8/reference/known-limitations.md
  9. AdCP documentation 3.2.8, Security, checked 2026-10-29: "*9421 webhook signing is baseline-required in 3.0.*" — https://docs.adcontextprotocol.org/dist/docs/3.2.8/building/by-layer/L1/security.md
  10. AdCP documentation 3.2.8, MCP integration guide, checked 2026-10-29: "await mcp.call('get_adcp_capabilities', {...}); // Discover agent capabilities (start here)" — https://docs.adcontextprotocol.org/dist/docs/3.2.8/building/by-layer/L0/mcp-guide.md
  11. AdCP JSON Schema v3, create-media-buy-request, checked 2026-10-29: "deprecated": true" "New 3.2 callers use buy_products for direct published-offer purchases or accept_proposal for proposal execution." — https://adcontextprotocol.org/schemas/v3/media-buy/create-media-buy-request.json
  12. GitHub API, adcontextprotocol/adcp repository record (UTC), checked 2026-10-29: "description": "Docs and reference implementation for the Ad Context Protocol" "created_at": "2025-07-19T12:56:11Z" "archived": false" "spdx_id": "Apache-2.0" — https://api.github.com/repos/adcontextprotocol/adcp
  13. GitHub API, adcontextprotocol/adcp latest release (UTC), checked 2026-10-29: "tag_name": "v3.2.8" "published_at": "2026-10-28T20:56:12Z" — https://api.github.com/repos/adcontextprotocol/adcp/releases/latest
  14. GitHub API, adcontextprotocol/adcp releases (UTC), checked 2026-10-29: "tag_name": "v3.2.7" "published_at": "2026-10-24T19:47:51Z" "tag_name": "v3.1.30" "tag_name": "v3.3.0-beta.0" — https://api.github.com/repos/adcontextprotocol/adcp/releases?per_page=20
  15. GitHub API, adcontextprotocol/adcp release v2.0.0 (UTC), checked 2026-10-29: "tag_name": "v2.0.0" "published_at": "2025-10-15T14:42:54Z" — https://api.github.com/repos/adcontextprotocol/adcp/releases/tags/v2.0.0
  16. GitHub API, adcontextprotocol/adcp release v3.0.0 (UTC), checked 2026-10-29: "tag_name": "v3.0.0" "published_at": "2026-04-22T09:53:15Z" — https://api.github.com/repos/adcontextprotocol/adcp/releases/tags/v3.0.0
  17. adcontextprotocol/adcp, CHARTER.md, checked 2026-10-29: "AgenticAdvertising.Org (the "Foundation") is a pending 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association incorporated in Delaware." "notably the Advertising Context Protocol (AdCP)." "The interim board will be replaced by an elected board at the first Annual General Meeting (AGM), scheduled for *May 6, 2026*." — https://raw.githubusercontent.com/adcontextprotocol/adcp/main/CHARTER.md
  18. AdCP documentation 3.2.8, FAQ, checked 2026-10-29: "The interim board is replaced by the elected board at the first Annual General Meeting on May 6, 2026." — https://docs.adcontextprotocol.org/dist/docs/3.2.8/faq
  19. AgenticAdvertising.org, Governance page, checked 2026-10-29: "They adopted the current bylaws by unanimous written consent on June 11, 2026, subject to voting member ratification." "By unanimous written consent dated August 6, 2026, the original board admitted the initial voting members, appointed additional directors and officers, appointed an executive committee, and adopted an anti-corruption policy." — https://agenticadvertising.org/governance/
  20. AgenticAdvertising.org, About page, checked 2026-10-29: "Benjamin Masse was named Board President in the September 2026 announcement." "AgenticAdvertising.org is a Delaware nonprofit nonstock corporation, founded in 2025 and intended to qualify under Section 501(c)(6)." — https://agenticadvertising.org/about
  21. AgenticAdvertising.org home page, checked 2026-10-29: "AgenticAdvertising.org publishes AdCP — the open protocol that lets AI agents discover, plan, buy, sell, and measure media across every channel." "AdCP 3.2 is now generally available" "On October 16, 2025, the first-ever agent-to-agent media buy was executed — real money, real inventory from LG Ads, real AI agents handling creative, targeting, and approval with human oversight." "Since then, 156+ companies have joined — from Yahoo and PubMatic to Scope3 and Samba TV." — https://agenticadvertising.org/
  22. AgenticAdvertising.org, launch announcement, 2025-12-12, checked 2026-10-29: "today announced the incorporation of AgenticAdvertising.org, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing standards and practices for agentic AI as shared infrastructure for the advertising ecosystem." — https://agenticadvertising.org/perspectives/launch-announcement
  23. AgenticAdvertising.org registry API, stats endpoint, checked 2026-10-29: "registered_publishers":14" "discovered_publishers":450" "authorizations_by_source":{"adagents_json":7313,"agent_claim":428}" — https://agenticadvertising.org/api/registry/stats
  24. kijk.nl (Talpa Network), /.well-known/adagents.json, checked 2026-10-29: "$schema": "https://adcontextprotocol.org/schemas/v3/adagents.json" "url": "https://adcp.swivel.ai/mcp" "authorized_for": "All Talpa Network properties" "url": "https://adcp-salesagent.api.tritondigital.com/mcp" "authorized_for": "Talpa audio and podcast properties" "authorization_type": "property_tags" — https://kijk.nl/.well-known/adagents.json
  25. The Straits Times, /.well-known/adagents.json, checked 2026-10-29: "authoritative_location": "https://sales-agent.adzymic.ai/agents/sph/adagents.json" — https://www.straitstimes.com/.well-known/adagents.json
  26. npm registry, @adcp/sdk package record (UTC), checked 2026-10-29: "latest":"16.6.1" "16.6.1":"2026-10-29T00:24:01.393Z" — https://registry.npmjs.org/@adcp/sdk
  27. npm registry, @adcp/client package record, checked 2026-10-29: "deprecated":"Renamed to @adcp/sdk in v6.0. Install @adcp/sdk@^6.1.0 instead." — https://registry.npmjs.org/@adcp/client
  28. PyPI JSON API, adcp (upload times UTC), checked 2026-10-29: "summary":"Official Python client for the Ad Context Protocol (AdCP)" "version":"9.3.0" "upload_time":"2026-10-27T11:17:56" — https://pypi.org/pypi/adcp/json
  29. GitHub API, adcontextprotocol/adcp-go repository record (UTC), checked 2026-10-29: "description": "Golang SDK for the AdCP protocol" "pushed_at": "2026-10-28T11:05:23Z" — https://api.github.com/repos/adcontextprotocol/adcp-go
  30. GitHub API, prebid/salesagent repository record (UTC), checked 2026-10-29: "description": "A media sales agent that implements the AdCP Media Buy protocol" "pushed_at": "2026-10-28T22:26:21Z" — https://api.github.com/repos/prebid/salesagent
  31. prebid/salesagent, README.md, checked 2026-10-29: "An open-source implementation of the [Ad Context Protocol (AdCP)](https://adcontextprotocol.org) sales-agent role, maintained under Prebid.org." — https://raw.githubusercontent.com/prebid/salesagent/main/README.md
  32. AdExchanger, The Ad Context Protocol Aims To Make Sense Of Agentic Ad Demand, 2025-10-15, checked 2026-10-29: "The co-founding members include Triton Digital, Yahoo!, PubMatic, Scope3, Optable and Swivel, each committing time, resources, plus a $10,000 annual budget to back the new organization." — https://www.adexchanger.com/marketers/the-ad-context-protocol-aims-to-make-sense-of-agentic-ad-demand/
  33. Digiday, AdCP will be the blueprint for how AI agents transact, 2025-10-15, checked 2026-10-29: "Think of AdCP as the OpenRTB for the AI era." "AdCP is a parallel protocol to OpenRTB, intended to orchestrate advertising technology solutions, including DSPs and SSPs, that enhance their functionality through agentic interfaces," — https://digiday.com/media-buying/wtf-ad-context-protocol/
  34. Digiday, Advertising’s new AI standard faces an old problem: consensus, 2025-10-21, checked 2026-10-29: "Critics note that PubMatic, Magnite, Scope3 are driving the effort but are hardly neutral players." — https://digiday.com/marketing/advertisings-new-universal-language-for-ai-agents-sparks-old-debates-about-power-and-openness/
  35. PubMatic, PubMatic Launches AgenticOS, the Operating System for Agentic Advertising, 2026-01-05, checked 2026-10-29: "Agentic capabilities embedded across PubMatic's platform interpret intent expressed through protocols such as the Ad Context Protocol (AdCP) and Model Context Protocol (MCP)." — https://pubmatic.com/news/pubmatic-launches-agenticos-the-operating-system-for-agent-to-agent-advertising/
  36. AdExchanger, Prebid Takes Over AdCP’s Code For Creating Sell-Side AI Agents, 2026-01-29, checked 2026-10-29: "The new offering, dubbed the Prebid Sales Agent, is now available to all publishers." "But, although Prebid will lead software development for AdCP's sell-side agents, McGrath stressed that the group isn't taking over governance for any part of the AdCP protocol." — https://www.adexchanger.com/publishers/prebid-takes-over-adcps-code-for-creating-sell-side-ai-agents/
  37. Digiday, Agentic AI showdown, AdCP vs. IAB Tech Lab, 2026-02-17, checked 2026-10-29: "On one side, there's the Ad Context Protocol, which aims to create new standards native to AI agents." "On the other, there's IAB Tech Lab, which looks to augment and adapt its existing standards for AI agents through its Agentic Roadmap." — https://digiday.com/media-buying/adcp-vs-iab-tech-lab-inside-programmatic-advertisings-agentic-ai-standards-showdown/
  38. IAB Tech Lab, Clarifying the AAMP scope, 2026-08-19, checked 2026-10-29: "miss the mark on the scope of the IAB Tech Lab's Agentic Ad Management Protocols, also known as AAMP." "AAMP and AdCP are agentic advertising frameworks with different design philosophies – not two cleanly separated layers that fit together naturally." "The object names and abstractions differ, but the business functions overlap." "AdCP and AAMP are not substitutes." — https://iabtechlab.com/clarifying-the-aamp-scope-why-so-many-aamp-vs-adcp-comparisons-miss-the-mark/
  39. Marketing Brew, Agentic advertising trade group debuts board amid broader industry adoption, 2026-09-28, checked 2026-10-29: "In total, there are 22 seats of a total of 40 potential seats filled, Benjamin Masse, the president of the board whose day job includes working as chief product officer of Triton Digital and EVP of the iHeart Technology Solutions Group, told Marketing Brew." "It doesn't yet have any major DSP representation either, as, per Masse, they are only "dabbling" in AdCP at this point." — https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/agentic-advertising-trade-group-adcp

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