Agent Communication Protocol

Agent Communication Protocol
Developer	IBM/BeeAI → Linux Foundation
Status	Stable
First published	2025
Transport	HTTP, Local IPC
Encoding	JSON
License	Apache 2.0
Repository	https://github.com/ibm/acp

The Agent Communication Protocol (ACP) is an open standard for local-first agent coordination with minimal network overhead. Originally developed by IBM's BeeAI project, ACP is now part of the Linux Foundation and focuses on environments where low latency, privacy, and offline operation are critical.

Overview

While protocols like A2A focus on cloud-based agent collaboration, ACP is designed for edge computing and local-first environments. It enables agents to coordinate within a single system or local network without requiring constant internet connectivity.

Design philosophy

• Local-first – Optimized for on-device and edge deployments
• Low latency – Minimal network overhead for real-time coordination
• Privacy-preserving – Data stays local by default
• Offline-capable – Full functionality without internet access

Architecture

ACP defines a decentralized agent environment with:

• Local discovery – Agents find each other via local broadcast or shared registry
• Direct messaging – Peer-to-peer communication without central routing
• State synchronization – Coordinated state management across agents

Use cases

ACP is particularly suited for:

• Industrial IoT and edge computing
• Healthcare environments with strict data sovereignty requirements
• Embedded systems and robotics
• Air-gapped or offline deployments

Comparison with other protocols

Aspect	ACP	A2A	MCP
Primary focus	Local coordination	Cloud collaboration	Tool integration
Network requirement	Optional	Required	Required
Latency	Ultra-low	Variable	Variable
Privacy	Local by default	Cloud-dependent	Tool-dependent

See also

• Agent-to-Agent Protocol
• Model Context Protocol
• Agent Network Protocol

External links

• GitHub repository