Google's Agent2Agent (A2A) Protocol
An open standard enabling seamless collaboration between AI agents across different frameworks, vendors, and platforms
Popular A2A Implementation Tools
Explore these cutting-edge tools that leverage the Agent2Agent protocol for advanced multi-agent collaboration
Introduction to Agent2Agent (A2A) Protocol
Google's Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol, launched on April 9, 2025, is designed as a complementary standard to Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP). While MCP standardizes how agents interact with tools and APIs, A2A focuses on agent-to-agent coordination, transforming isolated AI agents into collaborative teams capable of handling complex enterprise workflows.
A2A acts as the universal language for AI agents, allowing them to advertise capabilities, negotiate tasks, and exchange data securely across different platforms and vendors. This eliminates dependency on single-vendor ecosystems and reduces the need for custom integration code.
Key Features of A2A
A2A introduces several innovative features that enable truly collaborative AI agents across organizational boundaries
Open Interoperability
A2A serves as a universal language for AI agents, enabling them to advertise capabilities, negotiate tasks, and exchange data securely across different platforms and vendors.
Enterprise-Grade Design
Built with security in mind, A2A includes authentication, authorization, and encryption aligned with OpenAPI standards, supporting workflows spanning hours or days with real-time updates.
Complementarity with MCP
While MCP standardizes how agents interact with tools and APIs, A2A focuses on agent-to-agent coordination, creating a comprehensive ecosystem for AI agent interactions.
Technical Components
A2A includes Agent Cards (JSON metadata files), task management with defined states, and streaming & notifications using HTTP, JSON-RPC, and SSE for real-time updates.
Ecosystem & Partnerships
Backed by 50+ major partners including Salesforce, SAP, Atlassian, LangChain, and Deloitte, A2A signifies broad industry adoption for standardized agent management.
Future Roadmap
Google plans a production-ready version by late 2025, aiming to establish A2A as the "HTTP for agentic AI"—a foundational layer for the "agent web".
A2A vs MCP: Complementary Protocols
| Feature | Agent2Agent (A2A) | Model Context Protocol (MCP) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Agent-to-agent collaboration | Agent-to-tool/API interaction |
| Developed By | Anthropic | |
| Launch Date | April 9, 2025 | July 18, 2024 |
| Key Strength | Cross-framework agent collaboration | Tool/API integration standardization |
| Data Exchange | Multimodal (text, audio, video, structured data) | Primarily structured data and tool responses |
| Ideal Use Case | Cross-platform agent collaboration workflows | Single agent accessing multiple tools/APIs |
A2A Use Cases
A2A enables powerful multi-agent workflows across enterprise systems
Recruitment Automation
A hiring manager's agent coordinates with specialized agents for candidate sourcing, resume screening, and interview scheduling, creating a seamless end-to-end hiring process.
Example: The hiring manager agent delegates resume screening to an HR agent, which then passes qualified candidates to a scheduling agent, all while maintaining consistent candidate data across platforms.
Cross-Platform Workflows
Agents from different systems like Atlassian (project management) and ServiceNow (IT services) collaborate to resolve complex tickets without manual intervention.
Example: When a critical bug is reported in ServiceNow, the ticket agent automatically coordinates with Jira agents to create tasks, GitHub agents to search related code, and Slack agents to notify the right team members.
Developer Resources
Open-Source Specification
A2A's full specification is available on GitHub with SDKs, sample applications, and support for popular frameworks like Google's ADK, LangGraph, and CrewAI.
Agent Development Kit (ADK)
Google's ADK allows developers to build multi-agent systems in less than 100 lines of code, with built-in integration for both A2A and MCP standards.
Community Support
A growing community of developers and enterprises are actively contributing to A2A's evolution, with dedicated forums and regular hackathons to drive innovation.
Ready to Explore Multi-Agent Collaboration?
Discover how Agent2Agent (A2A) and Model Context Protocol (MCP) can transform your AI implementation strategy