Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)
Also known as: ACP
In short
An open specification for programmatic commerce interactions between buyers, AI agents, merchants, and payment providers.
Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) defines interfaces for AI agents and merchants to coordinate purchases. Developed by Stripe and OpenAI, it separates checkout interactions from the secure handling of delegated payment credentials.
The merchant remains responsible for its offer and order. An agent-facing checkout interface connects to the merchant’s business systems rather than replacing inventory, payment, or fulfillment operations.
A practical example
Imagine an agent preparing an order for a desk organizer. The merchant’s system returns the available shipping options and total. After the buyer authorizes the purchase, the agent submits the required information to complete checkout.
The merchant can still reject the order if validation fails. This illustrative exchange shows why a conversation stating that a product is available is insufficient evidence of a completed transaction.
Protocol support is not channel admission
The ACP project’s FAQ explicitly distinguishes implementing the specification from being listed by an AI platform. Each platform manages its own participation process.
Check the applicable specification, supported capabilities, merchant onboarding, and payment integration. Compatibility does not guarantee that every agent will transact with your store or recommend its products. ACP is also different from MCP: MCP supplies a general connection interface, while ACP defines commerce-specific interactions and requirements.