Agent Payments Protocol (AP2)

Agent Payments Protocol (AP2)

Introduction

Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) is an open protocol for the emerging Agent Economy. It’s designed to enable secure, reliable, and interoperable agent commerce for developers, merchants, and the payments industry.

AP2 addresses the “crisis of trust” that arises when autonomous AI agents act on a user’s behalf. It ensures that every transaction is anchored to deterministic, non-repudiable proof of intent.

Build the Future of Commerce

Build agents with

**[![ADK Logo](https://google.github.io/adk-docs/assets/agent-development-kit.png){class="twemoji lg middle"} ADK](https://google.github.io/adk-docs/)**,
equip them with tools via
**[![MCP Logo](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/mcp.png){class="twemoji lg middle"} MCP](https://modelcontextprotocol.io)**,
collaborate via
**[![A2A Logo](https://a2a-protocol.org/latest/assets/a2a-logo-black.svg){class="twemoji sm middle"} A2A](https://a2a-protocol.org)**,
and use
**![AP2 Logo](/assets/ap2/ap2-logo-black.svg){class="twemoji sm middle"} AP2**
to secure payments.

Quick Navigation

• :material-rocket-launch:{ .lg .middle } Getting Started

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  Jump straight into the samples and get AP2 running locally.

• :material-lightbulb-outline:{ .lg .middle } Core Concepts

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  Learn about Verifiable Digital Credentials (VDCs) and the role-based architecture.

• :material-format-list-checks:{ .lg .middle } How-to Tutorials

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  Step-by-step guides for Python, Android, and Go implementations.

• :material-file-document-edit-outline:{ .lg .middle } Protocol Reference

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  Detailed technical specification and A2A extension details.

Why AP2?

Today’s payment systems assume a human is directly clicking “buy”. Autonomous agents break this assumption, leading to critical questions:

• Authorization: How do we verify the user gave the agent specific authority?
• Authenticity: How can a merchant be sure the agent accurately reflects user intent?
• Accountability: Who is liable for a fraudulent or incorrect transaction?

AP2 provides a common language for any compliant agent to transact securely with any compliant merchant globally.

See it in Action

• Python Card Payment

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  Human-present transaction using traditional card payments.

• Android DPC

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  Modern, secure flow using Android Digital Payment Credentials.

• Go Backend Agents

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  High-performance backend implementations in Go.

• x402 Crypto Payments

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  Future-proof payments using the x402 standard.

Seamless Integrations

AP2 is built to work with existing agentic and commerce standards:

• A2A & MCP

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  How AP2 extends inter-agent communication and external tool usage.

• Universal Checkout (UCP)

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  Bridging AP2 mandates with standardized checkout objects.

• x402 Protocol

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  Support for emerging digital currency and stablecoin payments.

Community & Support

• Glossary: Common terms and acronyms.
• Frequently Asked Questions: Common queries about AP2.
• Roadmap: Our future plans for the protocol.
• Partners: Companies building with AP2.

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Visit the GitHub Repository