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The Agent Economy

Infrastructure directory

Comparison

A2A vs Model Context Protocol

A2A and Model Context Protocol are Protocols listings set side by side. A2A is live. Model Context Protocol is live. Open protocol, hosted by the Linux Foundation, for agents to discover each other through Agent Cards and collaborate over HTTP using JSON-RPC.

Last verified 2026-10-16 (A2A), 2026-10-16 (Model Context Protocol)

Sources

Protocols

A2A vs Model Context Protocol
FieldA2AModel Context Protocol
StatusLiveLive
Open sourceYesYes
Last verified2026-10-162026-10-16
Mechanism

Open protocol, hosted by the Linux Foundation, for agents to discover each other through Agent Cards and collaborate over HTTP using JSON-RPC.

Open protocol that connects LLM applications to external tools, resources, and prompts through a standard request interface.

Tags

discovery, agent-cards, json-rpc

tools, resources, prompts

Links
Sources

Tags

Shared
None
Only A2A
discovery, agent-cards, json-rpc
Only Model Context Protocol
tools, resources, prompts

Glossary

Questions

What is the status of A2A and Model Context Protocol?
A2A is live. Model Context Protocol is live.
When was each listing last verified?
A2A was last verified 2026-10-16. Model Context Protocol was last verified 2026-10-16.
Does this page score A2A against Model Context Protocol?
No. The page restates each mechanism and cites the listing sources.

Other comparisons in Protocols