A2A, or Agent-to-Agent protocol, is an open communication standard that lets autonomous AI agents discover one another, negotiate tasks, and exchange data in real time. Google introduced the spec in early 2025 and soon contributed it to the Linux Foundation so vendors and open-source projects could extend it without lock-in.

At the heart of A2A is an Agent Card – a small JSON file that lists an agent’s capabilities, authentication method, and endpoint URL. Agents crawl or receive these cards, verify mutual TLS, and then interact through simple HTTP calls. No agent shares its private memory; the protocol keeps conversations stateless, auditable, and secure.

Why enterprises care

Without a shared language, multi-agent workflows break down whenever teams mix frameworks like LangChain, Semantic Kernel, or custom code. A2A removes that friction and lets companies scale from single-task bots to complex hierarchies that pass work, results, and budget limits back and forth.

Shakudo and A2A

AgentFlow already supports A2A-style hand-offs, so you can chain research, orchestration, and action agents on one low-code canvas while keeping all data inside your own VPC. For deeper dives, see our guides on top AI agent frameworks and the CTO’s playbook for building agents.

What problems does A2A solve?

It turns agent interoperability into a plug-and-play exercise rather than a bespoke integration project, cutting weeks of custom API plumbing.

Is the protocol really open source?

Yes. The reference implementation lives on GitHub under an Apache-2.0 license, and governance moves through a Linux Foundation working group.

How do agents discover each other?

Each agent hosts its card at a standard .well-known/agent.json path. Discovery services or other agents fetch those URIs and build a live registry.

Does A2A lock me into one language or framework?

No. You can build agents in Python, Rust, Go, or anything that can speak HTTP and JSON.

How is A2A different from traditional APIs?

Typical REST APIs expose one app’s functions to clients. A2A is peer-to-peer: every agent can be both client and server, sharing structured goals, context, and results rather than raw endpoints.

A2A gives AI teams a common backbone for secure, observable, multi-agent systems. Paired with Shakudo’s AI Operating System, it lets you orchestrate complex agent swarms without rebuilding your stack or surrendering your data.