{
  "dataset": "protocols",
  "record": {
    "id": "acp-commerce",
    "name": "ACP (Agentic Commerce)",
    "full_name": "Agentic Commerce Protocol",
    "layer": "payments",
    "creator": "OpenAI + Stripe",
    "status": "live (ChatGPT Instant Checkout)",
    "year": 2025,
    "one_liner": "Lets an agent complete a purchase inside the conversation — the checkout that powers ChatGPT's Instant Checkout.",
    "spec_url": "https://www.agenticcommerce.dev",
    "snippet": "Agent submits a delegated payment token; merchant confirms the order over the protocol.",
    "abbreviation": "ACP",
    "also_known_as": [
      "Agentic Commerce Protocol"
    ],
    "canonical_spec_url": "https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol",
    "entity_uri": "https://www.agenticcommerce.dev",
    "taxonomy_layer": "payments",
    "sub_layer": "in-conversation-checkout",
    "protocol_type": "settlement",
    "central_problem": "Lets an AI agent complete a retail purchase inside the conversation while keeping the merchant as merchant of record and the payment provider swappable.",
    "maintainer": "OpenAI + Stripe (agentic-commerce-protocol on GitHub)",
    "governance_body": "vendor (OpenAI + Stripe)",
    "license": "Apache-2.0",
    "maturity_tag": "production-ready",
    "current_spec_version": {
      "value": "2026-04-17",
      "verify_status": "verify-against-primary-at-build",
      "source_hint": "https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol",
      "note": "Latest stable spec version reported as 2026-04-17 (initial 2025-09-29); confirm current version tag against the GitHub spec at build."
    },
    "spec_date": {
      "value": "2026-04-17",
      "verify_status": "verify-against-primary-at-build",
      "source_hint": "https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol",
      "note": "Confirm latest spec date against the GitHub releases at build."
    },
    "launch_date": "2025-09-29",
    "last_verified": "2026-06-15",
    "transport": "REST over HTTP (delegated payment token handed to the merchant)",
    "core_mechanism": "ACP defines a contract among buyer, the buyer's AI agent, the merchant, and a payment provider: the agent collects the buyer's payment selection, hands a narrowly scoped delegated token to the merchant, and the merchant charges that token through any compliant payment service provider while remaining merchant of record.",
    "discovery_endpoint": "Merchant-published ACP endpoints (implementation-defined)",
    "settlement_type": "card-rail (delegated token via any compliant payment service provider)",
    "adoption_metric": {
      "value": "Debuted with ChatGPT Instant Checkout (Etsy at launch; Shopify brands such as Glossier, Vuori, SKIMS added over following weeks)",
      "source": "https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-15"
    },
    "notable_adopters": [
      {
        "value": "OpenAI (ChatGPT Instant Checkout)",
        "source": "https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol"
      },
      {
        "value": "Stripe",
        "source": "https://commercetools.com/press-releases/commercetools-partners-with-stripe-to-launch-acp"
      },
      {
        "value": "Etsy",
        "source": "https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol"
      }
    ],
    "relationships": [
      {
        "predicate": "competes_with",
        "target": "ap2",
        "note": "ACP (OpenAI/Stripe in-conversation checkout) and AP2 (Google mandate framework) address overlapping agent-commerce ground."
      }
    ],
    "ideal_use_case": "Letting a conversational agent (e.g. ChatGPT) complete a retail checkout while the merchant keeps control and record.",
    "when_to_use": "When you sell goods and want agents to buy inside the chat surface, charging via your existing payment provider with the merchant of record intact.",
    "when_not_to_use": "When you need sub-cent API metering (x402) or a bank/crypto-agnostic mandate framework across rails (AP2).",
    "code_example": "// Agent hands the merchant a delegated, narrowly-scoped payment token;\n// the merchant charges it via any compliant PSP and confirms the order.\n// POST /checkout { \"delegated_token\": \"tok_...\", \"items\": [ ... ] }",
    "source": "Launch 2025-09-29 under Apache-2.0, four-actor contract, ChatGPT Instant Checkout: https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol (OpenAI + Stripe).",
    "agent_readiness_link": "agent-readiness/x402",
    "layer_legacy": "payment"
  }
}