{
  "dataset": "protocols",
  "record": {
    "id": "ap2",
    "name": "AP2",
    "full_name": "Agent Payments Protocol",
    "layer": "payments",
    "creator": "Google (with 60+ payments & finance orgs)",
    "status": "emerging",
    "year": 2025,
    "one_liner": "Payment-agnostic settlement inside the A2A task lifecycle — handles cards, bank transfers and crypto through one mandate-based framework.",
    "spec_url": "https://ap2-protocol.org",
    "snippet": "An agent presents a signed mandate; AP2 routes it to cards, ACH, or crypto rails.",
    "abbreviation": "AP2",
    "also_known_as": [
      "Agent Payments Protocol",
      "Agents-to-Payments Protocol"
    ],
    "canonical_spec_url": "https://ap2-protocol.org",
    "entity_uri": "https://agentpaymentsprotocol.info/",
    "taxonomy_layer": "payments",
    "sub_layer": "mandate-based-settlement",
    "protocol_type": "settlement",
    "central_problem": "Gives an AI agent a verifiable, cryptographically signed permission slip (a mandate) from a human before it can spend money, and routes that mandate across cards, bank, and crypto rails.",
    "maintainer": "Google + 60+ payments/finance partners (AP2 project)",
    "governance_body": "vendor (Google-led, open partner consortium)",
    "license": {
      "value": "Apache-2.0",
      "verify_status": "verify-against-primary-at-build",
      "source_hint": "https://ap2-protocol.org",
      "note": "Confirm spec license against the primary site/repo at build."
    },
    "maturity_tag": "emerging",
    "current_spec_version": {
      "value": null,
      "verify_status": "verify-against-primary-at-build",
      "source_hint": "https://ap2-protocol.org",
      "note": "Confirm current AP2 spec version at build."
    },
    "spec_date": {
      "value": null,
      "verify_status": "verify-against-primary-at-build",
      "source_hint": "https://ap2-protocol.org",
      "note": "Confirm current spec date at build."
    },
    "launch_date": "2025-09-16",
    "last_verified": "2026-06-15",
    "transport": "Extension of A2A / MCP task lifecycle; mandates carried as W3C Verifiable Credentials",
    "core_mechanism": "AP2 introduces three signed mandates — Intent, Cart, and Payment — carried as W3C Verifiable Credentials; the agent presents the signed mandate and AP2 routes settlement to cards, ACH, or crypto rails, with stablecoins treated as first-class alongside cards and bank transfers.",
    "discovery_endpoint": "Carried within the A2A task lifecycle (no standalone well-known endpoint)",
    "settlement_type": "card-rail / bank / stablecoin (payment-agnostic, routed by mandate)",
    "adoption_metric": {
      "value": "Announced with 60+ payments & technology partners (e.g. Mastercard, PayPal, American Express, Coinbase, Adyen, Worldpay)",
      "source": "https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/ai-machine-learning/announcing-agents-to-payments-ap2-protocol",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-15"
    },
    "notable_adopters": [
      {
        "value": "Google",
        "source": "https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/ai-machine-learning/announcing-agents-to-payments-ap2-protocol"
      },
      {
        "value": "Mastercard, PayPal, American Express, Coinbase (launch partners)",
        "source": "https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/ai-machine-learning/announcing-agents-to-payments-ap2-protocol"
      }
    ],
    "relationships": [
      {
        "predicate": "extends",
        "target": "x402",
        "note": "AP2 -extends-> x402 (research §2 seed triple)."
      },
      {
        "predicate": "built_on",
        "target": "a2a",
        "note": "AP2 is designed as an extension of the A2A (and MCP) task lifecycle."
      }
    ],
    "ideal_use_case": "Agent-led purchases that need a human's signed, auditable authorization across mixed payment rails.",
    "when_to_use": "When an agent must spend a user's money with verifiable consent and you need card/bank/crypto routing under one mandate framework.",
    "when_not_to_use": "When you only need sub-cent inline API metering (use x402) or an in-conversation checkout for retail (use Agentic Commerce / ACP).",
    "code_example": "// AP2 mandates are W3C Verifiable Credentials (Intent → Cart → Payment).\n// The agent presents a signed Payment mandate; AP2 routes it to the chosen rail.\n// { \"type\": [\"VerifiableCredential\", \"PaymentMandate\"], \"credentialSubject\": { \"amount\": \"42.00\", \"currency\": \"USD\" } }",
    "source": "Launch 2025-09-16 + 60+ partners + three-mandate (Intent/Cart/Payment) VC design: https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/ai-machine-learning/announcing-agents-to-payments-ap2-protocol .",
    "agent_readiness_link": "agent-readiness/x402",
    "layer_legacy": "payment"
  }
}