# ACP (Agentic Commerce)

> Lets an agent complete a purchase inside the conversation — the checkout that powers ChatGPT's Instant Checkout.

_The Agent Protocol Atlas · /protocols/acp-commerce · [JSON](/api/protocols/acp-commerce) · [all The Agent Protocol Atlas](/protocols)_

- **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:** 2026-04-17
- **spec_date:** 2026-04-17
- **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:** 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)
- **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;
// the merchant charges it via any compliant PSP and confirms the order.
// 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