At a glance
| UCP | ACP | |
|---|---|---|
| Led by | Google, with Shopify and commerce partners | OpenAI and Stripe |
| Where it shows up first | Google AI surfaces such as AI Mode and Gemini | Checkout inside ChatGPT |
| How stores are found | A profile at /.well-known/ucp | Merchant onboarding and product feeds |
| Transports | REST, MCP and Agent2Agent | REST API between agent and merchant |
| Payments | Works with the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) | Secure payment tokens, Stripe first |
The two protocols side by side
Why agent checkout matters
Until now, AI assistants sent shoppers to a website to buy. With agent checkout, the assistant can complete the order inside the conversation. For stores, that means the product page is no longer the only place a sale happens, and the data an agent can read becomes the new storefront.
What both protocols need from you
- Accurate, complete product data: prices, variants, stock, shipping and returns.
- Product structured data on every product page.
- Pages that load their main content without JavaScript.
- Clear policies that an agent can read and quote.
What to do this quarter
- 1Check whether your commerce platform supports UCP, ACP or both, and what you need to switch on.
- 2Audit product data and structured data on your top selling products.
- 3Test whether AI assistants find and describe your products correctly in the markets you sell.
- 4Watch which assistants your customers use, and prioritize those protocols.