A2A and MCP Handshake
AG-UI handshakes enable seamless protocol interoperability
A2A and MCP Handshake
AG-UI now includes handshakes with both MCP and A2A protocols, ensuring smooth interoperability across the full agentic stack.
What Are Protocol Handshakes?#
Protocol handshakes allow AG-UI to seamlessly communicate with agents using different interaction protocols. This means you can connect your frontend to agents that internally use MCP or A2A without any additional configuration.
Benefits#
Full Interoperability#
If your host agent connects to subagents using MCP or A2A, their UI properties can be propagated all the way through to the user-facing application.
Security and Control#
Handshakes preserve full security, policy, and observability controls throughout the communication chain.
Simplified Architecture#
No need to choose between protocols—use them all together in a single application.
How It Works#
- Frontend connects via AG-UI - Your application uses AG-UI to connect to the host agent
- Host agent uses MCP/A2A - The host agent can communicate with subagents using MCP or A2A
- UI properties propagate - Generative UI and other properties flow back to your frontend automatically
