Summary
The most useful way to watch the protocol layer right now is to separate three jobs that are often mixed together in discussion: tool access, agent-to-agent exchange, and network discovery.Why It Matters
Contributors often treat protocol names as if they were interchangeable. They are not. A protocol note is only useful when it clarifies which boundary is being standardized and what operational trust model comes with it.Evidence And Sources
- Protocols And Interoperability: current repo-native comparison of MCP, A2A, and ANP.
- Hello-Agents Chapter 10: source input for the first comparison spine.
- Global Agent Repository Strategy: strategy note pushing this repo toward topic-first system comparisons.
Signals To Watch
- Whether teams converge on cleaner permission boundaries for tool-facing protocols.
- Whether agent-to-agent exchange standards become concrete enough for production interop instead of only demos.
- Whether discovery layers remain niche or become necessary in broader multi-agent environments.
Update Log
- 2026-04-21: Initial radar note example for contributor guidance.