---
title: "Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), defined | Agent Ready Checkout"
description: "Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP): An Apache 2.0 protocol, maintained by OpenAI, Stripe and Meta, for checkout sessions. Every claim has a source and a read date."
canonical: https://agentreadycheckout.com/glossary/agentic-commerce-protocol-acp
site: "Agent Ready Checkout"
last_updated: 2026-11-04
section: "Glossary"
---

# Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), defined | Agent Ready Checkout

> Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP): An Apache 2.0 protocol, maintained by OpenAI, Stripe and Meta, for checkout sessions. Every claim has a source and a read date.

Source: https://agentreadycheckout.com/glossary/agentic-commerce-protocol-acp
Site: Agent Ready Checkout
Last reviewed: 2026-11-04

Glossary

# Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)

In short

Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP): An Apache 2.0 protocol, maintained by OpenAI, Stripe and Meta, for checkout sessions, delegated payment tokens and product feeds between agents and merchants. Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) appears in 39 sourced facts on this site, the first in Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP). After Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) the glossary lists Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP).

## Definition

An Apache 2.0 protocol, maintained by OpenAI, Stripe and Meta, for checkout sessions, delegated payment tokens and product feeds between agents and merchants.

## Example

ACP version 2026-04-17 added a Feed API where merchants push products to agent-hosted endpoints. [github.com](https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol/blob/main/changelog/2026-04-17.md), read 4 Nov 2026.

## Where it appears in the sourced facts

-   Stripe and OpenAI released ACP on 29 Sep 2025 as an open, Apache 2.0 licensed standard, alongside Instant Checkout in ChatGPT. [stripe.com](https://stripe.com/blog/developing-an-open-standard-for-agentic-commerce), read 4 Nov 2026. In [Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)](https://agentreadycheckout.com/protocols/acp).
-   ACP uses date-based versions: 2025-09-29 (initial), 2025-12-12 (fulfillment), 2026-01-16 (capability negotiation), 2026-01-30 (extensions, discounts, payment handlers) and 2026-04-17 (cart, feed, orders, authentication and MCP). [github.com](https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol), read 4 Nov 2026. In [Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)](https://agentreadycheckout.com/protocols/acp).
-   The ACP site says businesses remain merchant of record and names Stripe as the first compatible PSP through its Shared Payment Token. [agenticcommerce.dev](https://www.agenticcommerce.dev/), read 4 Nov 2026. In [Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)](https://agentreadycheckout.com/protocols/acp).
-   The README says ACP lets an AI agent embed commerce "without being the merchant of record". [github.com](https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol), read 4 Nov 2026. In [Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)](https://agentreadycheckout.com/protocols/acp).
-   OpenAI wrote on 24 Mar 2026 that Instant Checkout "did not offer the level of flexibility that we aspire to provide" and moved purchases to merchant checkouts while expanding ACP for product feeds and promotions. [openai.com](https://openai.com/index/powering-product-discovery-in-chatgpt/), read 4 Nov 2026. In [Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)](https://agentreadycheckout.com/protocols/acp).

## Nearby terms

-   [Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)](https://agentreadycheckout.com/glossary/universal-commerce-protocol-ucp)
-   [Agent Payments Protocol (AP2)](https://agentreadycheckout.com/glossary/agent-payments-protocol-ap2)
-   [Agentic commerce](https://agentreadycheckout.com/glossary/agentic-commerce)
-   [All terms](https://agentreadycheckout.com/glossary)

## Sources

1.  [ACP changelog 2026-04-17](https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol/blob/main/changelog/2026-04-17.md), read 4 Nov 2026
2.  [Stripe: Developing an open standard for agentic commerce](https://stripe.com/blog/developing-an-open-standard-for-agentic-commerce), read 4 Nov 2026
3.  [ACP repository README](https://github.com/agentic-commerce-protocol/agentic-commerce-protocol), read 4 Nov 2026
4.  [agenticcommerce.dev/](https://www.agenticcommerce.dev/), read 4 Nov 2026
5.  [Powering Product Discovery in ChatGPT](https://openai.com/index/powering-product-discovery-in-chatgpt/), read 4 Nov 2026

Last reviewed 4 Nov 2026

## Edition

Matrix edition of 4 Nov 2026.

Reviewed 4 Nov 2026, [5 sources](#sources-h).

## Method

[How cells, sources and read dates are defined](https://agentreadycheckout.com/method)