A2A vs MCP: key difference
Recently A2A protocol came out from Google AI so not to confuse the MCP protocol y Antropic and A2A protocol by Google today let's see what's the main difference between them.
As wecan seefrom presentation the most important difference is that A2A is a protocol for agent to agent communication and MCP is a protocol for connection beetween AI and the outside world.
Thus it can be in some ways seen as the protocol above mCP servers that can be agents.
The key differences between **A2A (Agent-to-Agent Protocol)** and **MCP (Model Context Protocol)** lie in their focus and functionality:
### **A2A (Agent-to-Agent Protocol)**
- **Purpose**: Facilitates direct communication and collaboration between autonomous AI agents. It enables agents to share tasks, insights, and decisions dynamically.
- **Focus**: Inter-agent interactions, emphasizing decentralized collaboration and task sharing without human intervention.
- **Use Case**: Multi-agent systems working together on complex tasks, such as coordinating logistics or automating workflows.
### **MCP (Model Context Protocol)**
- **Purpose**: Provides a standardized way for AI models to access external data, tools, and context. It acts as a framework for integrating AI with external systems.
- **Focus**: Model-to-data/tool integration, ensuring structured and secure access to resources for enhanced functionality.
- **Use Case**: Streamlining AI integration with APIs, databases, or tools for tasks like retrieving real-time data or executing specific actions.
In summary, A2A focuses on agent collaboration, while MCP standardizes how models interact with external resources. Together, they enhance multi-agent ecosystems by addressing different layers of interoperability.
Citations:
[1] Introducing the Model Context Protocol | Thomas (Seungpill) Jueng https://www.linkedin.com/posts/thomassp_introducing-the-model-context-protocol-activity-7307505299576209408-L7s1
[2] What Is A Model Context Protocol—and Why Does It Matter? https://www.b2bnn.com/2025/04/what-is-a-model-context-protocol-and-why-does-it-matter/
[3] AI Agents & Model Context Protocol: The Future of eCommerce - WordLift https://wordlift.io/blog/en/ai-agents-and-the-model-context-protocol/
[4] Make Your Agentic Applications More Powerful With MCP (Model Context Protocol) https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/make-your-agentic-applications-more-powerful-mcp-model-belagatti-ll7cc
[5] AI Spotlight: MCP (Model Context Protocol) and Agentic AI systems https://www.gravitee.io/blog/mcp-model-context-protocol-agentic-ai
[6] What are the differences between an agent and a model? https://ai.stackexchange.com/questions/26289/what-are-the-differences-between-an-agent-and-a-model
[7] The Dawn of Agentic DevOps: Understanding Model Context Protocol (MCP) https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dawn-agentic-devops-understanding-model-context-protocol-gourav-shah-wjqjc
[8] PydanticAI Agents vs Model Context Protocol (MCP)