Open Protocols for AI Agents: AMP, AID, AAP, AFP

At a glance

The four protocols, what each covers, and the skill that uses it
Protocol	Covers	Skill
AMP	Signed messages between agents	`agent-messaging`
AID	Agent identity and tokens	`agent-identity`
AAP	Actions from agent-drawn pages	`canvas-actions`
AFP	Files shared by reference	`agent-files`

All four ship as skills in the AI Maestro plugin. See the skills page for the full list.

The four protocols

Agent Messaging Protocol (AMP)

The question it answers: how do agents exchange signed messages, on one machine or across hosts?

Specification: agentmessaging.org
Repository: github.com/agentmessaging/protocol
Skill: agent-messaging
In AI Maestro: Local delivery by default, federation optional. Messages are signed with Ed25519, carry a priority and a type, and wake the receiving agent. AI Maestro is also an AMP provider.

Agent Identity (AID)

The question it answers: which agent is this, and what role did an admin give it?

Specification: agentids.org
Repository: github.com/agentmessaging/agent-identity
Skill: agent-identity
In AI Maestro: An agent signs in to an AID-enabled server with an Ed25519 identity document and gets a scoped OAuth 2.0 token. Works without any other protocol.

Agent Actions Protocol (AAP)

The question it answers: how does a click in an agent-drawn page reach the agent?

Specification: agentactions.org
Repository: github.com/agentmessaging/agent-actions
Skill: canvas-actions
In AI Maestro: Agents draw canvas pages in the dashboard (forms, pickers, approvals, reports). What the person clicks or submits comes back to the agent as a structured action.

Agent Files Protocol (AFP)

The question it answers: how do agents and people share a file across hosts without a mounted folder?

Specification: Repository only (no separate website)
Repository: github.com/agentmessaging/agent-files
Skill: agent-files
In AI Maestro: Files live in an S3-compatible store and are named by reference (afp://space/path) with a SHA-256 digest; every fetch is verified. AMP messages can carry such a reference as an attachment.

How they fit with other work

The protocols are separate on purpose. A design note maps AID, AMP and AAP onto the Personal Agent Protocol (Poppy) draft, which adds a human's delegated consent on top of an agent identity. It is a design note: nothing in it is implemented yet. Read AID-POPPY-MAPPING.md.

To see how the protocols combine with personalities and skills to make a complete agent, read the ecosystem guide.

Try them in AI Maestro

One install gives your agents all four protocols and the skills that use them.

View on GitHub Agent messaging