Agent Web Protocol

Agent Web Protocol (AWP) is an open standard designed to make websites accessible and understandable to AI agents by defining a single machine-readable manifest, agent.json, placed at the root of a website. This file communicates a site's available capabilities, supported agent protocols, and authentication methods, allowing agents to interact with web surfaces without the need for scraping or guesswork. The protocol draws a parallel to previous web standards like robots.txt and schema.org, offering a declarative approach for the era of AI agents.

The agent.json manifest allows websites to specify their intent and enumerate structured actions—such as search or purchase—with typed parameters, HTTP methods, and endpoints. With version 0.2, the manifest can declare compatibility with multiple agent protocols, including MCP, A2A, AP2, x402, and others, enabling a single site to communicate its support for various agent standards in one place. The manifest also includes a protocols block and a via field to route actions through the appropriate agent protocol. Authentication options supported by AWP include OAuth 2.0, API keys, bearer tokens, and session-based authentication, with explicit scope declarations possible for each action.

AWP is intended for developers and site operators who want to make their web properties agent-ready. The manifest format is based on a JSON schema, making it straightforward for both agents to parse and humans to author. Tooling is provided via the npx agent-json command-line tool, which can generate new agent.json files or validate existing ones from local files or remote URLs. There is also support for Claude Code integration through the AWP MCP server.

The protocol is community-driven, with its specification, validator, and reference implementation all open-source and MIT-licensed. Development takes place publicly on GitHub. Live deployments, such as the LaClawClaw Shopify store, showcase AWP in production, with manifests that declare multiple protocols and payment options. By standardizing how websites expose their capabilities to agents, AWP aims to facilitate seamless machine interaction across the web.