From ad08c5cf679cc89eed9db30759f4792414c7c351 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: John Rae-Grant Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2025 19:58:02 -0700 Subject: [PATCH 1/7] added framing sentence --- docs/introduction.mdx | 3 ++- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/docs/introduction.mdx b/docs/introduction.mdx index eccd61d56..f53b714d2 100644 --- a/docs/introduction.mdx +++ b/docs/introduction.mdx @@ -8,8 +8,9 @@ description: AG-UI is an open, lightweight, event-based protocol that standardizes how AI agents connect to user-facing applications. +AG-UI is designed to be the general-purpose, bi-directional connection between a user-facing application and any agentic backend. -Built for simplicity and flexibility, it standardizes how agent state, UI intents, and user interactions flow between your model/agent runtime and user-facing frontend applications—to allow application developers to ship reliable, debuggable, user‑friendly agentic features fast while focusing on application needs and avoding complex ad-hoc wiring. +Built for simplicity and flexibility, it standardizes how agent state, UI intents, and user interactions flow between your model/agent runtime and user-facing frontend applications—to allow application developers to ship reliable, debuggable, user‑friendly agentic features fast while focusing on application needs and avoiding complex ad-hoc wiring. From f2d94afa60dbbe9d664e23853438f10d504751d7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: John Rae-Grant Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2025 20:30:07 -0700 Subject: [PATCH 2/7] add gen ui and handshakes --- docs/concepts/generative-ui-specs.mdx | 21 +++++++++++++++++++++ docs/docs.json | 3 ++- docs/introduction.mdx | 25 +++++++++++++++++-------- 3 files changed, 40 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-) create mode 100644 docs/concepts/generative-ui-specs.mdx diff --git a/docs/concepts/generative-ui-specs.mdx b/docs/concepts/generative-ui-specs.mdx new file mode 100644 index 000000000..a88f31dca --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/concepts/generative-ui-specs.mdx @@ -0,0 +1,21 @@ +--- +title: "Generative UI" +description: "Understanding AG-UI's relationship with generative UI specifications" +--- + +## **AG-UI and Generative UI Specs** + +Several recently released specs have enabled agents to return generative UI, increasing the power and flexibility of the Agent<->User conversation. + +A2UI, MCP-UI, and Open-JSON-UI are all **generative UI specifications.** Generative UIs allow agents to respond to users not only with text but also with dynamic UI components. + +| **Specification** | **Origin / Maintainer** | **Purpose** | +| --- | --- | --- | +| **A2UI** | Google | A declarative, LLM-friendly Generative UI spec. JSONL-based and streaming, designed for platform-agnostic rendering. | +| **Open-JSON-UI** | OpenAI | An open standardization of OpenAI's internal declarative Generative UI schema. | +| **MCP-UI** | Microsoft + Shopify | A fully open, iframe-based Generative UI standard extending MCP for user-facing experiences. | + +Despite the naming similarities, **AG-UI is not a generative UI specification** — it's a **User Interaction protocol** that provides the **bi-directional runtime connection** between the agent and the application. + +AG-UI natively supports all of the above generative UI specs and allows developers to define **their own custom generative UI standards** as well. + diff --git a/docs/docs.json b/docs/docs.json index b92fca9ba..bd19897d8 100644 --- a/docs/docs.json +++ b/docs/docs.json @@ -44,7 +44,8 @@ "concepts/messages", "concepts/state", "concepts/serialization", - "concepts/tools" + "concepts/tools", + "concepts/generative-ui-specs" ] }, { diff --git a/docs/introduction.mdx b/docs/introduction.mdx index f53b714d2..38994f99f 100644 --- a/docs/introduction.mdx +++ b/docs/introduction.mdx @@ -188,20 +188,29 @@ While agents are just software, they exhibit characteristics that make them chal AG-UI is an event-based protocol that enables dynamic communication between agentic frontends and backends. It builds on top of the foundational protocols of the web (HTTP, WebSockets) as an abstraction layer designed for the agentic age—bridging the gap between traditional client-server architectures and the dynamic, stateful nature of AI agents. -## The AI protocol landscape +## The AI Protocol Landscape -AG-UI has emerged as the 3rd leg of the AI protocol landscape: +The agentic ecosystem is rapidly organizing around a family of open, complementary protocols — each addressing a distinct layer of interaction. AG-UI has emerged as the 3rd leg of the AI protocol landscape:
AI Protocol Stack
-- MCP: Connects agents to tool and to context. -- A2A: Connects agents to other agents. -- **AG-UI:** Connects agents to users (through user-facing applications) +You can connect your application to agents directly via **AG-UI**, **MCP**, and **A2A**. -These protocols are complimentary and have distinct technical goals; a single agent can and often does use all 3 simultanously. -Where these protocols intersect, there are opportunities for seamless handshakes facilitating interoperability—work on these integration points is actively ongoing. +- **MCP** (Model Context Protocol) Connects agents to tools and to context — but those tools are themselves becoming agentic. +- **A2A** (Agent to Agent) Connects agents to other agents. +- **AG-UI (Agent–User Interaction)** Connects agents to users (through user-facing applications). + + You can think of AG-UI as the **“kitchen sink” protocol** — informed by bottom-up, real-world needs for building best-in-class agentic applications. + + +These protocols are complimentary and have distinct technical goals; a single agent can and often does use all 3 simultaneously. + +## AG-UI Handshakes with MCP and A2A + +AG-UI contributors have recently added handshakes, allowing AG-UI to "front for" agents through MCP and A2A protocols, which allows AG-UI client apps and libraries to seamlessly use MCP and A2A supporting agents. + AG-UI's mandate is to support the full set of building blocks required by modern agentic applications. @@ -209,7 +218,7 @@ AG-UI's mandate is to support the full set of building blocks required by modern --- -## AG-UI in action +## AG-UI in Action
+ +Confused about "A2UI" and "AG-UI"? That's understandable! Despite the naming similarities, they are quite different and work well together. A2UI is a [generative UI specification](./concepts/generative-ui-specs) - allowing agents to deliver UI widgets, where AG-UI provides the complete bi-directional runtime connection between the agent and the application. + + --- ## Building blocks (today & upcoming) From 2689a48c13ae51cb7943e52ecd6689ca19b0403d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: John Rae-Grant Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2025 20:53:06 -0700 Subject: [PATCH 4/7] pull Interaction Protocols to own page --- docs/agent-interaction-protocols.mdx | 34 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ docs/docs.json | 1 + docs/introduction.mdx | 28 ----------------------- 3 files changed, 35 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-) create mode 100644 docs/agent-interaction-protocols.mdx diff --git a/docs/agent-interaction-protocols.mdx b/docs/agent-interaction-protocols.mdx new file mode 100644 index 000000000..8e6ccb9de --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/agent-interaction-protocols.mdx @@ -0,0 +1,34 @@ +--- +title: "Agent Interaction Protocols" +description: "Understanding how AG-UI fits within the broader ecosystem of agent interaction protocols" +--- + +## The AI Protocol Landscape + +The agentic ecosystem is rapidly organizing around a family of open, complementary protocols — each addressing a distinct layer of interaction. AG-UI has emerged as the 3rd leg of the AI protocol landscape: +
+ AI Protocol Stack +
+ +You can connect your application to agents directly via **AG-UI**, **MCP**, and **A2A**. + + +- **MCP** (Model Context Protocol) Connects agents to tools and to context — but those tools are themselves becoming agentic. +- **A2A** (Agent to Agent) Connects agents to other agents. +- **AG-UI (Agent–User Interaction)** Connects agents to users (through user-facing applications). + + You can think of AG-UI as the **"kitchen sink" protocol** — informed by bottom-up, real-world needs for building best-in-class agentic applications. + + +These three agent interaction protocols are complementary and have distinct technical goals; a single agent can and often does use all 3 simultaneously. + +## AG-UI Handshakes with MCP and A2A + +AG-UI contributors have recently added handshakes, allowing AG-UI to "front for" agents through MCP and A2A protocols, which allows AG-UI client apps and libraries to seamlessly use MCP and A2A supporting agents. + +AG-UI's mandate is to support the full set of building blocks required by modern agentic applications. + +## Generative UI Specs + +Recently several [generative ui specs](./concepts/generative-ui-specs) have been released which allow agents to deliver UI widgets through the interaction protocols. + diff --git a/docs/docs.json b/docs/docs.json index bd19897d8..ac10eda7a 100644 --- a/docs/docs.json +++ b/docs/docs.json @@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ "group": "Get Started", "pages": [ "introduction", + "agent-interaction-protocols", { "group": "Quickstart", "pages": [ diff --git a/docs/introduction.mdx b/docs/introduction.mdx index 47c5731cc..299e59217 100644 --- a/docs/introduction.mdx +++ b/docs/introduction.mdx @@ -192,34 +192,6 @@ While agents are just software, they exhibit characteristics that make them chal AG-UI is an event-based protocol that enables dynamic communication between agentic frontends and backends. It builds on top of the foundational protocols of the web (HTTP, WebSockets) as an abstraction layer designed for the agentic age—bridging the gap between traditional client-server architectures and the dynamic, stateful nature of AI agents. -## The AI Protocol Landscape - -The agentic ecosystem is rapidly organizing around a family of open, complementary protocols — each addressing a distinct layer of interaction. AG-UI has emerged as the 3rd leg of the AI protocol landscape: -
- AI Protocol Stack -
- -You can connect your application to agents directly via **AG-UI**, **MCP**, and **A2A**. - - -- **MCP** (Model Context Protocol) Connects agents to tools and to context — but those tools are themselves becoming agentic. -- **A2A** (Agent to Agent) Connects agents to other agents. -- **AG-UI (Agent–User Interaction)** Connects agents to users (through user-facing applications). - - You can think of AG-UI as the **“kitchen sink” protocol** — informed by bottom-up, real-world needs for building best-in-class agentic applications. - - -These protocols are complimentary and have distinct technical goals; a single agent can and often does use all 3 simultaneously. - -## AG-UI Handshakes with MCP and A2A - -AG-UI contributors have recently added handshakes, allowing AG-UI to "front for" agents through MCP and A2A protocols, which allows AG-UI client apps and libraries to seamlessly use MCP and A2A supporting agents. - -AG-UI's mandate is to support the full set of building blocks required by modern agentic applications. - - - - --- ## AG-UI in Action From 24ac10bd0992dc1dc72339e90bb1ee5c9c3c9e04 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: John Rae-Grant Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2025 21:39:48 -0700 Subject: [PATCH 5/7] added table and link to overview page --- docs/agent-interaction-protocols.mdx | 6 +++--- docs/introduction.mdx | 12 ++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/docs/agent-interaction-protocols.mdx b/docs/agent-interaction-protocols.mdx index 8e6ccb9de..5575c386e 100644 --- a/docs/agent-interaction-protocols.mdx +++ b/docs/agent-interaction-protocols.mdx @@ -1,9 +1,9 @@ --- -title: "Agent Interaction Protocols" -description: "Understanding how AG-UI fits within the broader ecosystem of agent interaction protocols" +title: "MCP, A2A, and AG-UI" +description: "Understanding how AG-UI complements and works with MCP and A2A" --- -## The AI Protocol Landscape +## The Agent Interaction Protocols The agentic ecosystem is rapidly organizing around a family of open, complementary protocols — each addressing a distinct layer of interaction. AG-UI has emerged as the 3rd leg of the AI protocol landscape:
diff --git a/docs/introduction.mdx b/docs/introduction.mdx index 299e59217..ee18a23fa 100644 --- a/docs/introduction.mdx +++ b/docs/introduction.mdx @@ -19,6 +19,18 @@ Built for simplicity and flexibility, it standardizes how agent state, UI intent AG-UI Overview
+--- + +## Agent Interaction Protocols + +AG-UI is one of three prominent open [agent interaction protocols](./agent-interaction-protocols). + +| **Layer** | **Protocol / Example** | **Purpose** | +| --- | --- | --- | +| **Agent ↔ User Interaction** | **AG-UI (Agent–User Interaction Protocol)** | The open, event-based standard that connects agents to user-facing applications — enabling real-time, multimodal, interactive experiences. | +| **Agent ↔ Tools & Data** | **MCP (Model Context Protocol)** | Open standard (originated by Anthropic) that lets agents securely connect to external systems — tools, workflows, and data sources. | +| **Agent ↔ Agent** | **A2A** | Open standard (originated by Google) which defines how agents coordinate and share work across distributed agentic systems. | + Confused about "A2UI" and "AG-UI"? That's understandable! Despite the naming similarities, they are quite different and work well together. A2UI is a [generative UI specification](./concepts/generative-ui-specs) - allowing agents to deliver UI widgets, where AG-UI provides the complete bi-directional runtime connection between the agent and the application. From 1d5588311aafc8699a6a576294d00a9d103b7cad Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: John Rae-Grant Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2025 17:35:44 -0800 Subject: [PATCH 6/7] renamed agent interaction to agentic. Cleaned up some merge issues with recent changes. --- ...interaction-protocols.mdx => agentic-protocols.mdx} | 4 ++-- docs/docs.json | 2 +- docs/introduction.mdx | 10 +++++----- 3 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-) rename docs/{agent-interaction-protocols.mdx => agentic-protocols.mdx} (89%) diff --git a/docs/agent-interaction-protocols.mdx b/docs/agentic-protocols.mdx similarity index 89% rename from docs/agent-interaction-protocols.mdx rename to docs/agentic-protocols.mdx index 5575c386e..02e9dd366 100644 --- a/docs/agent-interaction-protocols.mdx +++ b/docs/agentic-protocols.mdx @@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ title: "MCP, A2A, and AG-UI" description: "Understanding how AG-UI complements and works with MCP and A2A" --- -## The Agent Interaction Protocols +## Agentic Protocols The agentic ecosystem is rapidly organizing around a family of open, complementary protocols — each addressing a distinct layer of interaction. AG-UI has emerged as the 3rd leg of the AI protocol landscape:
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ You can connect your application to agents directly via **AG-UI**, **MCP**, and You can think of AG-UI as the **"kitchen sink" protocol** — informed by bottom-up, real-world needs for building best-in-class agentic applications. -These three agent interaction protocols are complementary and have distinct technical goals; a single agent can and often does use all 3 simultaneously. +These three agentic protocols are complementary and have distinct technical goals; a single agent can and often does use all 3 simultaneously. ## AG-UI Handshakes with MCP and A2A diff --git a/docs/docs.json b/docs/docs.json index ac10eda7a..b1d0a59b1 100644 --- a/docs/docs.json +++ b/docs/docs.json @@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ "group": "Get Started", "pages": [ "introduction", - "agent-interaction-protocols", + "agentic-protocols", { "group": "Quickstart", "pages": [ diff --git a/docs/introduction.mdx b/docs/introduction.mdx index ee18a23fa..85cff2cb1 100644 --- a/docs/introduction.mdx +++ b/docs/introduction.mdx @@ -21,15 +21,15 @@ Built for simplicity and flexibility, it standardizes how agent state, UI intent --- -## Agent Interaction Protocols +## Agentic Protocols -AG-UI is one of three prominent open [agent interaction protocols](./agent-interaction-protocols). +AG-UI is one of three prominent open [agentic protocols](./agent-interaction-protocols). | **Layer** | **Protocol / Example** | **Purpose** | | --- | --- | --- | -| **Agent ↔ User Interaction** | **AG-UI (Agent–User Interaction Protocol)** | The open, event-based standard that connects agents to user-facing applications — enabling real-time, multimodal, interactive experiences. | -| **Agent ↔ Tools & Data** | **MCP (Model Context Protocol)** | Open standard (originated by Anthropic) that lets agents securely connect to external systems — tools, workflows, and data sources. | -| **Agent ↔ Agent** | **A2A** | Open standard (originated by Google) which defines how agents coordinate and share work across distributed agentic systems. | +| **Agent ↔ User Interaction** | **AG-UI
(Agent–User Interaction Protocol)** | The open, event-based standard that connects agents to user-facing applications — enabling real-time, multimodal, interactive experiences. | +| **Agent ↔ Tools & Data** | **MCP
(Model Context Protocol)** | Open standard (originated by Anthropic) that lets agents securely connect to external systems — tools, workflows, and data sources. | +| **Agent ↔ Agent** | **A2A
(Agent to Agent)** | Open standard (originated by Google) which defines how agents coordinate and share work across distributed agentic systems. | Confused about "A2UI" and "AG-UI"? That's understandable! Despite the naming similarities, they are quite different and work well together. A2UI is a [generative UI specification](./concepts/generative-ui-specs) - allowing agents to deliver UI widgets, where AG-UI provides the complete bi-directional runtime connection between the agent and the application. From 5e12b175c72fdc5f5037edbd76cdc03337e96f4a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: johnprg Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2025 17:18:29 -0800 Subject: [PATCH 7/7] tweaks to positioning --- docs/agentic-protocols.mdx | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/docs/agentic-protocols.mdx b/docs/agentic-protocols.mdx index 02e9dd366..f87a15dc0 100644 --- a/docs/agentic-protocols.mdx +++ b/docs/agentic-protocols.mdx @@ -30,5 +30,5 @@ AG-UI's mandate is to support the full set of building blocks required by modern ## Generative UI Specs -Recently several [generative ui specs](./concepts/generative-ui-specs) have been released which allow agents to deliver UI widgets through the interaction protocols. +Recently several [generative ui specs](./concepts/generative-ui-specs) (including MCP-UI, Open JSON UI, and A2UI) have been released which allow agents to deliver UI widgets through the interaction protocols. AG-UI works with all of these. Visit our [generative ui specs page](./concepts/generative-ui-specs) to lern more.