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Core glossary term

What is AgentOffer Protocol?

AgentOffer Protocol v1.0 is the current stable contract for AI offer exchange. It defines portable Query, public Offer, attribution, Provider, and postback behavior; each deployment publishes its own access and conformance status.

By AON Editorial Team · Updated September 6, 2026

Linked interface brackets illustrating the versioned contracts in AgentOffer Protocol
AgentOffer Protocol
Query · offer · attributeA versioned contract for AI offer exchange
Definition

AgentOffer Protocol v1.0 is the adopted stable contract for behavior between Agents, AON deployments, and Offer Providers.

It is commerce-specific: it defines current intent and bounded context in Query, public Offer semantics, Provider supply exchange, and the two postback trust boundaries used to report and deliver attributed outcomes; it is not a general-purpose tool or resource protocol. Protocol publication does not claim that every deployment, SDK, API, or Hosted MCP instance accepts v1.0 traffic.

AON context

How AON implements AgentOffer Protocol

AON implements the protocol as the network layer that accepts offer queries, returns eligible structured Offers, preserves served-instance and click context, and correlates validated partner-reported outcomes. AON Docs explains implementation paths; the v1.0 protocol, schemas, validators, and examples define the contract, while each deployment publishes its own access and conformance status.

Read the AgentOffer Protocol overview
Contract flow

How the contracts work together

Select the stable line

A new integration sends the exact AON-Protocol-Version: 1.0 selector. Missing, historical, approximate, or other values fail closed instead of silently selecting another contract.

Express current intent

An Agent or publisher sends the user's current intent, bounded context, and supported constraints through the v1.0 Query contract.

Validate the public response

The consumer validates the response against the v1.0 schema and field semantics. A valid query can return no Offers with a defined empty-result reason.

Preserve the served instance

The publisher keeps offer_id as stable inventory identity, preserves offer_instance_id for the particular dispatch, and follows the action required by the selected delivery contract.

Report the declared outcome

The applicable Provider or Agent callback reports a downstream event against the exact Goal declared by the served Offer. The two directions use separate trust and credential boundaries.

Term anatomy

Contracts in AgentOffer Protocol

The stable v1.0 line is a coordinated set of contracts, not only an Offer schema or a single API endpoint.

Contract surfaceWhat it standardizes
Public and Partner artifactsThe public Offer is an Agent-facing projection. The Partner Offer has its own source identity and private targeting or conversion rules; those fields are not silently copied into the public response.
Query and Offer semanticsThe v1.0 Query and Offer contracts define intent, bounded context, identity, actions, public price, Goals, and empty-result behavior.
Attribution and postbacksProvider-to-AON intake and AON-to-Developer delivery are separate trust boundaries. Exact Goal events and supported attribution anchors connect reported outcomes to the served Offer.
The Query, Offer, event, attribution, offer-provider, and postback contracts in AgentOffer Protocol.
Important boundaries
  • AgentOffer Protocol standardizes offer exchange and attribution; the merchant or its commerce systems remain authoritative for current terms, inventory, checkout, payment, order acceptance, and fulfillment.
  • The v1.0 public Offer and Partner Offer are different artifacts. Partner-only targeting, conversion rules, and source identity do not become public Agent-facing fields.
  • The public price in offer_info.commercial.price is distinct from the gross commission basis in goals[].pricing. The protocol does not authorize payment or define final settlement.
  • Protocol publication does not certify a particular API, SDK, MCP server, credential, or deployment for live v1.0 traffic.
Do not confuse

AgentOffer Protocol vs Agentic Commerce Protocol

AgentOffer Protocol standardizes how AI products discover, receive, present, and attribute structured offers. The Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) standardizes programmatic commerce and checkout interactions between agents and sellers. They address adjacent layers and can be used in the same journey without becoming one contract. See the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) definition.

Applied definition

Example in practice

A procurement assistant sends a Query with AON-Protocol-Version: 1.0 for project-management software for a 20-person design team. It validates the response, presents an eligible Offer, and preserves that served instance when the user follows its action. If an approved supply partner later reports the exact matching Goal event through the v1.0 postback contract, the protocol-defined identifiers let AON connect the outcome to the original offer interaction.

Common questions about agentoffer protocol

What is the current AgentOffer Protocol version?

AgentOffer Protocol v1.0 is the adopted stable contract for new integrations. A conforming request selects it with the exact AON-Protocol-Version: 1.0 header, and a conforming response echoes that header and includes protocol_version: "1.0".

Does publishing v1.0 mean every AON deployment accepts it?

No. Protocol adoption and deployment availability are separate. Each API, Provider, SDK, or Hosted MCP deployment must publish its own endpoint, access, rollout, and conformance status.

Is AgentOffer Protocol the same as ACP?

No. AgentOffer Protocol covers structured offer discovery, delivery, and attribution. ACP covers agent-to-seller commerce and checkout interactions; a product can use both at different points in the journey.

Where should developers verify exact v1.0 fields?

Use the v1.0 protocol, schema, semantic validator, and examples linked on this page. AON Docs summarizes implementation paths, but the canonical sources define exact fields, constraints, and cross-field behavior.

Sources

  1. AgentOffer Protocol v1.0AON specification
  2. AgentOffer Protocol v1.0 sourceAON specification
  3. AgentOffer v1.0 schemasAON specification
  4. AgentOffer v1.0 examplesAON specification
  5. Read the AgentOffer Protocol v1.0 docsAON documentation
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