Agent Payments Protocol (AP2)

What Is AP2?

AP2 (Agent Payments Protocol) is an open payment protocol for establishing trust when AI agents initiate payments on behalf of users. Announced by Google in 2025, it is designed for a world where AI agents move beyond recommendations and participate in actual transactions.

Its core questions are simple: did the user authorize this purchase, does the agent request reflect the user's true intent, and who can verify accountability if something goes wrong?

How Does It Work?

AP2 uses verifiable records of user instructions and approvals.

• Real-time purchase: The user reviews an AI-generated cart and explicitly approves it.
• Delegated purchase: The user defines rules such as budget, timing, and product conditions, and the agent executes when those conditions are met.
• Transaction evidence: User intent, cart contents, and payment approval are linked into an auditable record.

This lets merchants and payment providers understand exactly what the user authorized.

Why Does It Matter?

The most sensitive part of AI commerce is not recommendation; it is payment. AP2 provides a shared trust layer so that user approval, merchant validation, and payment accountability remain clear even when an AI agent starts the transaction.

If UCP handles commerce capabilities, AP2 handles payment authority and transaction evidence.