RuntimeAgent systems topic

Agent interoperability

Interoperability allows hosts, tools, and independently operated agents to discover capabilities and exchange work through explicit contracts. MCP primarily connects models to tools and context; A2A primarily coordinates agents and task artifacts across service boundaries.

Apply the lifecycleReview sources

Questions to answer

Resolve these before adding tools, frameworks, or automation.

  • Is the remote party a tool service, context provider, or autonomous agent?
  • How are capabilities discovered, authenticated, versioned, and revoked?
  • What task state, messages, and artifacts must cross the boundary?

Implementation lifecycle

Build the evidence in this order

  1. 01

    Classify

    Identify whether the boundary exposes capability, data, or autonomous collaboration.

  2. 02

    Contract

    Publish discovery metadata, schemas, versions, and security requirements.

  3. 03

    Operate

    Monitor compatibility, task state, authentication failure, and protocol upgrades.

Artifacts to maintain

  • MCP manifest
  • Agent Card
  • task contract
  • security scheme

Continue through AgentAtlas

Evidence ledger

Primary documentation behind this guide

Model Context Protocol

MCP specification

Host, client, and server roles plus capability negotiation for tools, resources, and prompts.

A2A Project

A2A protocol specification

Agent discovery, tasks, messages, artifacts, protocol bindings, security, and interoperability requirements.

Next topic

Workflows and automation