MCP VS A2A : Similarities and Differences - vishalmysore/a2ajava GitHub Wiki

A Comprehensive Schema Analysis I’ve conducted a detailed schema comparison of the [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/main/schema/2025-03-26/schema.json) and the [Agent-to-Agent (A2A)](github.com/google/A2A/blob/main/specification/json/a2a.json) protocol to highlight key differences in their design and intended functionality. While both aim to facilitate communication involving AI agents, they emphasize distinct features. I will illustrate these differences with a practical example

Core Design Philosophies MCP (Model Context Protocol):

Resource-centric architecture built around URI-addressable resources Emphasizes flexible data access patterns (get, set, subscribe) Provides granular control with client-side workflow orchestration Designed for direct interaction with model capabilities A2A (Agent-to-Agent):

Agent-centric design focused on standardized interoperability Built around structured task management and agent workflows Formalizes agent discovery and capability advertisement Optimized for orchestrating multi-agent systems Key Similarities JSON-based Communication Structure Both protocols leverage JSON for structured data exchange, providing a familiar format for developers. MIME Type Support Both handle diverse content types through standardized MIME specifications, enabling exchange of text, images, audio, and other media. Asynchronous Operation Support Both protocols incorporate mechanisms for non-blocking operations, though through different approaches. AI Agent Interaction Both ultimately serve to facilitate communication involving AI systems, whether model-to-client or agent-to-agent.

continue reading the article here medium.com/@visrow/mcp-vs-a2a-similarities-and-differences-fef8d1d6d3ca or here www.reddit.com/r/Tools4AI/comments/1k9h2c1/mcp_vs_a2a_similarities_and_differences/