Standard
Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP): the Google and Shopify standard.
UCP is the open agentic commerce standard launched by Google and Shopify at NRF in January 2026. This page documents the standard; for the reading grid this hub proposes, see the concept.
The 30-second summary
- What: an open standard for AI agents to transact with any merchant.
- Who: Google and Shopify, with Etsy, Wayfair, Target, Walmart and 20+ partners.
- When: announced on January 11, 2026 at NRF.
- Where: native checkout in Google AI Mode (Search) and the Gemini app.
What is the Google and Shopify UCP protocol?
The Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) is an open agentic commerce standard announced by Google on January 11, 2026 at the National Retail Federation (NRF), and co-developed with Shopify. It establishes a common language so AI agents and merchant systems can operate together across the whole shopping journey, from discovery to buying to post-purchase. The goal: avoid forcing merchants to build a different connection for every agent. Established
Who is behind UCP?
UCP is led by Google in collaboration with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart, and endorsed by more than 20 ecosystem players: Adyen, American Express, Best Buy, Flipkart, Macy's, Mastercard, Stripe, The Home Depot, Visa, Zalando and others. It is an open-source project, described as neutral and vendor-agnostic by its authors. Established
How does UCP work?
UCP standardizes commerce operations (catalog, cart, checkout, order, post-purchase) behind an agent-usable interface. It is designed to be compatible with existing protocols: Agent2Agent (A2A) for agent-to-agent communication, Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) for payment authorization, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) for tool and data access.
First concrete application: Google built a reference implementation that powers native checkout in AI Mode (Search) and the Gemini app. Shoppers pay with Google Pay (and soon PayPal), and the merchant remains the seller of record. To take part on the Google side, a merchant uses a Merchant Center account with checkout-eligible products. Established
UCP vs ACP: the two transaction-layer standards
UCP and the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) from OpenAI and Stripe target the same layer, but with opposite philosophies.
| Dimension | UCP | ACP |
|---|---|---|
| Backer | Google and Shopify | OpenAI and Stripe |
| Announced | January 2026 (NRF) | September 2025 |
| Model | Decentralized: merchant publishes capabilities | Platform-mediated: data sent to OpenAI |
| Buying surface | Google AI Mode, Gemini | ChatGPT (Instant Checkout) |
| Payment | Google Pay, soon PayPal | Shared payment token via Stripe |
In practice, many merchants will implement both to maximize distribution, much like listing on several marketplaces. Emerging
What it changes for a merchant
Being present on UCP requires an offer that is readable and actionable by a machine: structured product data, explicit policies, an agent endpoint. It is the same groundwork as agentic commerce in general. The readiness audit methodology assesses this state layer by layer.
Two uses of the acronym "UCP"
- The standard: the open Google and Shopify protocol described on this page.
- The reading grid: the framework this hub proposes to arbitrate in committee, aggregating UCP, ACP, AP2, MCP and A2A into four layers.
Frequently asked questions
01 What is the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)?
What is the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)?
UCP is an open agentic commerce standard launched by Google on January 11, 2026 at NRF, co-developed with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart. It establishes a common language so AI agents and merchant systems can operate together across the whole shopping journey: discovery, buying, post-purchase.
02 Who created UCP?
Who created UCP?
Google, in collaboration with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart, and endorsed by more than 20 players such as Adyen, American Express, Best Buy, Mastercard, Stripe, The Home Depot, Visa and Zalando. It is an open-source project.
03 What is the difference between UCP and ACP?
What is the difference between UCP and ACP?
Both structure the transaction layer, but with opposite philosophies. UCP (Google and Shopify) is decentralized: the merchant publishes its capabilities and any compatible agent can transact. ACP (OpenAI and Stripe) is platform-mediated: the merchant sends data to OpenAI and checkout happens in ChatGPT.
04 Is UCP compatible with MCP, A2A and AP2?
Is UCP compatible with MCP, A2A and AP2?
Yes. UCP is designed to be compatible with Agent2Agent (A2A), Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) and Model Context Protocol (MCP). These protocols cover different layers (communication, payment, tool access) and stack rather than compete.
05 Is UCP free, and where do you implement it?
Is UCP free, and where do you implement it?
The protocol is open source and vendor-agnostic. Google published a first reference implementation: to take part, a merchant uses a Merchant Center account with checkout-eligible products. The specification is on Google's public GitHub repository.
06 Where can you see UCP in action?
Where can you see UCP in action?
UCP powers native checkout on Google surfaces, namely AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app, letting shoppers buy from eligible merchants directly in the conversation with Google Pay (and soon PayPal). The merchant remains the seller of record.
Go further
Understand the context: agentic commerce and the four-layer reading grid.