AIP vs MCP: context vs conduct
MCP is the internal wiring that makes the agent capable. AIP is the diplomatic code that makes the agent trustworthy. One enables thought. The other governs action.
I have had a few questions on how AIP differs from MCP. The useful distinction is between capability and control: connecting an agent to the information it needs, and agreeing the terms on which an organisation supplies it.
The full comparison now lives in The three layers of the agentic web, alongside the definitions of UX, AX and my proposed AIP. It includes MCP’s existing authorisation capabilities and the additional value-exchange question I am working through.
MCP is the plumbing. AIP is the commercial and governance contract I want at the organisation’s boundary.
Updated 07 October 2026