Commerce & checkoutReviewed

UCP

Universal Commerce Protocol

Universal Commerce Protocol project

Released · v2026-08-25
Stefan Hamann · English
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What UCP enables

UCP gives merchants and shopping agents a common language for catalogs, carts, checkout and orders. A merchant publishes the functions it offers and how to reach them. The agent can discover those functions and use them to make a purchase.

Connections with other protocols

  • UCP describes integration through REST and MCP, among other options. An assistant can use a checkout through an API call or an MCP tool.
  • The AP2 mandate extension carries verifiable customer approvals alongside the purchase. Receiving systems can check which transaction the customer authorised.
  • ACP also supports purchases through agents using its own interfaces. UCP organises supported functions and extensions through published profiles.

Versions and licence

Published version
v2026-08-25 ·
Working draft
—

The current documentation and main branch may differ from the published release.

Licence / terms
Apache-2.0
Licence and terms ↗

An example flow

  1. A merchant publishes capabilities such as catalog search and checkout in its UCP profile.
  2. The shopping agent reads the profile and uses the functions and versions supported by both sides.
  3. The customer selects an item. The agent creates the checkout and receives price, shipping and payment options from the merchant.
  4. With the customer's approval, the agent completes the checkout. The merchant returns the order status.

SDKs and examples

These libraries and examples help you get started. Each entry lists the language, package and supported version.

From the protocol projectTypeScript · JavaScript

UCP JavaScript SDK

Includes: Zod schemas and generated types

Package / module: @ucp-js/sdk

Version & compatibility: 0.5.1 · SDK line 0.5.x for UCP 2026-08-25

From the protocol projectPython

UCP Python SDK

Includes: Pydantic models

Package / module: ucp-sdk

Version & compatibility: 0.5.0 · Beta · SDK line 0.5.x for UCP 2026-08-25

Requires Python ≥3.10 according to the manifest.

Agentic Commerce AlliancePHP

UCP PHP SDK · Core

Includes: Framework independent PHP core for merchant integration. Includes models, capability contracts, signatures and discovery.

Package / module: ucp-php-sdk/core

Version & compatibility: 0.0.7 · UCP 2026-08-25 · PHP ^8.1

composer require ucp-php-sdk/core:^0.0.7
Agentic Commerce AlliancePHP

UCP PHP SDK · Symfony bundle

Includes: Symfony integration with HTTP routes, controllers, configuration and storage adapters. Uses the PHP core as a dependency.

Package / module: ucp-php-sdk/symfony-bundle

Version & compatibility: 0.0.7 · UCP 2026-08-25 · PHP ^8.1; Symfony bundle for Symfony 6.4 and 7.x

composer require ucp-php-sdk/symfony-bundle:^0.0.7

Practical integration

  • The merchant profile lists functions, versions, extensions and their endpoints. This determines which calls the agent can use.
  • The release linked here is v2026-08-25. The listed JavaScript and Python SDKs belong to its corresponding 0.5.x line.

Related protocols

Original sources