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Capability negotiation

By Patrice Calvez Updated: August 2026 Read time : 2 min

The initial exchange between an agent and a merchant to establish what is technically possible: browse the catalog, build a cart, pay, link a customer account.

DEFINITION

Capability negotiation — The initial exchange between an agent and a merchant to establish what is technically possible: browse the catalog, build a cart, pay, link a customer account.

In practice

It is the handshake of agentic commerce. Central to UCP, the concept was also added to the ACP specification in early 2026 — a sign of converging standards.

See also

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