Algorand Foundation Unveils AC2: Secure Communication Protocol for Users and AI Agents

The Algorand Foundation has released AC2 (Agentic Communication and Control Protocol), an open-source, blockchain-agnostic standard for secure peer-to-peer communication between users and AI agents. This protocol closes a gap in existing messaging channels by providing cryptographic identity verification, standardized delegation, and user approval of individual actions without handing over private keys entirely.

According to Marc Vanlerberghe, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at the Algorand Foundation, AC2 answers the question of how to give AI agents authority without giving them control. The answer is to have users approve each use of their private keys, rather than handing them over to the agent.

AC2 supports a range of agentic workflows, including coding and payment management. It uses DIDComm v2.0 message formats for seamless operability across different systems, passkey-based authentication via Liquid Auth (built on FIDO2/WebAuthn), and supports real-time voice and text streaming as well as signing delegation.

The specification and reference implementation are available now at github.com/algorandfoundation/ac2. Alongside the specification, the Foundation is releasing an open-source wallet proof-of-concept and an OpenClaw plugin for end-to-end developer testing.