Comparison
agent-protocol vs mcp-agent
Verdict
Pick agent-protocol if agent-protocol provides a standardized interface for interacting with various AI agents regardless of their underlying tech stack, aiming to ease development, deployment, and benchmarking; pick mcp-agent if allows creation of efficient AI agents via Model Context Protocol with workflow patterns.
Markdown twin · agent-protocol alternatives · mcp-agent alternatives
GraphCanon updated 2w
vs
Trust & integrity
| Signal | agent-protocol | mcp-agent |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Dormant (484d since push) As of 2w · github_public_v1 | Slowing (181d since push) As of 3w · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of 2w · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of 3w · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | Published findings As of 1mo · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 1mo · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- agent-protocol
- Common interface for AI agents
- mcp-agent
- Build effective AI agents with Model Context Protocol.
Stars
- agent-protocol
- 1.5k
- mcp-agent
- 8.5k
Forks
- agent-protocol
- 185
- mcp-agent
- 866
Open issues
- agent-protocol
- 50
- mcp-agent
- 140
Language
- agent-protocol
- Python
- mcp-agent
- Python
Adopt for
- agent-protocol
- agent-protocol provides a standardized interface for interacting with various AI agents regardless of their underlying tech stack, aiming to ease development, deployment, and benchmarking.
- mcp-agent
- Allows creation of efficient AI agents via Model Context Protocol with workflow patterns
Persona
- agent-protocol
- -
- mcp-agent
- -
Runtime
- agent-protocol
- -
- mcp-agent
- -
License
- agent-protocol
- MIT
- mcp-agent
- Apache-2.0
Last pushed
- agent-protocol
- Apr 8, 2025
- mcp-agent
- Jan 25, 2026
Categories
- agent-protocol
- AI Agents
- mcp-agent
- AI Agents
Trust and health
Maintenance
- agent-protocol
- Dormant (18%)
- mcp-agent
- Slowing (36%)
Days since push
- agent-protocol
- 484d
- mcp-agent
- 181d
Open issues (now)
- agent-protocol
- 50
- mcp-agent
- 140
OSV dependency advisories
- agent-protocol
- Published findings
- mcp-agent
- No lockfile (source not queried)
Full report
- agent-protocol
- Trust report
- mcp-agent
- Trust report
Choose agent-protocol if…
- License: agent-protocol is MIT, mcp-agent is Apache-2.0.
- Tags unique to agent-protocol: ai-agent, api, auto-gpt, gpt-4.
- When you want to ensure interoperability between different AI agents irrespective of the frameworks used by them.
When NOT to use agent-protocol
- If you are developing an isolated system with no intention to communicate or integrate with other AI agents outside this scope.
- When working in environments where specific, proprietary interfaces provide significantly better performance or features than adhering to a generic protocol could offer.
Choose mcp-agent if…
- License: mcp-agent is Apache-2.0, agent-protocol is MIT.
- Tags unique to mcp-agent: ai-agents, llm, mcp, model-context-protocol.
- Need to implement the Model Context Protocol specifically in your agent development
When NOT to use mcp-agent
- Require a more customizable approach beyond pre-defined protocol and workflows
- Project demands specific AI frameworks unsupported by Model Context Protocol directly
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (agi-inc/agent-protocol) · observed Aug 6, 2026
- GitHub forks (agi-inc/agent-protocol) · observed Aug 6, 2026
- Last push (agi-inc/agent-protocol) · observed Apr 8, 2025
- License file (MIT) · observed Aug 6, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 16, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (lastmile-ai/mcp-agent) · observed Jul 26, 2026
- GitHub forks (lastmile-ai/mcp-agent) · observed Jul 26, 2026
- Last push (lastmile-ai/mcp-agent) · observed Jan 25, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Jul 26, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 16, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: agent-protocol 1.5k · mcp-agent 8.5k (synced Aug 6, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between agent-protocol and mcp-agent?
- agent-protocol: Common interface for AI agents. mcp-agent: Build effective AI agents with Model Context Protocol.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose agent-protocol over mcp-agent?
- Choose agent-protocol over mcp-agent when License: agent-protocol is MIT, mcp-agent is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to agent-protocol: ai-agent, api, auto-gpt, gpt-4; When you want to ensure interoperability between different AI agents irrespective of the frameworks used by them.
- When should I choose mcp-agent over agent-protocol?
- Choose mcp-agent over agent-protocol when License: mcp-agent is Apache-2.0, agent-protocol is MIT; Tags unique to mcp-agent: ai-agents, llm, mcp, model-context-protocol; Need to implement the Model Context Protocol specifically in your agent development.
- When should I avoid agent-protocol?
- If you are developing an isolated system with no intention to communicate or integrate with other AI agents outside this scope. When working in environments where specific, proprietary interfaces provide significantly better performance or features than adhering to a generic protocol could offer.
- When should I avoid mcp-agent?
- Require a more customizable approach beyond pre-defined protocol and workflows Project demands specific AI frameworks unsupported by Model Context Protocol directly
- Is agent-protocol or mcp-agent more popular on GitHub?
- mcp-agent has more GitHub stars (8,478 vs 1,458). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are agent-protocol and mcp-agent open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (agent-protocol: MIT, mcp-agent: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to agent-protocol or mcp-agent?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at agent-protocol alternatives and mcp-agent alternatives (agent-protocol markdown twin, mcp-agent markdown twin), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes.
- Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison?
- Yes. The markdown twin at this comparison mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, agent-protocol or mcp-agent?
- agent-protocol: Dormant. mcp-agent: Slowing. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance.
- Where are the full trust reports for agent-protocol and mcp-agent?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: agent-protocol trust report; mcp-agent trust report.