MCP, WebMCP and A2A explained for business leaders
In short
Three protocol names your web team may use. MCP offers an agent a set of named actions it can call. WebMCP is a proposal that lets a web page list its actions for an agent in the browser. A2A lets one organisation's agent hand a task to another's. Most businesses need none of them first.
MCP, the Model Context Protocol
An open standard for offering an AI agent a set of named actions it can call, such as search providers, check stock or book an appointment. A business runs an MCP server that describes what agents may do.
- 28 Oct 2026
Zocdoc gives registered agents an MCP server or REST API to search providers, check insurance and book.
- 19 Oct 2026
The AgentReady spec makes an MCP server or a CLI a MUST when agents should complete a task, not only read (AR-ACT-10, October 2026).
WebMCP
A proposal that lets a web page tell an agent in the browser which actions it offers, as named tools, instead of the agent guessing at buttons. It matters most where the main task already runs through a form.
- Read 4 Nov 2026
Cloudflare shows a page registering an add-todo tool with document.modelContext.registerTool (6 Aug 2026).
A2A, agent to agent
A protocol for one organisation's agent to find another agent and hand it a task. Where MCP connects an agent to tools, A2A connects agents to each other. It becomes relevant if you work with other companies' agents, for example as a supplier. This site holds no dated source on its adoption, so it says no more.
Which one matters to you
- If your main task runs through a web form, watch WebMCP.
- If other software already uses your services, such as bookings through partners or an order interface, MCP is the likeliest fit.
- If neither applies, readable pages and standard forms matter more than any protocol.
The decision is not which protocol but which task you want agents to finish. See whether to publish an API or an MCP server. In the crawl, very few sites publish any act surface at all, so you would be early (see the scorecards).
Related
- Whether to publish an API or an MCP serverName the task before the technology.
- Ask your web teamThe sentences to send, grouped by area.
Sources
- Zocdoc for Agents (markdown) (zocdoc.com/business/welcome-agents.md), read 4 Nov 2026.
- AgentReady.org guide (agentready.org), read 4 Nov 2026.
- Cloudflare: the agentic internet, WebMCP example (6 Aug 2026) (blog.cloudflare.com/the-agentic-internet), read 4 Nov 2026.
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