An open standard for IDE-agent interoperability — think LSP, but for AI agents. Backed by JetBrains and Zed with millions of users already in reach.
Why It Matters
Every IDE is building AI agent support, but without a standard, agent developers must build separate integrations for each editor. ACP solves this the same way LSP solved language support: one protocol, many editors. With JetBrains and Zed both shipping integrated registries, agent authors can reach millions of developers through a single implementation. The registry is open for agent submissions today.
Strengths
- Real traction out of the gate — JetBrains and Zed cover a massive developer audience
- LSP-inspired design means the mental model is familiar to tooling developers
- Registry is integrated directly into the IDEs, lowering discovery friction to near zero
- Open for agent submissions — third-party agents can plug in now
- IntelliJ IDEA 2026.1 (March 2026) shipped an in-IDE ACP Registry (one-click agent install) and added Cursor and GitHub Copilot support alongside Codex and Claude Agent — demonstrating real adoption velocity across major third-party agents
Limitations
- IDE-specific scope — doesn't address server-side or agent-to-agent communication
- Two founding editors is promising but not yet an industry-wide standard
- Protocol is young and will evolve; expect integration churn in the near term
- Competes for mindshare with editor-specific agent APIs that are already shipping
Risks
- VS Code (the dominant editor) is still absent as a founding or contributing editor — the "LSP for agents" positioning is weakened without Microsoft/GitHub on board as a protocol co-author
- JetBrains controls the spec; "open standard" means "open to implement, not open to govern"
- The registry being integrated into IDEs is convenient but creates a walled garden where JetBrains controls discovery
- Agent builders will still need separate integrations for VS Code/Copilot (which uses its own extensions model), even though Copilot can now be installed into JetBrains IDEs via ACP
An open standard for IDE-agent interoperability — think LSP, but for AI agents. Backed by JetBrains and Zed with millions of users already in reach.
Why It Matters
Every IDE is building AI agent support, but without a standard, agent developers must build separate integrations for each editor. ACP solves this the same way LSP solved language support: one protocol, many editors. With JetBrains and Zed both shipping integrated registries, agent authors can reach millions of developers through a single implementation. The registry is open for agent submissions today.
Strengths
- Real traction out of the gate — JetBrains and Zed cover a massive developer audience
- LSP-inspired design means the mental model is familiar to tooling developers
- Registry is integrated directly into the IDEs, lowering discovery friction to near zero
- Open for agent submissions — third-party agents can plug in now
Limitations
- IDE-specific scope — doesn't address server-side or agent-to-agent communication
- Two founding editors is promising but not yet an industry-wide standard
- Protocol is young and will evolve; expect integration churn in the near term
- Competes for mindshare with editor-specific agent APIs that are already shipping
Risks
- VS Code (the dominant editor) is notably absent — without Microsoft/GitHub on board, this can't claim to be "LSP for agents"
- JetBrains controls the spec; "open standard" means "open to implement, not open to govern"
- The registry being integrated into IDEs is convenient but creates a walled garden where JetBrains controls discovery
- Agent builders will still need separate integrations for VS Code/Copilot, which undermines the "build once" value proposition