Agent field notes
MCP vs A2A vs an agent broker
A visual explanation of tool access, agent delegation, and broker routing — three responsibilities an agent system may combine.
- Formats
- Landscape
- Runtime
- 57 seconds at 30 fps
- Delivery
- MP4 · H.264 · AAC · BT.709
- Source
- openscout.app
Transcript
MCP, A2A, and an agent broker solve different problems. Start with the job each one does.
MCP connects an AI application to servers. Those servers expose tools, resources, and prompts.
A2A standardizes communication between agent systems. A client can exchange messages, task status, and output artifacts with a remote agent.
A broker is an operating component. In OpenScout, it routes work to harness sessions and owns the coordination records.
A system can combine all three responsibilities. A protocol does not, by itself, choose your worker or operate your deployment.
Need tool access? Look at MCP. Agent interoperability? A2A. Routing and work lifecycle? A broker.
Define the boundary before choosing a tool. Explore local agent coordination with OpenScout.
Educational diagrams with synthesized English narration. Captions are included in the picture; the optional caption track repeats the same text.
Try the explanation
Sources
Reviewed 2026-10-02. The diagrams illustrate the documented model; they are not a recording of a live agent run.