Open Context Protocol (OCP)

Open Context Protocol (OCP) is an open standard that automatically transforms APIs into intelligent agent tools through HTTP headers and OpenAPI specifications, enabling seamless tool discovery and context-aware interactions without requiring API modifications.

Open standard for tranforming APis into agent tooling.

Open Context Protocol (OCP) is a web-native standard designed specifically for transforming existing web APIs into intelligent agent tools without requiring infrastructure changes or new servers. Unlike approaches that treat web APIs like desktop applications, OCP embraces the web’s existing architecture—using OpenAPI specifications for automatic tool discovery and HTTP headers for maintaining conversational context across requests. APIs work with agents immediately in their current form, with optional enhancements available for those that want deeper agent integration.

OCP is a complete, production-ready ecosystem that includes a formal specification, a public registry of indexed APIs, client libraries, a VS Code extension, and OpenAPI schema extensions. It operates on a compatibility model where existing APIs function as agent tools out of the box (Level 1), while APIs can optionally implement context-aware features for richer interactions (Level 2). Positioned as complementary rather than competitive to desktop-focused solutions like MCP, OCP provides the thin, standards-based layer that web APIs need to participate in agent workflows without abandoning the HTTP, REST, and OpenAPI foundations that already power the modern web.

License: MIT License

Tags: Tools, APIs, Discovery

Website: https://opencontextprotocol.io/ GitHub: https://github.com/opencontextprotocol


Last modified January 5, 2026: add new protocol (89446c616)