ACP Directory

ACP is an open standard co-developed by OpenAI and Stripe that lets AI agents, buyers, and merchants complete purchases directly inside chat interfaces. It defines how to create, update, and confirm a checkout via structured messages — powering "Instant Checkout" in ChatGPT and other AI tools.

Merchants stay the merchant of record, set their own prices and taxes, and handle payments and fulfillment through their existing systems.

Instead of redirecting users to a webpage, ACP uses signed JSON messages to create and confirm orders directly in chat. The merchant backend still controls pricing, inventory, and risk checks — but the buyer never leaves the chat window.

Any AI platform, merchant, or payment provider can implement it.

• AI agents use ACP to initiate and complete purchases.
• Merchants add ACP endpoints to their stores.
• Payment providers issue the secure delegated tokens used for payment capture.

• ChatGPT (OpenAI) – Instant Checkout launched in the U.S. for Etsy sellers and soon over 1 million Shopify merchants.
• Shopify – Integration in progress.
• Etsy – First marketplace pilot.
• Salesforce Agentforce – Official integration announced with Stripe.
• Flowio / Clover Dynamics – Building ACP connectors for brands.

ACP is payment-processor agnostic. Initial implementations include:

• Stripe (Shared Payment Token API)
• Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link by Stripe
• Visa Trusted Agent and Mastercard Agent Pay (token-based frameworks)
• Upcoming: PayPal, Adyen, and others via Google's AP2 standard.

No. Stripe built the first reference implementation, but ACP works with any provider that supports delegated payment tokens. Merchants can continue using existing processors or PSPs by adopting the Delegated Payments Spec.

All major cards and digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link by Stripe). Additional wallets and regional methods are planned as more PSPs adopt ACP.

Yes. Payments use delegated, scoped tokens (e.g., Stripe SPT) that are:

• Encrypted and limited to a specific merchant + amount.
• Reusable only within defined parameters.
• Verified by HMAC-signed requests over HTTPS.

Users explicitly confirm each step before any transaction.

Always the merchant selling the goods — not OpenAI or Stripe. Your business name appears on the buyer's statement, and you handle refunds, chargebacks, and returns.

Merchants process refunds or chargebacks through their payment provider and send updates to ChatGPT (or other agents) via the ORDER_UPDATE webhook.

Currently one shipping address per checkout. Multi-shipment support is planned for a future version of the spec.

You provide a product feed (CSV, TSV, JSON, or XML) containing:

• ID, title, description, price, inventory, shipping options
• Flags such as enable_search and enable_checkout

Feeds should update every 15 minutes to ensure accurate prices and stock.

Listings are organic, not ads. Rank factors include:

• Availability and price
• Product quality and seller trust
• Whether Instant Checkout is enabled
• Whether the seller is the primary merchant

Yes — merchants pay a small per-transaction fee on completed purchases. Consumers pay no extra cost.

At launch, ACP in ChatGPT supports single-item checkouts. The protocol itself supports multi-item carts, subscriptions, and digital goods, which are expected to roll out gradually.

Currently available to U.S. ChatGPT users purchasing from U.S. Etsy sellers. Global rollout (Shopify, Salesforce, others) is planned for late 2025 – 2026.

1. Generate a product feed.
2. Implement ACP endpoints: create, update, complete, cancel.
3. Secure with HMAC + HTTPS.
4. Support delegated payment tokens (Stripe SPT or compatible).
5. Apply via the ChatGPT merchant onboarding portal.

A programmable token issued by a payment provider (like Stripe) representing a limited authorization to charge up to a specific amount. It replaces raw card data, reducing PCI scope and improving security.

They are complementary, not competing; all advance trusted AI-driven commerce.

Merchants do. ACP simply transmits the order and confirmation between the buyer and seller; fulfillment, taxes, and post-purchase support remain under the merchant's control.

Platforms

• ChatGPT (OpenAI)
• Etsy Marketplace
• Shopify Stores (in rollout)
• Salesforce Agentforce
• Flowio / Clover Dynamics integrators

Payment Providers

• Stripe (Shared Payment Token API)
• Apple Pay / Google Pay / Link
• Visa Trusted Agent Protocol
• Mastercard Agent Pay
• Adyen and PayPal (via AP2 support)

ACP is the backbone of agentic commerce — allowing secure, AI-mediated shopping that keeps the merchant in control while simplifying the buyer's experience. As the ecosystem expands (Shopify, Salesforce, Visa, Mastercard, Adyen), ACP will unify how agents, payment systems, and merchants transact online.