Meta and Sierra announce Personal Agent Protocol, an open standard for AI shopping agents
On 6 October 2026, Sierra and Meta announced Personal Agent Protocol, an open standard that defines how personal AI agents interact with businesses. Genesys, Instinct, Rocket, Shopify, Stripe and Walmart are working on it. Customers choose what access their agent gets, and companies decide what it can do. Sierra plans to publish a first draft, v0.1, later this month.
The short version
- 01Sierra and Meta announced Personal Agent Protocol on 6 October 2026.
- 02It is an open standard for how personal AI agents sign in and work with businesses.
- 03Customers choose read-only or write access; companies set what agents can do.
- 04The first draft, v0.1, is planned for later in October. It is not final.
At a glance
| Name | Personal Agent Protocol |
|---|---|
| Announced | 6 October 2026 |
| Led by | Sierra and Meta |
| Partners | Genesys, Instinct, Rocket, Shopify, Stripe, Walmart |
| Built on | OAuth, an existing sign-in standard |
| First draft | v0.1, planned for later in October 2026 |
| Status | Confirmed |
What is Personal Agent Protocol?
Personal Agent Protocol is an open standard that Meta and Sierra are developing with industry partners. It defines how a personal AI agent, the kind that books flights or shops for you, deals with a business. Sierra says it is open for anyone to implement.
Why do AI agents need a standard?
Sierra says most personal agents use websites and apps the way people do, loading pages and clicking through forms. When that fails, they may call a support line or open a web chat. That can be slow, and the agent may not finish the task.
A direct, agreed connection could do the same job securely in seconds, Sierra says.
How does Personal Agent Protocol work?
An agent first finds what the company offers on its website, then starts a session for its user. It can begin as a guest, for example to check stock or a returns policy. When the task needs your account, you sign in. You decide whether the agent gets read-only or write access.
The session is built on OAuth, an established standard for giving apps access. It carries across channels, so a question before sign-in and a change to an order afterwards count as one visit. The company chooses whether the agent works through its website, its APIs or an agent of its own.
Who is involved?
Sierra and Meta are developing it with Genesys, Instinct, Rocket, Shopify, Stripe and Walmart. Sierra says it welcomes all partners.
When customers send an agent, they expect the same service they'd get themselves.
Kevin Miller, Head of Payments, Stripe
Is Personal Agent Protocol ready to use?
No. Sierra says it plans to publish the v0.1 specification later this month, host design workshops and publish a reference implementation. Ideas it lists for later include finer permissions, push notifications and payments that do not share card details.
Why does it matter?
If AI agents will shop, book and fix orders for people, businesses need to know who an agent represents and what it may do. A shared standard could make that safer. It only helps if many companies and agent makers adopt it.
What's next?
Watch for the v0.1 specification, due later in October 2026, and for more companies joining.
Questions people ask
What is Personal Agent Protocol?
An open standard being developed by Sierra and Meta with partners, defining how personal AI agents work with businesses.
Who announced it?
Sierra and Meta, on 6 October 2026, with Genesys, Instinct, Rocket, Shopify, Stripe and Walmart.
Can I use it now?
Not yet. Sierra plans to publish the first draft, v0.1, later this month.
Who controls what the agent can do?
You choose read-only or write access, and the company decides what agents can do through its website, APIs or agent.
Sources
Why "Confirmed"? We label a story "Confirmed" when the company or government announced it itself. Spotted an error? Email hello@openloopnews.com and we will correct it.
