UCP

Pending

Universal Commerce Protocol — Google + Shopify

Overview

UCP (Universal Commerce Protocol) is a joint initiative by Google and Shopify to create a standardized commerce layer for AI agents. It defines how agents discover products, compare prices, negotiate terms, and complete purchases across any merchant — essentially building a universal checkout for the AI economy.

How It Works

UCP defines three phases of an agent commerce transaction: Discovery (the agent queries a UCP-compatible catalog for products/services matching criteria), Negotiation (the agent and merchant exchange offers, counteroffers, and terms using structured UCP messages), and Settlement (the agent commits to a purchase and the payment is processed through the merchant's payment provider).

For AI tool monetization, the "product" is a tool invocation. The agent discovers available tools via UCP catalogs, checks pricing and terms, and initiates a purchase (invocation) using the UCP settlement flow. This creates a catalog-native experience where agents can shop for the best tool at the best price.

UCP supports dynamic pricing, bulk discounts, and subscription models — giving developers more flexibility than simple per-call billing.

How SettleGrid Integrates

SettleGrid exposes your tool as a UCP-compatible service. When a UCP agent discovers your tool in the catalog, SettleGrid returns your pricing, terms, and availability. When the agent initiates a purchase, SettleGrid detects the UCP session and meters the invocation. UCP is a detection-only adapter today — live settlement is dark-gated and in development. Developers get UCP catalog visibility without building any UCP-specific infrastructure.

Key Specs

Protocol	UCP — Universal Commerce Protocol
Backer	Google + Shopify
Detection Header	X-UCP-Session / Authorization: UCP <session>
Identity Type	ucp-session
Payment Type	ucp-settlement
Status	Pending

Code Example

Here is how a developer's tool works with UCP via SettleGrid:

ucp-example.tstypescript

import { settlegrid } from '@settlegrid/mcp'

const sg = settlegrid.init({
  toolSlug: 'product-research',
  pricing: {
    defaultCostCents: 8,
    methods: {
      'search': { costCents: 3 },
      'compare': { costCents: 8 },
      'deep-analysis': { costCents: 20 },
    },
  },
  // UCP sessions are managed automatically
})

const compare = sg.wrap(async (args: { products: string[] }) => {
  const comparison = await compareProducts(args.products)
  return { content: [{ type: 'text', text: JSON.stringify(comparison) }] }
}, { method: 'compare' })

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UCP