A2A Directory serves as an MCP-compatible server that facilitates agent-to-agent coordination and directory-like interactions within the A2A ecosystem. The server is designed to register and expose directory-related capabilities so agents can discover and communicate with each other through standardized HTTP/JSON-RPC channels. Typical usage revolves around starting the server and then leveraging the included tools to query available agents, register new agents, and perform cross-agent tasks via the A2A protocol. If you’re building or testing agents, you’ll want to interact with the server’s endpoints to discover agents, fetch capability descriptors, and initiate tool-assisted tasks as defined by the A2A specification. The project emphasizes interoperability, security, and async task handling, which means you can chain long-running operations and stream results as needed while maintaining privacy boundaries between agents.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js (v18+ recommended) and npm/yarn installed
• Git to clone the repository

Step-by-step installation:

1. Clone the repository git clone https://github.com/google-a2a/a2a-directory.git cd a2a-directory

2. Install dependencies npm install

   or

   yarn install

3. Configure environment (optional but recommended)

   • Create a .env file or export variables as needed. Example: export NODE_ENV=production export A2A_PORT=8080 export A2A_HOST=0.0.0.0

4. Start the MCP server npm run start

   or if using a direct node script

   node server.js

5. Verify the server is running curl http://localhost:8080/health

6. Optional: run with a process manager (e.g., pm2) pm2 start server.js --name a2a-directory

Notes:

• Ensure proper network access if exposing the MCP server beyond localhost (firewalls, TLS termination, and authentication may be required).
• Review A2A protocol compatibility when integrating with other agents or services to ensure JSON-RPC handlers and endpoints align with the standard.
• If you customize environment variables, document them in a README or .env.example for future contributors.
• Check logs for initialization messages and verify that the server registers correctly with any central registries or discovery services you rely on.
• Common issues include port conflicts, missing dependencies, or misconfigured environment variables; verify the startup script path and ensure Node.js version compatibility.