microsoft / microsoft/multi-agent-reference-architecture

Agents communication - Data exchange protocols

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Dominant language
Python
Stars
235
Forks
63
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

Implement documentation for Data Exchange Protocols used in agent communication. This section should describe the methods, formats, and standards used for structuring and transferring data between agents in a reliable and interoperable way.

It should cover both serialization formats and protocol-level considerations, with an emphasis on interoperability, performance, and schema evolution in multi-agent environments.

Content Suggestion

  • Introduce the concept of data exchange protocols and why they matter in agent-based systems.
  • Cover common formats such as JSON, Protobuf, Avro, and NDJSON, highlighting trade-offs.
  • Discuss how schemas and contracts are maintained and evolved across agents.
  • Mention considerations for semantic compatibility (e.g., OpenAPI, JSON Schema, or custom contracts).
  • Provide examples of how agents exchange structured data in real use cases.
  • Optional: Table comparing formats (e.g., human-readable, performance, schema enforcement).
  • Ensure alignment with other communication pattern sections (Request-driven, Event-driven).

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reading the existing Request-driven and Event-driven communication pattern sections to align structure and terminology. Draft the Data Exchange Protocols section covering JSON, Protobuf, Avro, and NDJSON, schema evolution, semantic compatibility, and agent examples; done means the documentation addresses the listed content suggestions and fits the surrounding sections.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
json, openapi
Domain
distributed-systems, documentation
Issue type
Documentation
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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