Products & tools· 1 min read
Sierra and Meta propose an open protocol for personal AI agents
The Personal Agent Protocol aims to let people's AI agents sign in to businesses safely, with users choosing what their agent is allowed to do.
On October 6, 2026, the AI company Sierra, working with Meta, announced the Personal Agent Protocol (PAP), a proposed open standard for how a person's AI agent deals with businesses.
The idea
- You stay in control: you decide what your agent may access, and businesses decide what agents may do on their side.
- Reading vs. acting: the protocol separates looking at information (like an order status) from taking actions (like changing a booking).
- Built on OAuth: it reuses OAuth, the technology behind many “Sign in with…” buttons.
Sierra said it planned to publish a first version of the specification, v0.1, later in October, followed by workshops and a reference implementation.
Why it matters
As more people use agents to shop, book and manage accounts, businesses need a safe way to know which agent is acting and for whom. Other companies are pushing competing protocols, so it is too early to know which one will win. Learn the basics in What makes an AI agent.
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