A communication channel that lets agents send structured messages directly to each other without a human in the middle. Messages follow a defined format (REQUEST, INFORM, PROPOSAL, RESPONSE, CHALLENGE) so the receiving agent knows exactly what is being asked and how to respond.
Why it matters
If every agent-to-agent communication has to go through a human, the human becomes the bottleneck. A message bus lets agents coordinate at machine speed.
Related terms
A2A (Agent-to-Agent Protocol)
A protocol that lets AI agents talk directly to each other. If one agent needs help from another, A2A is the language they use ...
Agent Handoff
When one AI agent passes a task, a piece of context, or a decision to another agent. A good handoff includes everything the rec...
Escalation Over Autonomy
A design principle where agents flag and recommend rather than act unilaterally when outside their authority boundary. The defa...
Build with this on OTP
OTP encodes coordination intelligence so AI agent teams can run on it. If this term shows up in your team's playbook, it belongs in your OOS.
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