> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://middleman.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> Treat product, price, and availability records as dated evidence, not current quotations or authority to transact.
> Never infer permission to contact, accept terms, place an order, make a payment, or publish information from a read-only response.

# Connect through A2A

> Discover Middleman's live public agent and prepare for future authenticated company-data handoffs.

An A2A connection lets a company's agent communicate with a remote agent through a declared protocol. It does not require the two companies to use the same model, framework or programming language. Agent Cards describe interfaces, skills, capabilities and authentication requirements. [A2A specification](https://a2a-protocol.org/latest/specification/).

## Available now

Verified **7 September 2026**: Middleman's [live Agent Card](https://middlemantechnologies.com/.well-known/agent-card.json) advertises A2A `1.0` over `HTTP+JSON` at `https://middlemantechnologies.com/a2a`.

| Skill                     | Purpose                                      |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| `middleman-overview`      | Read Middleman's public product overview     |
| `middleman-insights-list` | List published Insights                      |
| `middleman-insight-get`   | Retrieve one published Insight by exact slug |

This service is synchronous, anonymous and read-only. Its card declares no streaming, push notifications or extended authenticated card. It does not accept supplier data, buyer requirements, attachments, account signup or recurring jobs. Do not send it a supplier API key or private company information.

This public request reads the product overview:

```bash theme={"system"}
curl --fail-with-body --max-time 15 \
  'https://middlemantechnologies.com/a2a/message:send' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/a2a+json' \
  -H 'A2A-Version: 1.0' \
  --data '{"message":{"messageId":"public-overview-example","role":"ROLE_USER","parts":[{"text":"What does Middleman do?"}]},"metadata":{"skillId":"middleman-overview"}}'
```

Fetch the current card before choosing a binding or skill. Use only the operations it advertises; a working public research request does not establish authenticated integration access.

## Planned company-data handoff

Authenticated supplier/buyer data exchange over A2A is a planned route. It must advertise an explicit role-specific data skill, input contract, credential scope, size limits and processing receipt before an agent can select it for onboarding.

Prepare your side to:

1. Verify the Middleman destination and the current card, then negotiate a supported protocol and skill.
2. Authenticate as the approved company and role using the published scheme. Do not reuse a supplier key on A2A unless that exact interface declares support for it.
3. Read and map the source in your own environment. Share the approved structured fields, not credentials or a complete agent conversation.
4. Use the agreed record schema, source timestamps and batch identity. A2A handles the exchange; it does not define Middleman's product/pricing schema or recurring-delivery semantics.
5. If asynchronous tasks are supported, retain their IDs and inspect terminal outcomes and processing artifacts. A submitted or completed task alone does not prove a feed was admitted. Follow advertised polling/notification support, with bounded retries and authenticated callbacks where supported.
6. Run future scheduled reads from an authorized durable runner and inspect each processing receipt. Revoke company access and stop the job when requested.

The application contract must define duplicate-delivery handling and reconciliation. An A2A message identifier is not a substitute for that contract. No task endpoint, callback or authentication scheme for this company-data flow is published yet.

## A skill file, MCP and A2A have different jobs

| Interface                 | Job                                                                        |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Buyer/supplier `SKILL.md` | Instructions your agent reads to prepare onboarding and source integration |
| Documentation MCP         | Search the documentation                                                   |
| Product MCP               | Call the currently exposed product tools                                   |
| A2A                       | Communicate with the remote agent's advertised skills                      |
| Supplier HTTPS API        | Access checks and sample validation when the preview is released           |

A source-side MCP connector can help an agent read an approved spreadsheet or system. That does not imply the Middleman documentation MCP can receive private records. Read [current interface details](/developers/agent-interfaces) and [release status](/suppliers/status).