Agent Communication Languages

Agent Communication Languages

Designing agent communication languages and protocols — from FIPA ACL through structured messaging, ontologies, and protocol negotiation.

When to Use

• Designing how agents communicate in multi-agent systems
• Defining message schemas and interaction protocols
• Implementing agent conversation policies
• Creating agent negotiation protocols

Communication Framework

class AgentMessage:
    """FIPA ACL-style agent message."""
    def __init__(self, sender: str, receiver: str, performative: str,
                 content: dict, ontology: str = ''):
        self.sender = sender
        self.receiver = receiver
        self.performative = performative
        self.content = content
        self.conversation_id = str(uuid.uuid4())
        self.timestamp = datetime.now().isoformat()

PERFORMATIVES = ['inform', 'query', 'request', 'propose', 'accept', 'reject', 'cfp']

Common Pitfalls

1. Over-complex schemas — 50-field messages obscure intent; keep it simple
2. No ontology — agents using different terms for the same concept
3. Synchronous only — design async by default; don't block on responses
4. No conversation state — multi-turn interactions need context tracking

Verification Checklist

• Message schema defined (sender, receiver, performative, content)
• Core performatives defined
• Conversation IDs for multi-turn interactions
• Async communication support
• Ontology documented (shared vocabulary)
• Timeout handling for unanswered messages