Integrating Agentic Web Standards in Multi-Agent Systems Using Hypermedia
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2026-05-25
Author(s)
Abstract
The development of language agents is leading to the creation of new standards for multi-agent systems. Many such standards, including the Model Context Protocol (MCP), the Agent2Agent (A2A) Protocol, and the Universal Tool Calling Protocol (UTCP), enable agents to interact with Web-based systems, resulting in the creation of an Agentic Web. Hypermedia is a core feature of the Web that enables users to discover information at run time, and has been used to allow agents to interact with Web services and physical devices in open Web environments through hypermedia standards, such as the Web of Things (WoT) Thing Description. However, MCP and A2A do not natively define hypermedia controls, which introduces coupling between agents and their environments, limiting their independent evolution in open environments.
Building on prior work about hypermedia multi-agent systems, we develop a uniform hypermedia interface applicable to different Agentic Web standards. This interface enables agents to discover and interact with entities of different types. This interface relies on signifiers, which are hypermedia descriptions of affordances. We provide automatic generation of signifiers for MCP tools, A2A agents, UTCP tools, and WoT Things. We propose a natural language based selection method for such signifiers so that agents perceive only contextually relevant signifiers. We expose each signifier perceived by an agent as an MCP tool that performs the action described by the signifier. Finally, we demonstrate and evaluate these concepts in a robotic lab environment.
Building on prior work about hypermedia multi-agent systems, we develop a uniform hypermedia interface applicable to different Agentic Web standards. This interface enables agents to discover and interact with entities of different types. This interface relies on signifiers, which are hypermedia descriptions of affordances. We provide automatic generation of signifiers for MCP tools, A2A agents, UTCP tools, and WoT Things. We propose a natural language based selection method for such signifiers so that agents perceive only contextually relevant signifiers. We expose each signifier perceived by an agent as an MCP tool that performs the action described by the signifier. Finally, we demonstrate and evaluate these concepts in a robotic lab environment.
Language
English
Keywords
Hypermedia Multi-Agent Systems
Agentic Web
Signifiers
Web of Things
Model Context Protocol
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Event Title
Engineering Multi-Agent Systems 2026
Event Location
Paphos Cyprus
Event Date
25-26 May 2026
Subject(s)
Division(s)