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Agent2Agent (A2A) Agent

2025.2.01+

The Agent2Agent (A2A) Agent allows Flowable to communicate with third-party AI agent platforms which use the Agent2Agent (A2A) Protocol.
It enables bidirectional conversations with external providers and supports persistent sessions, making it suitable for multistep interactions.

When to use the A2A Agent?

Use the A2A Agent when you want to integrate Flowable with third-party AI platforms that support the A2A protocol to delegate AI processing or dialogue outside the Flowable environment.

Key Features​

  • Supports long-running interactions with external agent platforms
  • Can be invoked through:
    • REST API (Enable API endpoint needs to be checked and the user needs to be in a group listed in Accessible for user groups)
    • AI Agent Task in BPMN or CMMN
  • Uses asynchronous execution for long-running operations
  • Transforms into a User / Human Task if additional input is required by the external agent
  • Multiple operations per agent definition
  • Customizable user messages for each operation
  • Authentication tokens can be managed through Flowable Control

Configuration​

To use an A2A agent, you will need:

  • The base URL of the A2A agent
  • The transport to use JSON RPC or HTTP+JSON
  • Authentication details (optional)

Operations​

A2A Agents support multiple operations.
Each operation defines:

  • The input sent to the external agent
  • The expected output schema
  • A user message included in the invocation

Operations can be tested in Flowable Design.

Authentication​

The following authentication mechanisms are supported:

  • Bearer token
  • Basic authentication
  • X-Api-Key
  • Custom Header

You can securely store API keys, OAuth tokens, or other secrets as part of your environment setup.

To configure authentication:

  1. Navigate to Platform > Secrets or Platform > OAuth clients in Flowable Control.
  2. Add a new secret or OAuth client and reference it in your agent model configuration.

OAuth secret configuration in Flowable Control

These secrets can be referenced in the A2A Agent model for secure and reusable access.

Summary​

  • The A2A Agent integrates Flowable with applications that use the Agent2Agent (A2A) Protocol
  • Conversations can span multiple messages with session awareness
  • Authentication is managed securely via Flowable Control