ACP Development Patterns

Before writing code

Fetch live docs:

• Checkout spec: Fetch https://developers.openai.com/commerce/specs/checkout/ for error codes and idempotency rules
• Production guide: Fetch https://developers.openai.com/commerce/guides/production/ for operational requirements
• Stripe integration: Web-search site:docs.stripe.com agentic-commerce for PSP-side patterns
• Changelog: Web-search site:github.com agentic-commerce-protocol CHANGELOG for latest changes

Pattern: Idempotency

Every POST request MUST include Idempotency-Key (UUID v4, max 255 chars).

Server-side implementation:

• Store key → response mapping for minimum 24 hours
• Same key + identical body = replay original response, add Idempotent-Replayed: true header
• Same key + different body = 422 idempotency_conflict
• Key in flight = 409 idempotency_in_flight with Retry-After header
• 5xx responses are NOT cached — retries treated as fresh requests

Client-side implementation:

• Generate UUID v4 for each logical operation
• Reuse the same key when retrying a failed request
• Generate a new key for a genuinely new operation
• Handle 409 by waiting per Retry-After then retrying

Pattern: Error Handling

ACP uses a flat error structure:

{type, code, message, param}

• type: invalid_request | processing_error | service_unavailable
• code: Well-known identifier (e.g., idempotency_conflict, invalid_card, rate_limit_exceeded)
• message: Human-readable description
• param: JSONPath (RFC 9535) to the offending field

Retry strategy:

• 429 rate_limit_exceeded — Exponential backoff with jitter
• 409 idempotency_in_flight — Wait per Retry-After header
• 5xx — Retry with same idempotency key, exponential backoff
• 4xx (except 429) — Do not retry, fix the request

Pattern: 3D Secure Authentication

When complete returns authentication_required:

1. Extract 3DS challenge from the response
2. Present challenge to the buyer (redirect or modal)
3. Buyer completes authentication
4. Call complete again with authentication_result:
   • three_ds_cryptogram
   • electronic_commerce_indicator
   • transaction_id
   • version
5. Merchant processes the authenticated payment

Handle authentication timeouts and failures gracefully.

Pattern: Request Signing

For request integrity verification:

• Signature header: Base64-encoded signature over canonical JSON body
• Timestamp header: RFC 3339 for freshness validation
• Algorithm: HMAC (Base64-encoded HMAC signature over canonical JSON body)
• Verification: Reconstruct canonical JSON, verify signature, check timestamp within clock-skew window

Pattern: Webhook Delivery

Merchant → Agent webhook best practices:

• Sign EVERY event with HMAC-SHA256
• Include event ID for consumer-side deduplication
• Implement exponential backoff for failed deliveries
• Set reasonable timeouts (5-30 seconds)
• Log delivery attempts and responses
• Queue events if the webhook endpoint is down
• Verify the receiving endpoint uses HTTPS

Pattern: API Versioning

• Always send API-Version: YYYY-MM-DD header
• Pin to a specific version in your code
• Test against new versions before upgrading
• Handle version-specific response shape differences
• Log the version used for debugging

Pattern: Rate Limiting

• Implement server-side rate limiting per API key
• Return 429 with Retry-After header when exceeded
• Client-side: Honor Retry-After, add jitter to prevent thundering herd
• Monitor rate limit proximity and alert before hitting limits

Pattern: Monetary Amount Safety

• ALL amounts as integers in minor currency units
• $19.99 = 1999 (cents)
• Never use floating-point for money
• Validate on input and output
• Use language-specific money libraries (e.g., decimal in Python, BigInt in JS)

Pattern: Monitoring & Observability

• Log every checkout operation with session ID and status
• Track conversion funnel: create → update → complete → order
• Alert on error rate spikes (especially 5xx)
• Monitor idempotency key reuse patterns
• Track payment success/failure rates
• Dashboard SPT provisioning and consumption
• Monitor webhook delivery success rates

Pattern: Security Checklist

• TLS 1.2+ on all endpoints
• Bearer token rotation strategy
• No PCI data in logs (redact card numbers, CVCs)
• IP allowlisting for agent platform connections
• Request signing for integrity verification
• HMAC verification on all incoming webhooks
• Rate limiting to prevent abuse
• Input validation on all fields
• CORS configuration (if browser-facing)

Fetch the latest spec and production guide for current error codes, header requirements, and security recommendations before implementing.