---
title: "Act layer: definition and example | Agent MCP Directory"
description: "Act layer: The part of agent readiness about completing tasks: MCP servers, CLIs, APIs with OpenAPI, WebMCP and agent payments."
canonical: https://agentmcpdirectory.com/glossary/act-layer
site: "Agent MCP Directory"
last_updated: 2026-11-04
section: "Glossary"
---

# Act layer: definition and example | Agent MCP Directory

> Act layer: The part of agent readiness about completing tasks: MCP servers, CLIs, APIs with OpenAPI, WebMCP and agent payments.

Source: https://agentmcpdirectory.com/glossary/act-layer
Site: Agent MCP Directory
Last reviewed: 2026-11-04

# Act layer

Act layer: The part of agent readiness about completing tasks: MCP servers, CLIs, APIs with OpenAPI, WebMCP and agent payments. Example: AgentReady.org requires an MCP server or a CLI, at least one. Next in the glossary is Agent Card: The A2A JSON document describing an agent's skills, endpoints and auth, served at /.well-known/agent-card.json.

## Definition

The part of agent readiness about completing tasks: MCP servers, CLIs, APIs with OpenAPI, WebMCP and agent payments.

## Example, with source

AgentReady.org requires an MCP server or a CLI, at least one. ([ora.ai](https://ora.ai/blog/agentready-launch?view=full&utm_source=agentmcpdirectory.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=glossary), read 4 November 2026)

## Where it appears on this site

-   [MCP](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/standards/mcp/)
-   [WebMCP](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/standards/webmcp/)
-   [OpenAPI as an agent surface](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/standards/openapi-as-agent-surface/)
-   [CLIs as an agent surface](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/standards/cli-as-agent-surface/)

## Neighbouring terms

-   [Agent Card](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/glossary/agent-card/): The A2A JSON document describing an agent's skills, endpoints and auth, served at /.well-known/agent-card.json.
-   [Agent Skills](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/glossary/agent-skills/): A folder with a SKILL.md file of instructions and optional scripts that agents load on demand.

Edition

4 November 2026

Method

[How rows are verified](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/method/)

Data

[CSV and JSON](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/data/)

Markdown

[This page as markdown](https://agentmcpdirectory.com/glossary/act-layer/index.md)

## Sources

-   [Source for the Act layer example](https://ora.ai/blog/agentready-launch?view=full&utm_source=agentmcpdirectory.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=glossary), read 4 November 2026

Last reviewed 4 November 2026