Platform Integration Guide
8.1 The Role of Platforms
In the UCP architecture, a platform hosts UCP capabilities on behalf of merchants. Platform responsibilities include:- Deploying and maintaining the
/.well-known/ucpProfile on behalf of each merchant - Implementing the capability negotiation algorithm to automatically negotiate with AI agents
- Managing merchant signing keys and OAuth configurations
- Handling platform-side logic in the payment token exchange
8.2 Implementing the Capability Negotiation Algorithm
When an AI agent connects to a platform for the first time, both parties must perform capability negotiation. Platforms must implement this four-step algorithm:Step 1: Compute the Intersection
Identify capabilities that appear in both the AI agent’s and the platform’s Profile:Step 2: Select Versions
For each shared capability, select the highest version supported by both parties (using date-based comparison):Step 3: Prune Orphaned Extensions
Remove extensions that depend on capabilities not present in the intersection:Step 4: Repeat Pruning Until Stable
8.3 Namespace Management
Platforms can register their own vendor namespaces (com.vendor.*) alongside the standard UCP namespaces (dev.ucp.*) to offer proprietary capabilities:
dev.ucp.*: Only the official UCP organization (https://ucp.dev/) may register and manage thesecom.shopify.*: Only Shopify may register and manage these- If an AI agent does not recognize a vendor namespace, it is automatically skipped during negotiation
8.4 Shopify
Shopify is one of UCP’s six co-developers and is expected to offer native UCP support. Existing UCP-compatible foundations:- Storefront API already supports JSON product queries and cart management
- Checkout API supports programmatic checkout
- Customer Access Token mechanism closely resembles OAuth
- Agentic Storefronts feature is a precursor to UCP
- Ensure product data is complete (title, description, price, inventory, images, SKU)
- Enable the Storefront API
- Deploy a
/.well-known/ucpProfile (via a Shopify App or custom proxy) - Wait for Shopify’s official UCP plugin for one-click enablement
8.5 WooCommerce
WooCommerce’s REST API already provides much of the data capability UCP requires: Already available:GET /wp-json/wc/v3/products— Product listingGET /wp-json/wc/v3/products/{id}— Product detailsGET /wp-json/wc/v3/orders/{id}— Order lookup
- Cloudflare Worker: Lightweight, global edge deployment, low latency
- Standalone Node.js service: Full control, suitable for complex logic
- WordPress plugin: Deep integration with WooCommerce
8.6 Custom-Built Stores
Custom-built stores have maximum flexibility and can implement all UCP endpoints directly:- Deploy the
/.well-known/ucpProfile (refer to Section 7.2) - Implement the product catalog API (REST and/or MCP transport)
- Implement the checkout state machine (6 states, 5 operations)
- Generate ES256 signing keys and configure Webhooks
- Implement OAuth 2.0 and order management as needed
8.7 Platform Comparison
| Platform | Integration Path | Estimated Effort | Key Dependency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Wait for official plugin or build a proxy | 0.5-1 day (proxy) | Storefront API |
| WooCommerce | Adapter layer (CF Worker recommended) | 2-3 days | WC REST API v3 |
| Custom-built | Full implementation | 5-8 days (all capabilities) | Own database and payment system |
| Magento | Adapter layer | 3-4 days | Magento REST API |
| BigCommerce | Adapter layer | 2-3 days | BC API v3 |
8.8 Multi-Merchant Hosting
When a platform hosts UCP for multiple merchants, several considerations apply: Profile routing: Each merchant should have its own subdomain or path prefixNext chapter: Testing and Validation — Profile validation, checkout flow testing, and security compliance checks