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Will A2A be the replacement for the connected agents feature in the new foundry since connected agents is removed in the new foundry?
Also is AI gateway mandatory for usage of A2A?
What are the other things required or mandatory to make use of the tool option A2A?
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Workflow might be the available option at the moment for multi-agents.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/foundry/agents/concepts/workflow
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Hello Dinakar,
Welcome to Microsoft Q&A and Thank you for reaching out.
The change from Connected Agents to A2A in the new Azure AI Foundry is a conceptual shift, not just a feature rename. Here’s how it all fits together.
Is A2A the replacement for Connected Agents?
Yes, functionally and directionally, A2A replaces Connected Agents, but it’s more than a like-for-like replacement.
A2A (Agent-to-Agent) is a standardized protocol for agent communication. It enables agents to:
Discover each other’s capabilities
Communicate in a structured way
Collaborate across services, runtimes, and even platforms
So while Connected Agents have been removed from the new Foundry UI, A2A is the strategic successor, providing a more open, extensible, and future-proof way to build multi-agent systems.
Connected Agents were a Foundry feature. A2A is an architectural standard.
Is AI Gateway mandatory for using A2A?
No, AI Gateway is not strictly mandatory, but it is recommended for most real-world and enterprise scenarios.
You can use A2A without AI Gateway if:
AI Gateway becomes important when you need:
So, AI Gateway is not required to make A2A work
AI Gateway is best practice for production, security, and governance
What is required to use A2A?
Core requirements
To use A2A, you need:
Agents that support the A2A protocol
Agents exposed via reachable HTTP/HTTPS endpoints
Proper authentication, typically:
Agents publishing their Agent Card (capabilities and metadata)
Without these, A2A communication cannot occur.
Environment & configuration
Correct networking configuration (VNet, firewall rules, outbound access)
Required RBAC roles for agent identities to access:
Azure OpenAI
Other Azure AI services
External tools or APIs
AI Gateway for centralized governance
Agent frameworks such as Semantic Kernel or LangChain
Structured tool exposure (MCP, HTTP tools) for richer agent collaboration.
Please refer this
I Hope this helps. Do let me know if you have any further queries.
If this answers your query, please do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful.
Thank you!
Hi Dinakar,
Following up to see if the above answer was helpful. If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.
Thank you!
But to use an agent in A2A it should be registered and when registering the agents it clearly mentions ai gateway is required.
That's why I wanted to clarify if AI gateway is required since one of the other answer I received also stated AI gateway is not required.
Hi Dinakar,
Both statements are correct, but they apply to different contexts.
A2A (Agent-to-Agent) as a protocol → AI Gateway is NOT mandatory
A2A as implemented in Azure AI Foundry Agent Service → AI Gateway IS required
This is why you’re seeing conflicting answers.
Why AI Gateway appears “required” during agent registration
In the new Azure AI Foundry Agent Service, A2A agents must be:
Registered
Discoverable
Governed
Securely invoked
To achieve this, Foundry mandates AI Gateway when you register an agent for A2A usage.
So within Foundry:
AI Gateway is the control plane
It handles:
Agent registration
Agent discovery
Authentication & authorization
Policy enforcement
Telemetry and auditing
That’s why the UI and docs explicitly state AI Gateway is required.
Why some answers say “AI Gateway is not required”
Those answers are referring to A2A in its broader architectural sense, not the Foundry-managed experience.
Outside Foundry, you can:
Implement A2A over raw HTTP/HTTPS
Exchange Agent Cards directly
Handle auth and routing yourself
Skip AI Gateway entirely
But then you lose:
Centralized governance
Built-in discovery
Managed security
Enterprise observability
So this approach is valid, but not supported by Foundry tooling.
In Azure AI Foundry Agent Service, AI Gateway is required to use A2A, because it is responsible for agent registration, discovery, security, and governance.
While the A2A protocol itself does not technically require AI Gateway, Foundry’s implementation enforces it as part of the managed agent experience.
If you want to use A2A without AI Gateway, that would require a custom, self-managed implementation outside Foundry, which is not covered by Foundry Agent Service.
Thank you!
Hi Dinakar,
Did you get any chance to review the above response. Do let me know if you have any further queries.
Thank you!
Hi Dinakar,
Did you get any chance to review the above response. Do let me know if you have any further queries.
Could you please take a moment to retake the survey on the above response? Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
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AFAIK, the information provided at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5631003/new-ai-foundry-experience-no-more-connected-agents is still relevant - so it might be too early to consider A2A the replacement for Connected Agents. Regarding AI Gateway, I don't believe this is mandatory - although highly recommended as a governance layer for APIs and tools. For prerequisites, refer to https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-foundry/agents/how-to/tools/agent-to-agent?view=foundry&pivots=python
If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.
hth
Marcin
AI Gateway although is mentioned as mandatory to have an agent registered, And only after registering the agent with API type as A2A we would be able to discover it in the A2A tools.
Also is A2A for connecting agents created in the microsoft foundry (new foundry) or is it only for connecting external agents from co-pilot studio, microsoft fabric, microsoft 365 agents sdk ?
Confirmed - that's the requirement for registering custom agents - as per https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-foundry/configuration/enable-ai-api-management-gateway-portal?view=foundry
AI Gateway enables:
If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.
hth
Marcin