ucp protocol

The UCP protocol, or Universal Commerce Protocol, is a framework introduced by Shopify to maintain its checkout, payments, fulfillment, and merchant logic as central to transactions even as AI assistants handle discovery and cart-building. Discussions on WindowsForum.com cover how UCP enables agentic storefronts and integrates with large language models, ensuring that LLMs do not bypass Shopify's checkout. The protocol is part of a broader strategy to keep Shopify at the center of commerce as AI-driven conversational interfaces become more common. Topics include the technical architecture of UCP, its role in agentic commerce, and implications for merchants and developers building AI-powered shopping experiences.