# Pilot Protocol

> Source: https://agentsindex.ai/pilotprotocol

Direct peer-to-peer networking for AI agents with trust handshakes.

Starting price

Free

- MCP server Not stated
- API Yes
- Open source Yes
- Self-host Yes

- GitHub stars: 147

[Pricing](https://pilotprotocol.network/plans) [GitHub](https://github.com/pilot-protocol/pilotprotocol)

What we checked

- Pages last read: 30 July 2026
- AI answers: Not named in any of 62 Buyer questions, our November check

[How we check](https://agentsindex.ai/methodology) [Editorial policy](https://agentsindex.ai/editorial-policy#not-for-sale)

[Visit Pilot Protocol](https://agentsindex.ai/go/pilotprotocol) [Compare](https://agentsindex.ai/compare?cat=agent-tools-and-integrations&products=pilotprotocol)

## At a glance

- Category: [Agent tools and integrations](https://agentsindex.ai/categories/agent-tools-and-integrations)
- Tags: Freemium, Open source, Self-hosted

### Code

- Last push: 8 October 2026

### For developers

- Works with: MCP, x402, PostgreSQL, DuckDB, Docker, Primitive and 21 more

## What is Pilot Protocol?

Pilot Protocol is a network overlay for AI agent developers that lets agents connect peer to peer with permanent addresses, NAT traversal, and handshake-based trust. It adds tool discovery, an app store of sha256-pinned native services, and one-command skills for messaging, file transfer, and swarm coordination. It works with Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, and Codex. Plans run Backbone free, Private Network custom, and Enterprise custom.

## What does Pilot Protocol do?

Pilot Protocol moves agent traffic over a direct, encrypted network overlay instead of routing everything through a central gateway. It gives agents permanent addresses, NAT traversal, trust handshakes, and discovery so they can connect peer to peer, publish or consume services, and reach MCP servers across machines and clouds.

The app store adds sha256-pinned, signature-verified native services that the daemon can auto-spawn, while skills package common actions like messaging, file transfer, and swarm coordination into one-command installs. At scale, the network reports ~219,000 agents online, ~252,000 total agents on the network, and 41,200 req / sec, with a direct tunnel adding about 34ms and a 34-byte packet header.

The docs say setup can take under 5 minutes, and the site shows Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, and Codex among the agents using it. Pilot also supports a public backbone plus managed private and enterprise deployments, with the protocol published as an IETF Internet-Draft.

## Why use Pilot Protocol?

- Direct peer-to-peer routing removes the gateway and broker layer, so agents talk with lower overhead and fewer moving parts.
- Handshake-level trust means rejected peers never see data, which keeps access control at the network boundary.
- The backbone is open source and AGPL-3.0, so teams can start on the public network without a signup wall.
- Managed private networks and enterprise deployments let organizations isolate address space without building the network themselves.
- The app store and skills system turn network capabilities into installable, one-command tools instead of custom glue code.
- The protocol is published as an IETF Internet-Draft, giving buyers a clearer wire-format specification than a closed overlay.

## Who is Pilot Protocol for?

- AI agent developers who need peer-to-peer connectivity without a central broker.
- Platform teams who want to expose internal tools to agents across machines and clouds.
- MCP server operators who need remote access with handshake-based trust.
- Automation teams who want installable agent skills and native services.
- Infrastructure teams who need isolated agent networks with scoped discovery.

## What are Pilot Protocol's key features?

### Direct P2P

Connect agents directly over MCP with a zero-hop data path, using X25519 key exchange and AES-256-GCM encryption to reduce latency and avoid relay dependence.

### Trust & Handshakes

Enforce trust at the connection handshake so rejected peers never see data, with token-gated joins, invite-only access, and JWT validation via JWKS caching.

### Networks

Create public or private agent networks with scoped discovery, managed rendezvous, and isolated address spaces for teams, swarms, and organizations.

### Tool discovery

Browse and publish agent skills through a public registry and beacon, helping teams find live capabilities across 156 skills and 851 paid APIs.

### Compatibility

Work across common agent clients like Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, and Codex, while supporting MCP-based connections and one REST API where exposed.

### Integration

Bridge data and workflows with named integrations such as PostgreSQL, DuckDB, Docker, MySQL, Redis, SQLite, and pilotctl for operational control.

### Webhooks

Send event updates through webhooks with retry and dead-letter queue handling, so downstream systems stay synchronized even when delivery fails temporarily.

### Diagnostics

Inspect network behavior with audit export formats like Splunk HEC, CEF/Syslog, and JSON, plus network policies for membership caps and port whitelists.

## What are Pilot Protocol's use cases?

### Agent developers connect peers

AI agent developers use Pilot Protocol to link agents directly without a central broker, using Direct P2P and Trust & Handshakes to keep connections private and verified. They can move from local testing to live coordination while preserving a zero-hop data path.

### Platform teams expose internal tools

Platform teams use Pilot Protocol to expose internal services to agents across machines and clouds, using Networks and Tool discovery to scope what each agent can see. That makes it easier to route requests to the right tool without opening up the whole environment.

### MCP operators enable remote access

MCP server operators use Pilot Protocol to let remote agents reach their servers with handshake-based trust, combining Remote MCP servers and Trust & Handshakes for safer access. They can support Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, and Codex without adding a central relay.

### Automation teams ship skills

Automation teams use Pilot Protocol to publish installable agent skills and native services, relying on Skills and Compatibility to make them usable across different agent setups. That helps them roll out reusable automations instead of one-off scripts.

## How does Pilot Protocol work?

1. Install the one binary or start the daemon, then connect your first agent to the network using the Getting started flow and the CLI Reference.
2. Choose a public Backbone or a Private Network, then define the address space in Networks so discovery stays scoped to the right agents.
3. Trust the first peer with Trust & Handshakes, then dial remote MCP servers or service agents once the connection is verified.
4. Browse skills in the App Store or Tool discovery view, then install compatible setups and integrations like MCP, Docker, PostgreSQL, or Redis.
5. Use Webhooks, Messaging, and Diagnostics to monitor activity, automate responses, and troubleshoot connections as your fleet grows.

Our take

Check whether you need the public Backbone or a managed Private Network before rollout. The jump to Enterprise matters if you need RBAC, identity providers, directory sync, audit export, or declarative provisioning.

## How much does Pilot Protocol cost?

Prices excluding tax, as Pilot Protocol publishes them.

- Backbone · Free
  - Open to all agents · AGPL-3.0
  - Full protocol features on the public backbone. No signup, no usage limits, no throttling.
  - Addressing, tunnels, encryption, trust
  - NAT traversal (STUN + hole-punch + relay)
  - Public registry + beacon
  - Unlimited agents, connections, bandwidth
  - AGPL-3.0 open source
  - Community support
- Private Network · Custom
  - Managed, single-tenant address space
  - Everything in Backbone
  - Isolated private address space
  - Token-gated & invite-only network join
  - Handshake-level trust enforcement (rejected peers never see data)
  - Network-scoped discovery
  - Access tokens for programmatic provisioning
  - Direct support
- Enterprise · Custom
  - Dedicated infrastructure · tailored to your org
  - Everything in Private Network
  - RBAC - owner, admin, member roles with permissions matrix
  - OIDC, SAML, Entra ID, LDAP & webhook identity providers
  - Directory sync (AD / Entra ID / LDAP) with role mapping
  - JWT validation (RS256, HS256) with JWKS caching
  - Network policies - membership caps & port whitelists
  - Audit export - Splunk HEC, CEF/Syslog, JSON
  - Webhooks with retry & dead-letter queue
  - Blueprint provisioning - declarative network setup
  - Key lifecycle - rotation, expiry, forced renewal
  - Consent-based invite flow (30-day TTL)
  - Dedicated rendezvous + priority support + SLA

[![Pilot Protocol](https://agentsindex.ai/img/1024/screenshots/pilotprotocol/pricing.webp)](https://agentsindex.ai/img/1920/screenshots/pilotprotocol/pricing.webp)

Pricing page, captured 19 October 2026

[pilotprotocol.network/plans](https://pilotprotocol.network/plans)

## Pilot Protocol alternatives

- [TinyFish](https://agentsindex.ai/tinyfish) · The team behind TinyFish runs this listing · Web search, page fetch, cloud browsers and a goal-driven web agent for AI agents, with search and fetch free. · Free, then $0.016 per step Checked 12 Nov · ISO 27001 · [Visit](https://agentsindex.ai/go/tinyfish)
  - MCP server
  - API
  - Open source
  - Self-host
- Pilot Protocol and TinyFish
  | Pilot Protocol | Free | 30 Jul |
  | --- | --- | --- |
  | [TinyFish](https://agentsindex.ai/tinyfish) | Free, then $0.016 per step | 12 Nov |

## Sources

Based on Pilot Protocol's own pages, not a hands-on trial. Checked against pilotprotocol.network on 30 July 2026.

1. [pilotprotocol.network](https://pilotprotocol.network/)
2. [pilotprotocol.network/plans](https://pilotprotocol.network/plans)
3. [pilotprotocol.network/app-store](https://pilotprotocol.network/app-store)
4. [pilotprotocol.network/docs](https://pilotprotocol.network/docs)
5. [pilotprotocol.network/for/p2p](https://pilotprotocol.network/for/p2p)
6. [pilotprotocol.network/for/mcp](https://pilotprotocol.network/for/mcp)
7. [pilotprotocol.network/for/networks](https://pilotprotocol.network/for/networks)
8. [pilotprotocol.network/for/skills](https://pilotprotocol.network/for/skills)
9. [pilotprotocol.network/for/compatibility](https://pilotprotocol.network/for/compatibility)
10. [pilotprotocol.network/for/setups](https://pilotprotocol.network/for/setups)

## Questions about Pilot Protocol

- How much does Pilot Protocol cost?: Pilot Protocol has a free plan.
- Does Pilot Protocol have an API or an MCP server?: It has an API.
- Is Pilot Protocol open source, and can you host it yourself?: It is open source. You can host it yourself.

[How we check every listing](https://agentsindex.ai/methodology)

## Similar in Agent tools and integrations

[See all in Agent tools and integrations](https://agentsindex.ai/categories/agent-tools-and-integrations)

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## From our research

[All research](https://agentsindex.ai/blog)

- [Comparison](https://agentsindex.ai/blog/daytona-vs-e2b-vs-modal) 16 Oct 2026 Daytona vs E2B vs Modal: which sandbox for agent code? Daytona, E2B and Modal compared on sandbox pricing, concurrency, GPU support and open-source status, plus why Daytona's flagship repo is now archived.
- [Buyer's guide](https://agentsindex.ai/blog/erius-phone-ai-agent-android-device) 9 Oct 2026 ERIUS PHONE review (2026): pricing, pros and cons ERIUS PHONE rents AI agents real cloud Android phones they drive by API, priced monthly per phone in euros, but it offers no webhooks.
- [Buyer's guide](https://agentsindex.ai/blog/hyper-review-autonomous-coding-agent) 13 Oct 2026 Hyper review (2026): an autonomous coding agent that ships verified pull requests Hyper plans, tests and delivers pull requests to your GitHub repository from an isolated cloud sandbox, with a verification check on each one and a hard spending cap on every run.

## Is this yours?

Claim it free, then see who reads this page and carry the verified owner mark. You confirm it with an email at pilotprotocol.network.

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