Thrombin is an important agonist for platelet activation and plays a major role in hemostasis and thrombosis. Thrombin activates platelets mainly through protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1), PAR4, and glycoprotein Ib. Because adenosine diphosphate and thromboxane A₂ have been shown to cause platelet aggregation by concomitant signaling through G_q and G_ipathways, we investigated whether coactivation of G_q and G_i signaling pathways is the general mechanism by which PAR1 and PAR4 agonists also activate platelet fibrinogen receptor (αIIbβ3).  A PAR1-activating peptide, SFLLRN, and PAR4-activating peptides GYPGKF and AYPGKF, caused inhibition of stimulated adenylyl cyclase in human platelets but not in the presence of either Ro 31-8220, a protein kinase C selective inhibitor that abolishes secretion, or AR-C66096, a P2Y12 receptor–selective antagonist; α-thrombin–induced inhibition of adenylyl cyclase was also blocked by Ro 31-8220 or AR-C66096. In platelets from a P2Y12 receptor–defective patient, α-thrombin, SFLLRN, and GYPGKF also failed to inhibit adenylyl cyclase. In platelets from mice lacking the P2Y12 receptor, neither α-thrombin nor AYPGKF caused inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. Furthermore, AR-C66096 caused a rightward shift of human platelet aggregation induced by the lower concentrations of α-thrombin and AYPGKF but had no effect at higher concentrations. Similar results were obtained with platelets from mice deficient in the P2Y12. We conclude that (1)thrombin- and thrombin receptor-activating peptide–induced inhibition of adenylyl cyclase in platelets depends exclusively on secreted adenosine diphosphate that stimulates G_i signaling pathways and (2) thrombin and thrombin receptor-activating peptides cause platelet aggregation independently of G_i signaling.