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Walmart will let AI agents shop for you. Amazon is blocking them. What to know
Walmart says you will be able to connect your own AI agent to its store, with spending limits you set. Amazon is turning agents away. Here is how the two approaches differ and how to stay in control.
In this article
Key takeaways
- Walmart announced Agent Gateway on October 21, 2026, letting approved AI agents search its inventory and buy for you. Agent Profiles, which hold your controls, roll out in November.
- You can require approval for every purchase or allow spending up to a limit you set, and delete an agent’s profile at any time.
- Amazon has been blocking Meta’s Muse agent from buying, according to a Bloomberg report cited by TechCrunch.
- Walmart says its normal returns process applies if an agent buys something you did not intend.
What Walmart announced
TechCrunch reports that on October 21 Walmart launched Agent Gateway, a connection that lets approved AI agents search Walmart and Sam’s Club inventory and make purchases for a customer. Walmart says shoppers can use it without handing their personal information or purchase history to the agent.
The first time you use a particular agent, you create a profile for it and link it to your Walmart account. You do not need a Walmart+ membership. The profiles themselves are described as rolling out next month, with no exact date given.
The controls you get
Each agent gets its own profile, so what it buys shows up separately from your own orders. You can require your approval for every transaction, or pre-approve purchases up to a spending limit. Walmart compares this to adding an authorised user to a credit card.
Walmart’s rules for agents say they must act within what the shopper intends, cannot see your payment details, and may only access the information a task needs. Agents that break the rules can be blocked. If an agent buys the wrong thing, Walmart says its usual returns process still applies.
Why Amazon is different
The picture elsewhere is mixed. TechCrunch earlier reported, citing Bloomberg, that Amazon had begun blocking Meta’s Muse agent from browsing and buying on its site. Yelp, eBay, Delta and United also restrict automated tools, in different ways, and some blocks may be accidental side effects of anti-bot tools.
Walmart, by contrast, is a partner of Meta’s Muse and says earlier failed purchases there were unintentional. Meta, Walmart, Stripe and others are working on an open standard for how agents identify themselves to businesses. It is still being developed.
What is still unclear
- How Walmart decides which agents count as approved, and how it enforces its rules.
- Whether Sam’s Club will offer the same features at launch.
- How returns work in practice when an agent makes a mistake, including any fees or limits.
- Whether Amazon’s blocking applies to every AI agent or only some.
How to stay in control
- Start with approval required on every purchase, and only raise a spending limit once you trust the agent.
- Use a separate profile for each agent and delete any you stop using.
- Check basket contents before you approve, as agents can misread a request.
- Keep your regular payment protections in mind: review order emails and statements as you would for any account.
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Sources
Written by an AI from the sources above and checked by a person before publishing. We have not tested products unless we say so. See our editorial policy or tell us about an error through contact.
