Walmart launches Agent Gateway for shopping via AI agents — TechCrunch
In San Francisco, United States, Walmart announced the launch of Agent Gateway, a service that allows approved AI agents to search for products in the retailer’s online catalog and make purchases on behalf of users. The new tool will operate for Walmart and the Sam’s Club warehouse store chain, TechCrunch reports.
Connection via MCP
Agent Gateway is an MCP server designed to connect approved agents to the Walmart platform through the Model Context Protocol. This protocol, originally developed by Anthropic, gives AI agents access to external data sources, tools, and workflows.
According to Walmart, the service is intended to allow customers to buy familiar brands or products without directly providing an agent with personal data or purchase history. Walmart President and CEO John Furner said at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco that the company is expanding its technology in preparation for the spread of shopping with AI agents. Previously, the retailer announced a partnership with Meta’s Muse and integrations with ChatGPT, Gemini, and other applications.
Spending controls and purchase confirmation
Next month, Walmart plans to launch Agent Profiles. For each AI agent, a user will be able to authorize a separate profile in their account to distinguish the agent’s purchases from their own. Customers will be able to require confirmation for every transaction or set a spending limit for an agent.
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A profile will be created when a specific agent is first used to make purchases through Agent Gateway. The user must authorize and link the profile to their Walmart account, then configure restrictions. The profile can be deleted at any time; a Walmart+ subscription is not required to use the feature.
The company is also introducing operating rules for AI agents. They will not be able to perform actions beyond the buyer’s intent, access payment data, or use information that is not needed for a specific task. Walmart noted that its standard product return procedure will also apply if an agent acts differently from what the user expected. Agents that do not comply with the terms will be blocked on the Walmart website.
The launch comes as Amazon has begun blocking AI agents attempting to make purchases for online customers. Some travel and service booking platforms are acting similarly.
