Walmart Opens an Agent Gateway for AI Shopping Agents as Amazon Blocks Them

Walmart says approved AI agents can now search its inventory and buy for shoppers, with spending limits set by the customer.

Walmart announced its Agent Gateway on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, according to TechCrunch. The Gateway is an MCP server (a standard connector, first created by Anthropic, that lets AI agents reach outside tools and data). It lets approved AI agents search Walmart's online inventory and make purchases for a user, across Walmart and Sam's Club.

The move contrasts with Amazon, which TechCrunch says has begun blocking AI agents from buying for shoppers on Amazon.com. TechCrunch adds that travel and booking sites have locked agents out completely. Walmart CEO John Furner discussed the plans at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, and Walmart has already announced a partnership with Meta's Muse agent and integrations with ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI apps.

Walmart says each agent will get its own profile in the customer's account, rolling out in November 2026. Shoppers can approve each purchase or pre-authorize buying up to a spending limit, and can delete the profile at any time. Walmart compares it to adding an authorized user on a credit card. Under Walmart's new terms, agents cannot go beyond the shopper's intent or access payment information, and agents that break the rules will be blocked. Walmart's standard returns process applies if an agent buys something the shopper did not want. A Walmart+ membership is not required.