Overview
- Walmart, which announced the move Wednesday, launched an Agent Gateway that runs an MCP server so approved AI agents can search inventory and complete purchases for shoppers.
- Customers will get Agent Profiles next month that let them link each assistant, see an agent’s purchases separately, require approval for transactions, set spending limits, and delete profiles at any time.
- Walmart published enforceable agent terms that bar agents from accessing payment information, require agents to act only as the shopper intends, and allow Walmart to block agents that break the rules.
- The decision contrasts with Amazon’s current approach of blocking third‑party shopping agents, a split that could shift who controls recommendations, ads, and upsell revenue on retail sites.
- Walmart argues the move builds on its Sparky integrations with OpenAI, Google and Meta and recent e‑commerce gains, and the industry will be watching for fraud, overspending and how protocols such as MCP and the Personal Agent Protocol shape access next.