The key facts
- Walmart is launching Agent Gateway (an MCP server) for shopping via AI agents at Walmart and Sam's Club
- Agent Profiles will arrive next month: separate agent profiles, transaction approval, and spending limits
- Special terms for agents: returns apply even if the agent malfunctions, access to payment details is prohibited
Walmart bets on agentic commerce
Walmart announced the launch of Agent Gateway — a new MCP server that will allow approved AI agents to connect to the retailer via the Model Context Protocol, originally created by Anthropic. Through the gateway, an agent will be able to search for items in Walmart's online assortment and make purchases on behalf of the user. The technology will support agentic purchases at both Walmart and Sam's Club. The plans were announced by Walmart President and CEO John Furner at the Masters of Scale Summit conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, October 21.
A contrast with Amazon and other platforms
The announcement follows Amazon's decision to start blocking AI agents that make purchases for online shoppers. Walmart, by contrast, has already announced a partnership with the Meta Muse agent and offers integrations with popular AI applications, including ChatGPT and Gemini. A number of travel and booking services also completely deny access to agents. According to the company, Agent Gateway will allow shoppers to order familiar brands and products without handing over their personal data and purchase history to the agent.
Agent Profiles and spending control
Next month, Walmart will launch Agent Profiles: shoppers will be able to authorize each agent they use with a separate profile in their account and see its purchases separately from their own. The user chooses an approval mode — confirming each transaction or authorizing purchases within a set limit. Walmart compares this to adding an authorized user to a credit card. The profile is created the first time an agent is used through Agent Gateway and can be deleted at any time. The feature is available to all Walmart account holders; a Walmart+ subscription is not required.
Special terms for agents
Walmart is also introducing special 'terms' for AI agents, defining how they must operate and what transaction rights they have. The company notes that agent purchases are covered by the standard returns process — including if the agent did not act as intended. Agents are prohibited from going beyond the shopper's intentions and accessing their payment information; they only have access to the information necessary for a specific task. Agents that fail to comply with the terms will be blocked on the Walmart website.
