Key points
- Users of Meta's Muse, xAI's Grok, OpenAI's Dots and Instinct report blocks on top sites; Yelp allows only agents that pay for its data licensing program.
- Delta is stopping agents from booking tickets, while JPMorgan Chase and Charles Schwab confirmed they block agent access to accounts over security concerns.
- Meta says it has partnered with Walmart, Gap, Sephora and Best Buy so Muse can shop there; Shopify has opened its storefront network to agents.
- Amazon's court fight with Perplexity continues: an appeals court overturned an order against Perplexity's agents in August, and Amazon filed an amended complaint.
Why it matters for marketers: If agents can't reach key sites, or must pay or partner to do so, shopping and booking journeys may shift toward sites that welcome agents, which affects discoverability and conversion.
AI agents from OpenAI, Meta, Google and others are meant to book, buy and manage tasks across the web, but many popular sites are pushing back. According to The Verge, users of Meta's Muse, xAI's Grok, OpenAI's Dots and Instinct have reported blocks in recent weeks. Yelp told TechCrunch it only permits agents that pay for its data licensing program, and Delta is stopping agents from booking tickets for users. JPMorgan Chase and Charles Schwab cited security in blocking account access.
Amazon remains the sharpest example. It banned Perplexity's shopping agent and sued the startup last year, and it has said Muse's continued access violates site policies. Perplexity argues Amazon wants human eyeballs on its ads. Meta's answer has been to sign up retailers instead, including Walmart, Gap, Sephora and Best Buy, while Shopify has opened its storefronts to agents.
For marketers, this means the agent-driven customer journey will not be uniform. Some brands will be reachable by agents through partnerships or licensing, others will be closed off. Even sites that welcome agents may still trip anti-bot systems: Reddit reports cited by The Verge describe checkout problems at Walmart despite its Meta partnership.
Teams should decide now whether their own sites will admit agents, on what terms, and how they will measure that traffic. EquiStamp CEO Chris Canal also warned that more bot checks could make the web more annoying for human visitors, a cost worth weighing against any blocking policy. Watch the Amazon and Perplexity case, since its outcome may shape what agents are allowed to do on third-party sites.
Sources
This brief is our own summary. Read the full reporting at the source.
