Walmart is preparing a new route for AI agents to shop at Walmart and Sam’s Club, combining a developer beta with controls over what software can buy and see.
The retailer announced the Walmart Agent Gateway on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Walmart says the service is intended to make shopping easier for agents than having them navigate its customer-facing site, which the company says can be slow and error-prone for automated programs. The beta will start with companies and developers. Walmart also says agents may be able to find a customer’s familiar items without access to the person’s broader shopping history. The Gateway page currently describes access as limited and invitation-only.
The announcement builds on Walmart’s earlier plans for separate AI-agent profiles and spending controls. Agent Profiles, expected within the next month, will let customers review each agent’s purchases separately. Shoppers can approve every order or set a spending limit; Walmart gave $50, $100 and $200 as examples. Approval will be required by default, and Walmart says it may ask for another confirmation even when an order is within the limit. Customers can also revoke an agent’s access or delete its profile.
Walmart says agents will not be able to access payment-card information or change payment methods. The retailer may block agents that violate its rules, and customers can use Walmart’s returns process if an agent does not act as intended. Agents will see the same prices as people, with applicable offers and fees displayed before purchase. “We price products, not people,” Walmart said.
Amazon objected to what it alleged was Perplexity’s use of its Comet agent in Amazon’s store. In an Oct. 31, 2025, cease-and-desist letter, Amazon’s lawyers accused Perplexity of covertly using the agent and demanded that the company stop and identify the agents it used. The letter records Amazon’s demand; it is not a court ruling.
Walmart gave no specific launch date for Agent Profiles, saying they are expected within a month. The Gateway is set to begin with its beta for companies and developers.
