Walmart announced on Wednesday (21) the Agent Gateway, an infrastructure that will allow artificial intelligence agents to search for products and make purchases directly in Walmart and Sam's Club systems. The initiative includes mechanisms for consumers to authorize each assistant and control their transactions.
The platform will begin with a beta phase aimed at companies and developers. Instead of relying on conventional browsing through store websites, agents will be able to use a specific connection to interact with the retailer's commerce services.
The system was also designed to help assistants find products customers typically buy without sharing customers' full purchase history or other personal information with them.
Profiles will have spending limits and individual approval of purchases
The controls will be made available through the Agent Profiles, planned for November 2026. Each authorized agent will have its own profile linked to the consumer's account, allowing its purchases to be identified separately and access to be revoked at any time.
Users will be able to require approval for each transaction or set spending limits that authorize certain purchases automatically. Walmart states that individual approval will be the default rule and that it may request additional confirmations even when a transaction is within the allowed limit.
Another restriction prevents agents from accessing payment card data or changing saved payment methods. The assistants also will not be able to perform actions beyond those authorized by the consumer.
Traditional return rules will remain valid, including when an agent makes an improper purchase. Assistants that fail to comply with the established conditions may be blocked.
According to Reuters, the new features will be available to Walmart account holders, without the need for a Walmart+ subscription. The company has not yet announced a complete timeline for making the Gateway available to the general public.
