Shopify opens checkout to browser-based AI agents
techcrunch ·
Shopify has announced that browser-based AI agents can now complete purchases on its merchants' websites, marking a shift from competitors like Amazon who are restricting such automation. This update extends Shopify's previous WebMCP support for product search and cart management to include the checkout process, specifically supporting Shop Pay. By introducing new tools such as get_checkout, update_checkout, and complete_checkout, agents can inspect checkout screens, modify details like addresses, and finalize transactions with buyer authorization. Unlike methods relying on screenshots or web scraping, these structured APIs ensure accurate commerce facts and required disclosures through Shopify’s Universal Commerce Protocol. The feature is rolling out to all eligible Shopify merchants, building upon existing server-to-server MCP capabilities. Notable AI agents like Muse and Instinct already have partnerships with Shopify for agentic commerce, with the Instinct collaboration announced alongside this launch. Gil Greenberg, a staff product manager at Shopify, emphasized that these tools allow agents to operate efficiently within the buyer's browser without navigating human-centric HTML.
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