Shopify lets browser-based AI agents complete purchases at checkout
Shopify has opened its checkout process to browser-based AI agents, allowing them to not just search for products but finalize transactions, a move contrasting with Amazon and Adidas, which block such agents.
Shopify is taking a different approach than several major retailers, including Amazon and reportedly Adidas, which prevent AI agents from making purchases on behalf of users. On Monday, the e-commerce platform announced that browser-based AI agents can now complete transactions on Shopify merchants' sites, expanding beyond their previous ability to only search for products and add them to a cart.
Shopify had already supported WebMCP technology for storefronts and shopping carts, letting browser-based agents browse a retailer's inventory, search for items, and add them to a cart. The new update extends this support to the checkout process, including the Shop Pay payment system. This means agents can now read the checkout screen, make changes, and submit a transaction with the buyer's authorization — without relying on screenshots or scraping webpage content.
New tools for checkout
The update introduces three new tools — get_checkout, update_checkout, and complete_checkout — that let agents inspect checkout details, modify things like a delivery address or shipping option, and then place an order once the buyer approves it. Gil Greenberg, a Shopify staff product manager working on agentic commerce, described the update in a post on X, noting that the feature is rolling out to all eligible Shopify merchants.
Shopify already operates a hosted Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for agents working server-to-server, while WebMCP is designed for agents operating directly within a buyer's browser. Both rely on Shopify's Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a standard providing a common way to search for products, build carts, and complete checkout.
Greenberg said these tools offer structured, efficient APIs built to ensure accurate commerce information and required disclosures are handled correctly. Leading AI agents such as Muse and Instinct already have direct partnerships with Shopify for agentic commerce, with the Instinct partnership announced the same day.
