AI agents hit website blocks: what operators need to change

Meta's Muse, Perplexity and other AI agents are hitting CAPTCHAs, bans and security controls. Website owners need to separate crawler blocks from legitimate buyer agents—and adjust checkout rules accordingly.

What happened

AI agents that shop or book on a user's behalf are running into access problems even when a site has not deliberately banned them. Meta's Muse hit human-verification checks at Walmart, one of its retail partners; Walmart says the checks were not intended to stop the assistant. Amazon has been more direct, deliberately blocking the tool from shopping on its site, according to TechCrunch.

Some restrictions are commercial or security-driven. Amazon is battling Perplexity over its Comet AI browser, arguing the agent violates its access rules and puts customer data at risk, while Perplexity says users have authorized it. A federal appeals court vacated a preliminary injunction against Perplexity in August 2026, but the underlying dispute remains unresolved. Amazon also has its own Buy for Me feature for purchases from other brands' websites.

Security is a bigger concern when money is involved. During JPMorgan Chase's October earnings call, CFO Jeremy Barnum said some agents use shared login credentials and screen scraping to transfer funds, methods he described as "not secure." The bank blocks those methods where possible, and Barnum warned customers who hand over credentials could be responsible if an agent takes an unwanted action.

Key facts

• Meta's Muse encountered verification checks at Walmart; Walmart said the checks were not intended to stop the assistant.
• Amazon deliberately blocks Meta's Muse from shopping on its site, according to TechCrunch.
• JPMorgan Chase CFO Jeremy Barnum described shared login credentials and screen scraping used by some agents to transfer funds as "not secure."
• eBay's user agreement prohibits unauthorized buy-for-me agents unless the company grants permission; Delta said it has no integration allowing third-party agents to book flights.
• Since September 15, new Cloudflare domains default to allowing search crawlers while blocking AI training bots and agents on pages displaying ads; Shopify instead lets compatible browser agents update checkout details after buyer confirmation.

Our analysis

The friction is not just about a single blocked bot. It splits automated traffic into three groups: search crawlers, AI training bots, and agents acting for users. Cloudflare now lets website owners distinguish those groups, and its default since September 15 blocks AI training bots and agents on ad pages for new domains. That suggests a site can accidentally stop a legitimate buying assistant while still welcoming search engines, especially if the owner does not adjust the rule.

This matters because the appeal of agents like Meta's Muse is to navigate websites, fill shopping carts and book travel instead of handing users recommendations. If a CAPTCHA or anti-scraping defense interrupts that flow, the user returns to manual work. Zillow has acknowledged its anti-scraping defenses sometimes catch agents it otherwise permits, so the user-facing symptom may look like an assistant that simply cannot finish the job.

For platform operators, the control point is shifting from blanket blocking to permissioned agent access. Shopify's checkout tools show a middle path: compatible browser agents can update checkout details and submit orders after buyer confirmation, with control handed back to shoppers for required authentication steps. That suggests sites can allow useful agents without giving up security or final buyer control.

What it means for operators

• Review Cloudflare agent rules on ad pages. If your site uses Cloudflare and shows ads, check the default that has applied to new domains since September 15; you may be blocking agents acting for users while allowing search crawlers. Adjust the rule if you want legitimate buying agents to pass.
• Test checkout with automated sessions. A blocked agent may be caused by CAPTCHA or anti-scraping defenses rather than a deliberate ban. Run an agent-like test on your store or landing page to see where human-verification prompts interrupt the flow.
• Offer explicit confirmation instead of silent automation. Borrow Shopify's model: let compatible browser agents update checkout details and submit orders only after buyer confirmation, and hand control back to shoppers for authentication steps. This reduces unauthorized-action risk and customer disputes.
• Check platform terms and avoid risky credential practices. eBay prohibits unauthorized buy-for-me agents unless permission is granted; Amazon is blocking a rival agent while running its own Buy for Me feature. For anything involving funds, avoid shared credentials and screen scraping, which JPMorgan Chase has called "not secure."