Key facts
- Shopify now allows browser-based AI agents to complete purchases on its merchants' sites.
- The platform previously supported AI agents for searching products and adding them to carts.
- New tools include get_checkout, update_checkout, and complete_checkout for agents.
- The feature is rolling out to all eligible Shopify merchants.
- Shopify's Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) underpins these agentic commerce capabilities.
While some retailers are blocking AI agents from making purchases on their platforms, e-commerce giant Shopify has enabled this functionality for its merchants. Announced on Monday, the update allows browser-based AI agents to not only search for products and add them to carts but also to complete the entire checkout process, including using Shop Pay.
Previously, Shopify supported WebMCP for storefronts and carts, enabling agents to browse inventory and add items. The extension of this support to checkout means agents can now read and update checkout screens, and submit transactions after receiving buyer authorization. This is achieved through three new tools: get_checkout, update_checkout, and complete_checkout. These tools allow agents to inspect and modify checkout details such as customer addresses or delivery options before placing an order.
The feature is being rolled out to all eligible Shopify merchants. Shopify already provides a hosted Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for server-to-server agent interactions. The proposed standard WebMCP is designed for agents operating within the buyer's browser. Both leverage Shopify's Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), which standardizes product search, cart building, and checkout processes.
Top AI agents like Muse and Instinct have direct partnerships with Shopify for agentic commerce, with the Instinct partnership announced on the same day as the checkout feature. Gil Greenberg, a staff product manager at Shopify focused on agentic commerce, stated on X that these WebMCP tools provide structured APIs designed via UCP to ensure accurate commerce facts and disclosures, recommending their use for agents operating in the buyer's browser over navigating human-readable HTML.