How to verify an AI shopping agent before checkout
A claimed agent name is not proof. Use authenticated identity, scoped authorization, and transaction controls before letting software buy.
What should happen when an AI shopping agent fails at checkout?
Keep the cart intact, explain what failed, and hand control back to the shopper. A failed agent action should not force the customer to start over.
The AI Commerce Watch blog
Do not trust an AI crawler name without verification
A user-agent string is a claim, not proof of identity. Use network and request evidence when enforcement matters, and keep robots.txt as a preference signal for compliant crawlers rather than an authentication system.
How to publish a clear robots.txt policy for AI crawlers
Use robots.txt to state crawl preferences for compliant agents, keep rules specific to user-agent and path, and test the file after changes. Do not treat it as security or as proof that every bot will comply.
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