Big websites are turning AI agents away. Decide what yours lets in.
Delta, JPMorgan Chase and Schwab now block AI agents, Yelp lets in only agents that pay, and anti-bot tools stop many more by accident; here is what that means for a small business and the three rules to write for your own site.
On October 17, 2026, The Verge reported that some of the biggest websites are turning AI agents away. If you use an agent to book, buy or check accounts, some of those jobs will now fail. And if you run a business website, customers' agents are starting to show up at yours. This post covers what is happening and the rules worth writing for your own site.
What The Verge reported
Users of Meta's Muse, xAI's Grok, OpenAI's Dots and Instinct have reported blocks that stop their agents from finishing tasks on top websites. According to The Verge:
- 01
Delta Air Lines
is preventing agents from booking tickets on behalf of users.
- 02
JPMorgan Chase and Charles Schwab
confirmed they block AI agents from accessing accounts, citing security concerns.
- 03
Yelp
told TechCrunch it only allows AI agents that pay for its data licensing program.
- 04
Amazon
said Muse's "continued access" violates its site policies, and users report that other agents cannot use Amazon either. Amazon sued Perplexity last year over its agent shopping feature, and that case is still going.
Some users say sites that used to work with their agents, including Cars.com and Amtrak, no longer do.
Not everyone is closing the door. Meta has partnered with retailers including Walmart, Gap, Sephora and Best Buy so Muse can shop there, and Shopify has opened its network of storefronts to AI agents. Meta's position: "Turning away a personal agent means turning away the customer behind it."
Three ways an agent gets turned away
- 01
A policy block.
The site decides it does not want agents doing a task, such as booking a flight or logging into an account, and stops them.
- 02
A paid door.
The site lets agents in only if the company behind the agent pays, as Yelp does with its data licensing program.
- 03
An accidental block.
Many sites run anti-bot tools built to stop scams and attacks. "These AI agents trigger those same safeguards," Chris Canal, CEO of the AI safety evaluator EquiStamp, told The Verge. The site never decided to block agents; its security settings did.
Why it matters to a small business
This touches you twice.
First, as a user of agents. If you or your team hand an agent errands like booking travel, ordering supplies or pulling bank statements, expect some of those to stop partway. Plan for a person to finish the job on sites that refuse agents, and do not give an agent your banking login to get around a block. The banks are blocking agents for security reasons, and that is a good reason to keep it that way.
Second, as a business with a website. Customers are starting to send agents to check prices, book appointments, ask for quotes and place orders. Right now most small business sites have no stated answer to "what may an agent do here?" That means your website builder, hosting company or security plugin answers for you, often with a setting nobody on your team chose.
Turning agents away can be the right call for some tasks. Welcoming them can win you the customer a big site refused. The point is to choose.
Three rules to write for your own site
These are our suggestions, not any company's guidance. Keep them to one page.
- 01
1. What an agent may read.
Hours, prices, menus, services, stock, policies. Most businesses want this public and easy for an agent to find.
- 02
2. What an agent may do.
Request a quote, book an appointment, place a standard order. Decide which of these you are comfortable letting an agent complete for a customer, and which need the customer to confirm.
- 03
3. What always needs a person.
Refunds, account changes, anything that moves money or personal data. Say so on the site, and make sure your systems enforce it.
This week
- 01
List the errands you give agents
and mark the ones that run through sites now blocking them. Add a human step for each.
- 02
Ask your website provider
what your bot protection does with AI agents today: allowed, challenged or blocked.
- 03
Write your one-page agent rules
and check that your site settings match them.
- 04
Watch your contact forms and bookings
for requests that look automated, and decide how you want to handle them before volume grows.
Our take
The open web never agreed to agents, so access is being settled one site at a time. Make your own choice on purpose, before a default makes it for you.
No partnership with any company named here is implied.
Sources
Websites are closing their doors to AI agents (The Verge, Emma Roth, Oct 17, 2026)
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