Reports of blocked AI agents span travel, retail, and financial services, exposing barriers to assistants that act across websites.
AI assistants from companies including OpenAI, Meta, xAI, and Instinct are encountering restrictions on websites where they attempt to carry out tasks for users, according to an October 17, 2026 report by The Verge. The reported obstacles range from denied access to accounts to limits on purchases and bookings.
Yelp told TechCrunch that it permits agents only through its paid data-licensing program, while Delta Air Lines is preventing agents from booking flights on customers’ behalf. JPMorgan Chase and Charles Schwab have confirmed they block agents from accessing accounts, citing security concerns. Users have also reported access problems involving Cars.com and Amtrak, though the article does not establish whether those services have formally adopted a blanket ban.
Amazon’s dispute with Perplexity illustrates the legal and commercial tensions. Amazon challenged Perplexity’s agentic shopping feature, and a judge ordered the startup to stop its agents from shopping on the site. An appeals court overturned that ruling in August, and Amazon later filed an amended complaint. The Verge also reported that Amazon objected to Meta’s Muse accessing its platform. Meta has instead partnered with retailers including Walmart, Gap, Sephora, and Best Buy; Shopify has opened its storefront network to agents as well.
Some failures may stem from general anti-bot defenses rather than policies written specifically for AI assistants. The Verge cited user reports of account blocks and checkout problems, and EquiStamp CEO Chris Canal said automated agents can trigger protections designed to stop scams or hacking. Cloudflare has also introduced measures that help websites block AI crawlers.
The obstacles matter because agents need reliable access to websites to complete tasks on a user’s behalf. At the same time, site operators face security, policy, and business concerns. The article reports that OpenAI and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while Instinct declined to comment.