Ask HN: Has anyone built an AI agent that spends real money?

4 points

3 months ago

I want to build an AI agent that shops autonomously – you give it a card once, and it handles browsing, selecting, and paying on its own.

I've been working on an MCP server that connects AI agents to payment providers (Stripe, PayPal, virtual cards), but

I keep hitting walls:

- Card issuers won't respond to individual developers

- Stripe requires 3D Secure for off-session payments

- E-commerce sites block browser automation

- Amazon v. Perplexity (March 9) confirmed that browser automation on major platforms carries real legal risk

Meanwhile Visa announced "Intelligent Commerce" and Mastercard launched "Agent Pay" – the networks see this coming, but the developer tooling isn't there yet. Has anyone actually shipped something like this? Concrete links, working examples, or constructive feedback would be especially helpful.

- What payment rail did you use?

- Is this a viable product or a regulatory minefield?

- Would you trust an AI with a $500 prepaid card to buy something for you?

What I have so far: https://github.com/xodn348/clawpay

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