RealReal Restricts AI Access After Muse Agents Lock Up Inventory

Online shoppers at The RealReal will face fewer automated competitors for scarce designer inventory as the consignment retailer updates its security protocols. The company changed its bot defense configuration to make it harder for AI agents to log in, add items to carts, and complete purchases. These changes follow a report published this month showing that artificial intelligence tools could exploit the site's reserve system to block human buyers for extended periods.

The RealReal’s website places an item on hold for 20 minutes once it is added to a shopping cart, preventing other customers from buying it during that window. Prior to the update, users could deploy Meta’s Muse AI agent to automatically re-add items to the cart immediately after the hold expired. This continuous loop allowed a single user to keep specific listings unavailable to others for hours or longer. The system was designed to give human shoppers time to decide, but it lacked safeguards against automated, persistent requests.

Luke Friang, the company’s chief technology officer, confirmed in an email that the team has addressed the specific issue raised by the recent reporting. Friang stated that the new configuration makes it much more difficult for all agents to execute the full shopping cycle. However, he noted that AI agents will still be able to search the catalog and direct users to product pages. The RealReal plans to continue strengthening its protections as AI-powered online shopping evolves. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the impact of the change on its Muse platform.

The adjustment occurs as technology firms push agents as personalized assistants for a mass market. Meta reported on its third-quarter earnings call this month that shopping is the most common use case for Muse. The company said average purchases through the tool exceeded $200, and the app reached 10 million US users within 40 days of its launch. This rapid adoption highlights how quickly consumer behavior is shifting toward automated purchasing, forcing retailers to adapt their infrastructure to distinguish between human intent and machine speed.

Retailers have recognized that agents accessing websites directly can disrupt traditional business models, particularly advertising revenue. Amazon and other major platforms have already blocked agents from shopping on their sites. The RealReal’s move illustrates how even niche platforms must adjust to prevent automated tools from saturating limited stock. A human shopper has a natural limit on the patience required to repeatedly add and remove items, but an agent does not. The RealReal’s new rules aim to close that gap by raising the technical barrier for automated checkout.