# The RealReal tightens bot defenses after AI agent exploited item holds

_Published Monday, October 26, 2026 at 2:32 PM EDT · AI, Products · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Shopping basket with an 8-bit effect. — Primary](https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/STKS539_AI_AGENTS_SHOPPING_E.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.732984293194%2C100%2C78.534031413613&w=1200)

The RealReal has changed its bot defenses to make it harder for AI agents to log in, add items to carts and check out, chief technology officer Luke Friang told The Verge. The retailer acted after the outlet demonstrated that Meta's Muse could repeatedly reserve products, preventing other shoppers from buying them for hours.

The site's reserve system holds an item for 20 minutes when a shopper adds it to a cart. Muse could re-add listings when that hold expired. Friang said the company had addressed that use case; agents can still surface listings and direct users to product pages.

## Sources

- [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/news/1018713/meta-muse-agentic-shopping-ai-the-realreal)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/_MbafvZaGWT6nPaDwE2dB8
Published: 2026-10-26T18:32:40.605Z
Story chronology: 2026-10-26T17:30:55.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-26T20:59:40.307Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)