Amazon Opens Seller Tools to External AI Agents, Starting With Claude

Summary

Amazon is opening parts of its seller-management system to outside AI assistants, beginning with Anthropic’s Claude and Amazon’s Quick assistant. A new plugin is designed to let merchants check inventory, change prices, update listings, and review sales or performance data without opening Seller Central. Sellers choose which data the plugin can access and must approve each action; Amazon says it does not see unrelated business data in the external assistant. The plugin can reportedly be connected to Claude in about 60 seconds without coding and is initially in beta in Amazon’s U.S. stores, with international expansion planned. Amazon says roughly 90% of sellers already use some outside AI in their operations, while independent sellers account for more than 60% of units sold worldwide. Their fees generated $46.8 billion in Amazon’s second quarter, exceeding AWS revenue, making seller tools strategically important amid the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust case over Amazon’s treatment of merchants. Amazon is also introducing background automations that act with approval, a Seller Assistant that remembers pricing, inventory, and growth preferences between sessions, and a live-data canvas for comparing pricing strategies or diagnosing advertising campaigns. Claude already powers Seller Assistant inside Seller Central, and Amazon says more external integrations will follow, although it will decide which platforms qualify. The company says agents must identify themselves and follow site rules. Amazon’s 12-month Quick Plus offer for every primary selling-account holder worldwide is available through Dec. 31, 2026, with two additional users included at no cost.