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Commerce

Activity Log

An activity log is the spend history for agent purchases: what was bought, from whom, for how much, and how to undo one charge. Stripe Link spend tracking and the Muse Activity list both show this after money moves. Each row should open the receipt, the merchant of record, and a path to a return.

Interactive demo

Overview

How might we give a person a receipt list of what their shopping agent already bought, and a way to undo one charge?

When to use

  • The agent has placed orders or is waiting on approval.
  • The person needs merchant, amount, and status without opening each store.
  • A return or cancel window is still open.
  • More than one agent can spend from the same wallet.

When to skip

  • A compliance reconstruction of model calls, tools, and inputs. That is Audit Trail.
  • A live token or cost meter while a coding agent runs. That is Running Meters.
  • A wishlist or price watch where nothing has been bought yet.

States

Separate money that moved from tasks the agent is only considering.

  1. 01

    Waiting

    A spend request is open. Label it as waiting, with approve and decline still available.

  2. 02

    Placed

    The order exists. Show merchant of record, amount, card, and a link to the receipt.

  3. 03

    Shipped

    Status moves forward. Tracking lives on the same row.

  4. 04

    Undo

    Cancel or return is available. State the window. Send the person to the merchant of record.

  5. 05

    Closed

    The window passed or the return finished. Keep the row. Drop the action.

Key UX elements

What one spend-history row has to hold.

When

Date the charge or the request.

Sort newest first. Keep waiting items above completed ones, or filter them.

What

Name the item.

Title and quantity. A row that only says “purchase” is not a receipt.

Who

Name the merchant of record.

And which agent placed it, if several agents share the wallet.

Amount

Show what was charged.

Total, currency, and the virtual card or wallet card, masked.

Undo

Offer cancel or return while it is real.

State the deadline. Route the action to the seller, and record the result on the row.

Rules

  • A log that shows “purchased” with no merchant, amount, or date.

  • Rows that cannot open the receipt or the order status.

  • Undo buried behind support chat, with no time window stated.

  • Mixing unread recommendations into the same list as completed charges.

Evidence

ProductImplementation
Stripe LinkThe person tracks agent spend and can see which connected agent made each charge.
Meta MuseActivity lists what the agent did, including purchases, next to upcoming tasks.
Amazon AlexaShopping chat can confirm an add to cart, a price alert, or an auto-buy, and the person can review those from the same thread.
Shop PayOrder history stays with the merchant of record after an agent-assisted checkout.

FAQ

What is an activity log for an AI shopping agent?

An activity log is the spend history of agent purchases. Each row shows what was bought, the merchant, the amount, the status, and how to undo one charge.

How is this different from an audit trail?

Audit Trail reconstructs model decisions, tools, and data use for compliance. An activity log is the shopper’s receipt list: orders, money, and returns.

What should one row contain?

Date, item, merchant of record, amount, the card or virtual card used, order status, and a return or cancel action while the window is open.

When should a purchase land in the log?

When money moves or an order is placed, not when the agent only recommends. A pending approval can appear as waiting, labeled separately from completed spend.