vercel.com
vercel.com · Compute / VPS / Cloud Hosting modeIntegrated
Last probed 2026-10-07 04:36 UTC · Provisional
vercel.com — The autonomous stack for every app and agent.
Verdict: Partially — an AI agent can use vercel.com, but activate is blocked — SSO-only signup, no API-key path and manage is blocked — SSO-only — no admin API path.
- DiscoverEasy
- ActivateBlocked
- OperateEasygated by Activate
- ManageBlockedgated by Activate
Capability parity
Each stage answers one question about what an agent can do unattended. Stages are ordered by the credential-gateway dependency: Activate issues the keys that unlock Operate and Manage. A row marked “Not yet probed” means no probe has tried that capability yet — a different ledger from the “unassessed” properties under Findings, where no probe tier capable of catching that interrupt has run.
Discover
Can an agent find and read it, no account?
- Be found by a retrieval agentEasy
Retrieval access present.
Evidence
- Path tried
- robots.txt / sitemap / discovery headers
- Where it stalled
- completed
- Evidence tier
- Tier 1 (unauth probe)
- Verification
- Evidence-only — graded from passive signal, not live-verified.
- Backing checks
retrieval_bot_access, sitemap_xml, link_header_discovery
- Read what it does and how to use itEasy
Machine-readable docs present.
Evidence
- Path tried
- llms.txt / AGENTS.md / schema.org / docs
- Where it stalled
- completed
- Evidence tier
- Tier 1 (unauth probe)
- Verification
- Evidence-only — graded from passive signal, not live-verified.
- Backing checks
llms_txt, markdown_content, schema_org_jsonld, content_signals
- Read pricing & limits without loginEasy
Public pricing or limits are visible without login.
Evidence
- Path tried
- homepage links / pricing / plans
- Where it stalled
- completed
- Evidence tier
- Tier 0 (passive scan)
- Verification
- Evidence-only — graded from passive signal, not live-verified.
- Backing checks
pricing_public
Activate
Can an agent sign up and walk away with the keys it needs?
Assessment incomplete - not yet probed: Obtain a management / admin key.
- Create an account self-serveBlocked
SSO-only signup, no API-key path.
SSO-only signup, no API-key issuance blocks this.
Evidence
- Path tried
- signup flow
- Where it stalled
- verification step
- Evidence tier
- Tier 1 (unauth probe)
- Verification
- Evidence-only — graded from passive signal, not live-verified.
- SSO-only signup, no API-key issuanceSignupSignup offers only OAuth/SSO buttons (Continue with Google, Continue with GitHub, Continue with ChatGPT, Continue with Apple) — no email/password or API-key path.
- Obtain an API / MCP access credentialBlocked
SSO-only — no API-key path.
SSO-only signup, no API-key issuance blocks this.
Evidence
- SSO-only signup, no API-key issuanceSignupSignup offers only OAuth/SSO buttons (Continue with Google, Continue with GitHub, Continue with ChatGPT, Continue with Apple) — no email/password or API-key path.
- Obtain a management / admin keyNot yet probed
No scoped or administrative key path was confirmed after activation.
- Accept the terms without a bot-banEasy
No bot-prohibition signal found.
Evidence
- Path tried
- ToS / policy scan
- Where it stalled
- completed
- Evidence tier
- Tier 0 (passive scan)
- Verification
- Evidence-only — graded from passive signal, not live-verified.
Operate
Can an agent do the service's actual jobs — call, transact, pay?
Gated by Activate — the credential this stage needs isn't issued unattended, so these rows may be unreachable even where they read Easy.
- Call the primary service over MCP / APIEasy
Machine interface present — evidence-only, not live-verified.
Gated by Activate — the credential this needs isn't issued unattended.
Evidence
- Path tried
- API / MCP / browser
- Where it stalled
- completed
- Evidence tier
- Tier 1 (unauth probe)
- Verification
- Evidence-only — graded from passive signal, not live-verified.
- Backing checks
api_catalog, webmcp
- Complete a transaction / checkoutNot applicable
Integrated tool — the API call is the transaction, no separate checkout.
Gated by Activate — the credential this needs isn't issued unattended.
- Pay via an agent rail (x402 / ACP / AP2)Easy
Agent-payment metadata present.
Gated by Activate — the credential this needs isn't issued unattended.
Evidence
- Path tried
- payment protocol / oauth metadata
- Where it stalled
- completed
- Evidence tier
- Tier 1 (unauth probe)
- Verification
- Evidence-only — graded from passive signal, not live-verified.
- Backing checks
oauth_metadata
Manage
Can an agent administer the account and provision resources?
Assessment incomplete - not yet probed: View usage & billing; Cancel / export / delete (offboard).
Gated by Activate — the credential this stage needs isn't issued unattended, so these rows may be unreachable even where they read Easy.
- Provision / scale / tear down a serviceBlocked
SSO-only — no admin API path.
SSO-only signup, no API-key issuance blocks this.
Gated by Activate — the credential this needs isn't issued unattended.
- Change account details / set budget / rotate keysBlocked
SSO-only — no admin API.
SSO-only signup, no API-key issuance blocks this.
Gated by Activate — the credential this needs isn't issued unattended.
- View usage & billingNot yet probed
Authenticated usage and billing access was not confirmed.
Gated by Activate — the credential this needs isn't issued unattended.
- Cancel / export / delete (offboard)Not yet probed
No self-serve cancellation, export, or deletion path was confirmed.
Gated by Activate — the credential this needs isn't issued unattended.
Findings
How scoring works →Interrupt tier: Moderate-Interrupt — derived from 1 finding; interrupt score 76 / 100 — the badge-driving metric. (range 45–95 · 10 unassessed)
Every tool starts at 100. Each interrupt found subtracts a penalty of base weight × timing × hardness × evidence — the multiplier values below come from the same rubric tables the score is computed with. New snapshots also provisionally subtract 50% of the full worst-case tax for each unassessed property and 25% for evidence-graded successes not live-verified by Tier 2.
Property coverage
A check only counts as clean when a probe tier capable of detecting that interrupt actually ran and found nothing. Not tested ≠ clean.
| Property | Stage | State | Evidence | Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSO-only signup, no API-key issuance | activate | failed | Active finding — itemized in the penalty matrix below. Tier 1 assesses this property. | no |
| Email OTP verification | activate | unassessed | Tier 1 (unauth probe) ran but did not gather enough evidence to claim clean. Tier 1 assesses this property. | no |
| SMS / phone OTP verification | activate | unassessed | Tier 1 (unauth probe) ran but did not gather enough evidence to claim clean. Tier 1 assesses this property. | no |
| Mandatory phone verification call | activate | unassessed | No probe tier that can detect this has run yet — unknown, not clean. Tier 2 assesses this property. | no |
| Mailed physical code (postal) | activate | unassessed | No probe tier that can detect this has run yet — unknown, not clean. Tier 2 assesses this property. | no |
| “Contact sales” wall (no self-serve path) | activate | unassessed | No probe tier that can detect this has run yet — unknown, not clean. Tier 2 assesses this property. | no |
| Manual approval queue | activate | unassessed | No probe tier that can detect this has run yet — unknown, not clean. Tier 2 assesses this property. | no |
| Rate-limit-triggered manual review | manage | unassessed | No probe tier that can detect this has run yet — unknown, not clean. Tier 2 assesses this property. | no |
| One-time account / payment-method provisioning | manage | unassessed | No probe tier that can detect this has run yet — unknown, not clean. Tier 2 assesses this property. | no |
| Identity / KYC verification | activate | unassessed | No probe tier that can detect this has run yet — unknown, not clean. Tier 2 assesses this property. | no |
| Crypto wallet / key-custody setup | operate | unassessed | No probe tier that can detect this has run yet — unknown, not clean. Tier 2 assesses this property. | no |
| CAPTCHA / bot-challenge | activate | success | None found — checked at Tier 0 (passive scan) + Tier 1 (unauth probe) (evidence-graded; not yet live-verified by a Tier 2 probe) Tier 0 assesses this property. | no |
| ToS clause banning automated/bot access | discover | success | None found — checked at Tier 0 (passive scan) (evidence-graded; not yet live-verified by a Tier 2 probe) Tier 0 assesses this property. | no |
| Mandatory redirect to vendor’s own site | operate | success | None found — checked at Tier 1 (unauth probe) (evidence-graded; not yet live-verified by a Tier 2 probe) Tier 1 assesses this property. | no |
| No Machine Interface | operate | success | None found — checked at Tier 1 (unauth probe) (evidence-graded; not yet live-verified by a Tier 2 probe) Tier 1 assesses this property. | yes |
| Interrupt found | Base weight | × Timing | × Hardness | × Evidence | = Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting score | 100 | ||||
| SSO-only signup, no API-key issuanceSignupSignup offers only OAuth/SSO buttons (Continue with Google, Continue with GitHub, Continue with ChatGPT, Continue with Apple) — no email/password or API-key path. | 5 | ×1one-time setup | ×2.5hard | ×0.8Tier 1 (unauth probe)inferred | −5 |
| Total penalty | −5 | ||||
| Full unknown tax 108.2 — capped at 25 (point score uses 50% of the capped value) | −108.2 | ||||
| Evidence-graded tax (successes not live-verified by a Tier 2 probe) 138.2 — capped at 25 (point score uses 25% of the capped value) | −138.2 | ||||
| Raw score = 100 − 5 = 95 Point score = 95 − 50% × 25 − 25% × 25 = 76.3 → 76 | 76 | ||||
inferred = detected from passive signals, not a directly observed interrupt — penalized at half weight
What would make this Easy
One concrete change per blocker found. These are the diffs between this listing's current parity and an unattended agent path.
- Activate / Manage — SSO-only signup, no API-key issuanceExpose an API / MCP credential alongside SSO.
How we scored this
- Confidence: Provisional (0.55) — Based on Tier 0/1 evidence only (passive checks, no live transaction attempt) — treat the number as a triage signal, not a verified outcome.
- Machine-Readability sub-score: 71 / 100 (a separate integration-ease signal — it never enters the Interrupt Score or badge).
- Rubric, tiers, confidence model, and badge thresholds →
Machine-readability checks 71 / 100
Four check groups, equal weight: machine interfaces, browsing efficiency, element discoverability, and discovery/agent access. Each check carries an evidence grade (proven / plausible / emerging) — an honesty label that never weights the score. What these mean →
- llms.txtemergingFound — vercel.com/llms.txt (4.8 KB, 25 links)
- llms-full.txtemergingNot provided
- AGENTS.mdemergingNot provided
- A2A agent cardemergingNot provided
- MCP server (well-known or official registry)plausibleNot provided
- OpenAPI/Swagger specplausibleNot provided
- Rate-limit headersplausibleNot provided
- Structured JSON error responsesplausibleFound — vercel.com/ (HTTP 404 JSON error body)
- OAuth authorization-server metadata (RFC 8414)provenFound — vercel.com/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server
- API catalog (RFC 9727) (emerging)emergingFound — vercel.com/.well-known/api-catalog
- Agent-payment discovery (x402 / UCP) (emerging)emergingNot provided
- Lean HTML transfer sizeplausibleNot provided
- Manageable DOM sizeplausible1127 DOM nodes (threshold 1500)
- High content-to-markup densityplausibleNot provided
- Content readable without JS executionprovenraw HTML holds 506% of rendered text (3386 vs 669 chars; threshold 40%)
- Clean-content alternate (RSS/Atom/feed/markdown)plausibleNot provided
- Serves markdown on Accept: text/markdownplausiblereturned text/markdown; charset=utf-8
- Interactive elements are semanticplausible183/183 semantic (100%); 0 div/span click targets
- Form fields have accessible namesplausible3/3 named (100%)
- Inputs carry autocomplete hintsplausibleNot checked — no autocomplete-eligible inputs
- WebMCP tools (modelContext API)emerging5 tool(s) registered via the modelContext API during page load
- AI retrieval/search fetchers allowed (robots.txt)provenno retrieval-fetcher blocks in robots.txt
- Sitemap (indexability)plausibleFound — vercel.com/sitemap.xml
- schema.org JSON-LD in raw HTMLplausible3 valid JSON-LD block(s) in raw (pre-JS) HTML
- Content-Signal directives (robots.txt)emergingsearch=yes, ai-input=yes, ai-train=no
- Web Bot Auth key directory (emerging)emergingNot provided
- Discovery Link headers on homepage (emerging)emergingrel=api-catalog
- Pricing visible without loginFound — vercel.com/pricing
- robots.txt AI-crawler accessplausibleno AI-crawler blocks in robots.txt
- Unauthenticated API error is structured JSONplausibleNot provided
- Unauthenticated API returns auth guidance (401/403 or documented)plausibleNot provided
- API exposes rate-limit headersplausibleNot provided
- API key obtainable without human interactionplausibleNot provided
Evidence & history
Last probed 2026-10-07 04:36 UTC. The raw JSON is the archival record.
| Date | Score | Badge | Rubric version |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-07 04:36 UTC | 76 | Moderate-Interrupt (current) | rubric v2026.4 |
| 2026-10-07 04:36 UTC | 71 | Moderate-Interrupt | rubric v2026.4 |
| 2026-09-07 01:52 UTC | 71 | Moderate-Interrupt | rubric v2026.4 |
| 2026-08-09 23:55 UTC | 71 | Moderate-Interrupt | rubric v2026.4 |
| 2026-08-09 23:55 UTC | 53 | Moderate-Interrupt | rubric v2026.4 |
| 2026-08-09 17:13 UTC | 53 | Moderate-Interrupt | rubric v2026.4 |
| 2026-08-09 07:24 UTC | 60 | Moderate-Interrupt | rubric v2026.3 |
| 2026-08-09 05:31 UTC | 0 | Blocked | rubric v2026.3 |
| 2026-08-09 05:31 UTC | 0 | Blocked | rubric v2026.3 |
| 2026-08-09 03:14 UTC | 78 | Moderate-Interrupt | rubric v2026.3 |
| 2026-08-09 01:52 UTC | 78 | Moderate-Interrupt | rubric v2026.2 |
| 2026-08-09 01:45 UTC | 78 | Moderate-Interrupt | rubric v2026.2 |
| 2026-08-08 22:11 UTC | 90 | Low-Interrupt | rubric v2026.1 |
| 2026-08-08 22:11 UTC | 100 | Low-Interrupt | rubric v2026.1 |
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