Source: https://www.agentweb.us/glossary/web-actions-for-ai-agents/

# What are web actions for AI agents?

By Andrey Marey, Founder of AgentWeb · As of Oct 20, 2026

> **Short answer.** A web action is one named, typed operation on a real website that an AI agent can call directly, like `place_order` on Uber Eats, `book_reservation` on SevenRooms or `send_inmail` on LinkedIn. It has declared inputs and returns a structured result, so the agent knows whether the task finished. AgentWeb provides web actions for AI agents on 1,462 sites as of Oct 20, 2026.

Web actions are the unit of the execution layer: instead of an agent moving a cursor through a page, it asks for the outcome by name.

## How a web action differs from browsing

| | Web action | Browser automation |
|---|---|---|
| The agent asks for | An outcome, by name | A sequence of clicks |
| What comes back | A structured result | A page or a screenshot |
| When the site changes | The map is updated once, for everyone | Every agent's script breaks |
| Logins | Hosted, once per user | Your code handles them |

## Examples

- Food: Uber Eats `add_item_to_cart`, `view_checkout`, `place_order`.
- Restaurants: SevenRooms `create_hold`, `book_reservation`. DesignMyNight `book_table`.
- Outreach: LinkedIn `send_message`, `send_connection_request`, `send_inmail`.
- Social: X `reply_post`, `add_like`. Threads `add_follow`.
- CRM: Crunchbase `create_deal`, `add_to_list`.

Many actions read rather than act, like LinkedIn `get_profile`. They exist so the agent can check before it acts.

## Frequently asked questions

### Are web actions the same as an API?
They behave like one for the agent: a name, inputs and a result. The difference is that they cover sites that have no public API for that task, and they run on the user's own account.

### Who maps the actions?
AgentWeb maps each site into an action map. If a site you need is missing, you can request it.

## Related

- [What is an execution layer for AI agents?](/glossary/execution-layer/)
- [What is an action map?](/glossary/action-map/)
- [Best tools for AI agents to take actions on websites (2026)](/blog/best-tools-for-ai-agents-to-take-actions-on-websites-2026/)