# Article: 25 point Door Gap
- Site: article.com
- Scanned: 2026-09-08
- Scan type: Basic scan
- Business type: ecommerce
- Report: https://www.seconddoor.io/r/article-4gvfvx
- Scanner version: 12
A network edge blocks the AI crawlers that robots.txt welcomes, and reviews load only through JavaScript, cutting off agent shopping.
## Scores
| Measure | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Humans | 81/100 |
| Agents | 56/100 |
| Composite | 69/100 |
| Door Gap | 25 points |
The human score is the mean of the four human dimensions, the agent score the mean of the six agent dimensions, and the Door Gap the difference between them.
## What the machine actually did
The agent got through 9 of 17 requests, but could not ask whether the door opens for requests carrying the AI crawlers' names. It came up empty on 7 other checks too.
- ok      reach the site at all
- ok      find out whether machines are welcome
- missing ask whether the door opens for requests carrying the AI crawlers' names
- missing read the site's own guide for language models
- ok      find out what pages exist
- missing find a contact route for machines
- missing find a published agent interface
- missing find an agent plugin manifest
- missing find out whether verified agents are recognised
- ok      read the homepage as data rather than as a page
- missing find a machine readable API spec
- missing read the developer documentation
- ok      read the prices without running JavaScript
- ok      read the product catalogue as data
- ok      read a product page as data
- ok      read the returns and shipping terms
- ok      walk the way a visitor would, to a signup form or a product
## Top issues
1. **The network edge refuses 1 declared AI crawler that robots.txt welcomes, so the published policy and the actual behaviour disagree.** (machine_discoverability)
2. **Reviews load from Bazaarvoice by script, so a client that reads raw HTML sees the products without a single review.** (commercial_rails)
3. **No developer documentation is linked from the homepage, in raw HTML or the rendered page, so integration starts with a search engine.** (programmatic_onboarding)
The evidence and the recommended fix for each are on the report page: https://www.seconddoor.io/r/article-4gvfvx
## Files generated from this scan
- **Let verified assistants through** at `notes`, 1 hour, developer. Verify: The next scan opens the homepage and the key pages in a real browser and under the search crawler names, and every one is served.
- **Product markup skeleton** at `/product/26945/hanson-79-sofa-thistle-green`, 2 hours, developer. Verify: The next scan reads price, currency and availability in the Product markup of at least one product page.
- **Put Bazaarvoice reviews in the page** at `notes`, 10 minutes, no developer needed. Verify: The next scan finds review text in the server HTML of a product page.
- **robots.txt rules for AI crawlers** at `/robots.txt`, 10 minutes, no developer needed. Verify: The next scan reads robots.txt and finds every search and agent crawler allowed, none of them kept off product or pricing paths.
- **Return policy and shipping structured data** at `product page`, 30 minutes, developer. Verify: The next scan reads a MerchantReturnPolicy on the product pages, and OfferShippingDetails when the shipping node was published.
- **Agent checkout: where you stand** at `notes`, 10 minutes, no developer needed. Verify: The next scan finds a UCP manifest, a storefront MCP endpoint or another discovery file answering, and the checkout check passes.
- **security.txt** at `/.well-known/security.txt`, 10 minutes, no developer needed. Verify: The next scan fetches /.well-known/security.txt as text and the security.txt check passes.
- **Machine interfaces: where you stand** at `notes`, 10 minutes, no developer needed. Verify: The next scan finds the interface you published answering at its well-known path, and that check passes.
- **llms.txt** at `/llms.txt`, 15 minutes, no developer needed. Verify: The next scan fetches /llms.txt as text and the llms.txt check passes.
Each file is written from what this scan found on the site. The content is in the JSON once the evidence is opened: https://www.seconddoor.io/api/reports/article-4gvfvx
## The agent door
- **machine_discoverability** 100/100. No AI crawler is blocked by robots.txt, a real browser is served the page normally, and the sitemap lists 1148 product URLs. The network edge refuses gptbot despite robots.txt welcoming it, but the published policy itself permits crawling.
- **programmatic_onboarding** 10/100. No API surface, OpenAPI spec, MCP manifest, or developer documentation is published. The site offers no programmatic route to product data or checkout. An agent must walk the sitemap and parse HTML.
- **pricing_legibility** 88/100. Prices appear in raw HTML on all 3 product pages checked, and Product structured data publishes price and currency without requiring JavaScript. The visible price ($799) matches the structured price. Availability is also published.
- **agent_aware_instrumentation** 16/100. No MCP manifest exists at any of the 3 standard paths checked. Product markup carries brand, identifier, price, currency and availability, but no aggregate rating or review text reaches a non-JavaScript client.
- **machine_fetchable_trust** 65/100. No security.txt is published. The returns policy reads as text with a 30-day window and is linked from product pages. The shipping policy reads as text and is linked from product pages. The homepage answers automated requests.
- **commercial_rails** 59/100. Product markup carries price, currency and an identifier. The sitemap lists products. Returns and shipping terms read as text on dedicated pages. No checkout manifest is published, so an agent has no declared route to purchase.
## The human door
- **steps_to_first_value** 95/100. A product with its price ($799) and an add-to-cart control is reached in 2 steps from the homepage. The price is visible without JavaScript. A shopper can see what they want to buy and its cost immediately.
- **required_fields** 80/100. The product page does not require an account before adding to cart. No sign-in wall blocks the add-to-cart control. PayPal is offered as an express wallet, allowing checkout without a form.
- **verification_walls** 75/100. No sign-in requirement appears on the product page before purchase. The add-to-cart control is accessible without authentication. A guest can proceed to checkout.
- **error_recovery** 75/100. The product page offers 3 size or colour choosers, letting a shopper correct their selection before adding to cart. Validation includes 2 live regions to signal errors.
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Scored by SecondDoor. Method: https://www.seconddoor.io/methodology
Scan another site: https://www.seconddoor.io
Rate an issue or this report: POST https://www.seconddoor.io/api/feedback, or the rate_fix tool on https://www.seconddoor.io/api/mcp