# AX Check: plankandbeam.com Checked 2026-10-22. Agent gets shopping steps, but the MCP tool link is dead The agent guide outlines clear shopping steps and auth rules, but its advertised MCP endpoint returns a 404, and no session could pull a live price. ## End-to-end onboarding not demonstrated ## Coding sessions All three sessions (DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, Kimi K3, Qwen 3.8 Max) completed but could not state a concrete price: the product catalog lookup failed, so each only described generic retail pricing with no figures or plan details, and none hit a login wall. ### DeepSeek V4.1 Flash [View public run](https://agents.withgauge.com/p/runs/1fc8c24c-1102-48a3-96f1-e977d3f20786) · [Read transcript](https://www.ax-check.com/plankandbeam.com/sessions/deepseek.json) Gave no cost figure, only 'ordinary retail e-commerce pricing'. The catalog request failed, so there are no prices, plan, or workload assumptions behind any number. (seq 41, seq 44) #### End-to-end onboarding - **End-to-end onboarding not demonstrated**: No product credentials were obtained and no authenticated operation was performed. The agent determined within the first turn that 'Plank+Beam' is a furniture e-commerce brand (Shopify storefront) with no developer API, SDK, or credential system, and stopped without attempting any onboarding flow. Event 44: ```text There is no first-party developer surface: `developers.plankandbeam.com` and `docs.plankandbeam.com` don't resolve, `/pages/api` is a 404, and there's no developer portal, API docs, SDK, or CLI. ``` #### Hallucinated URLs None identified in this transcript. #### Blockers - **No developer product exists for Plank+Beam**: The named product is a direct-to-consumer furniture brand running a standard Shopify storefront, not a developer platform. There are no API docs, SDKs, or developer subdomains. This is a product/scope mismatch rather than an agent error, credential gap, or test-environment issue — the agent did due diligence (DNS resolution attempts, npm/PyPI/GitHub search, Shopify fingerprinting) before concluding there was nothing to build against. Event 30: ```text === https://developers.plankandbeam.com === curl: (6) Could not resolve host: developers.plankandbeam.com 000 https://developers.plankandbeam.com/ === https://docs.plankandbeam.com === curl: (6) Could not resolve host: docs.plankandbeam.com 000 https://docs.plankandbeam.com/ ``` Event 35: ```text 83 Shopify 3 Shopify.theme 15 cdn.shopify 19 myshopify 262 shopify ``` Event 44: ```text Plank+Beam has no developer workflow I can act on. I can't build the requested example against a Plank+Beam SDK or API because none exists. ``` #### Suggested Changes None identified in this transcript. ### Kimi K3 [View public run](https://agents.withgauge.com/p/runs/3503c102-3d9a-4086-a497-e8ba8b677016) · [Read transcript](https://www.ax-check.com/plankandbeam.com/sessions/kimi.json) Pricing reduced to 'retail per-item prices on their storefront' with no figure, plan, workload or other stated assumptions (seq 6) #### End-to-end onboarding - **End-to-end onboarding not demonstrated**: The agent made a single pair of npm registry lookups for guessed package names, both returned 404, and it concluded (based on outside assumptions about a furniture brand, not any tool evidence in this transcript) that Plank+Beam has no developer workflow at all. It never attempted to find real documentation, an API, or credentials, so no credential acquisition or authenticated operation was demonstrated. Event 4: ```text npm error 404 Not Found - GET https://registry.npmjs.org/plankandbeam - Not found ``` #### Hallucinated URLs None identified in this transcript. #### Blockers - **Agent gave up after two guessed npm package names failed**: The agent only tried two self-guessed npm package name variants (plankandbeam, plank-beam) and treated the resulting 404s as proof no SDK or API exists. It did not search npm with broader terms, check for a web API, look for documentation, or search the web for the actual product name. This is agent error (insufficient investigation) rather than a demonstrated product limitation, since no real documentation site or API endpoint was ever checked. Event 3: ```text npm view plankandbeam 2>&1 | head -5; npm view plank-beam 2>&1 | head -5 ``` Event 6: ```text I checked the npm registry (`plankandbeam`, `plank-beam`) — nothing exists. The current repo is empty, and there's no quickstart to follow. ``` #### Suggested Changes - **Publish or surface an official npm package name for Plank+Beam's SDK (if one exists)**: If Plank+Beam offers a developer SDK, ensure it is discoverable under an obvious npm package name or is linked from a top-level docs page, since the agent's naive guesses (plankandbeam, plank-beam) both failed with 404 and it had no other way to find the real package or API within the session. Event 4: ```text npm error 404 Not Found - GET https://registry.npmjs.org/plank-beam - Not found ``` ### Qwen 3.8 Max [View public run](https://agents.withgauge.com/p/runs/5b4fd0dd-882f-4ded-99c3-01028d5a7aa6) · [Read transcript](https://www.ax-check.com/plankandbeam.com/sessions/qwen.json) No cost figure or plan assumptions given; agent declined to state pricing because no pricing source was reachable. (seq 27) #### End-to-end onboarding - **End-to-end onboarding not demonstrated**: The agent never obtained or used product credentials. It searched the sandbox environment for Plank+Beam secrets and found none, then searched public registries (npm, PyPI, GitHub) and found no such SDK or package exists. It stopped without attempting any authenticated operation, exactly as instructed by the seed prompt when no developer workflow is actionable. Event 13: ```text --- env hints --- PI_GATEWAY_API_KEY= GIT_CONFIG_KEY_0= ``` Event 27: ```text No credentials or endpoints are wired up. The only secrets in the environment are `PI_GATEWAY_API_KEY` (the agent harness itself) and a git config key. Nothing named for Plank or Beam — no API key, base URL, tenant, or org ID. ``` #### Hallucinated URLs None identified in this transcript. #### Blockers - **No Plank+Beam product artifacts exist anywhere reachable**: The sandbox repo contained only a generic .gitignore and one empty 'Initial workspace' commit, with no Plank+Beam source, docs, or SDK. Public registry and GitHub searches for the product name also returned no matches. This is an environment/product-definition gap rather than an agent mistake or a normal login wall — the agent correctly identified it had nothing to build against and stopped per instructions instead of fabricating an example. Event 6: ```text total 16 drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Sep 18 08:00 . drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 4096 Oct 22 17:41 .. drwxr-xr-x 8 root root 4096 Sep 24 20:05 .git -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 408 Sep 18 08:00 .gitignore ``` Event 7: ```text 9ebf5fb Initial workspace ``` Event 18: ```text npm:404 pypi:404 ``` Event 24: ```text total: 0 ``` #### Suggested Changes - **Seed the workspace with Plank+Beam source or a docs link**: The repo at /sandbox/repo contained nothing but a boilerplate .gitignore and a single empty commit labeled 'Initial workspace,' with no SDK, docs, or config pointing to the product. Populate the starter repo with either the actual Plank+Beam source/SDK or a README containing a docs URL and package name so agents can discover and install it; verify by confirming a fresh checkout contains a reachable reference to the real package or API. Event 6: ```text drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Sep 18 08:00 . drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 4096 Oct 22 17:41 .. drwxr-xr-x 8 root root 4096 Sep 24 20:05 .git -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 408 Sep 18 08:00 .gitignore ``` Event 7: ```text 9ebf5fb Initial workspace ``` ### Task given to each agent Help me build a simple example using Plank+Beam. Tell me how pricing works, and briefly tell me whether this product will be easy for you to manage. Let me know if you get blocked. If this product has no developer workflow you can act on, say so plainly and stop. Stay light: use the hosted product through its SDK or API. Do not start local service stacks or wait for long-running commands; if the quickstart requires either, say so plainly and stop. No product credentials were supplied and no purchases were authorized. ## Score: B · 67/100 (provisional) Grades come from completed site checks. Coding sessions and skipped checks do not affect the score. ### Clarity - **Failed** — Homepage answers Markdown requests ```text Homepage returned text/html for a text/markdown request; no Markdown representation offered. ``` - **Failed** — Install and next-step links resolve ```text llms.txt advertises MCP endpoint https://plankandbeam.com/api/ucp/mcp, but that fetch returned 404. ``` - **Pass** — llms.txt provides an actionable documentation index ```text llms.txt links the Shop skill, UCP profile, MCP endpoint, sitemap and store policies. ``` - **Pass** — llms.txt provides navigation guidance ```text llms.txt gives ordered steps: discover UCP profile, list MCP tools, then shop. ``` - **Pass** — llms.txt mentions offered API, MCP, and skills ```text llms.txt names the Shop skill, UCP MCP endpoint, and WebMCP browser tools. ``` - **Pass** — A compact guide representation exists ```text llms.txt is a compact agent guide covering Shop skill, UCP/MCP, WebMCP and policies. ``` - **Pass** — A focused guide is directly retrievable ```text llms.txt fetched directly as text/markdown with actionable agent shopping steps. ``` - **Pass** — Equivalent instructions fit a token budget ```text llms.txt is 1214 tokens, well under the 8000-token budget. ``` - **Skipped** — Product-docs links survive format changes ```text Homepage Markdown unsupported, so link preservation across formats cannot be measured. ``` - **Pass** — The compact guide is independently actionable ```text llms.txt gives an actionable agent workflow: Shop skill, UCP discovery, MCP endpoint, WebMCP, auth and rate-limit rules. ``` ### Onboarding - **Pass** — Docs lead to a relevant quickstart ```text llms.txt links the Shop skill and UCP integration with a step-by-step direct MCP flow. ``` - **Pass** — Installation commands are extractable ```text llms.txt gives concrete commands: GET /.well-known/ucp, connect MCP endpoint, tools/list. ``` - **Pass** — Code examples are available without interaction ```text llms.txt shows inline endpoint URLs and tool-call steps without requiring interaction. ``` - **Pass** — Prerequisites and auth boundaries are explicit ```text llms.txt states buyer authorization, agent identification, Web Bot Auth, and rate limits. ``` ### Pricing - **Failed** — Agents identify pricing and its assumptions ```text 3 of 3 sessions were judged on pricing; 3 fell short. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash: Gave no cost figure, only 'ordinary retail e-commerce pricing'. The catalog request failed, so there are no prices, plan, or workload assumptions behind any number. (seq 41, seq 44) Kimi K3: Pricing reduced to 'retail per-item prices on their storefront' with no figure, plan, workload or other stated assumptions (seq 6) Qwen 3.8 Max: No cost figure or plan assumptions given; agent declined to state pricing because no pricing source was reachable. (seq 27) This behavioural item does not affect the fast grade. ``` - **Pass** — Pricing is readable without interaction ```text Homepage lists product prices inline, e.g. Sereno Dining Chair $179, Laurel Table $449. ``` - **Pass** — Prices are stated, not gated ```text Prices shown directly on homepage product cards without login or gating. ``` - **Skipped** — Pricing units and limits are explicit ```text No pricing page fetched; homepage shows per-item prices but no plan units or limits. ``` ### Activation - **Failed** — An MCP server is documented and well-formed ```text llms.txt advertises MCP endpoint https://plankandbeam.com/api/ucp/mcp, but that URL returns 404. ``` - **Skipped** — An API reference or OpenAPI spec is reachable ```text No API reference or OpenAPI spec for Plank+Beam itself was fetched; only Shopify platform docs. ``` - **Skipped** — A CLI install path is documented ```text No CLI install path for Plank+Beam itself is documented; only Shopify's UCP CLI appears. ``` - **Skipped** — SDK packages resolve on their registries ```text No Plank+Beam SDK or packaged CLI package was identified; registry hits are Shopify's own packages. ``` - **Skipped** — Agent skills are published ```text llms.txt points to the third-party Shop skill, not a Plank+Beam-published agent skill. ``` [Full report data](https://www.ax-check.com/plankandbeam.com/report.json)