Lesson

Three agents couldn't pay a parking ticket

The poster got a San Francisco parking ticket and asked AI agents to pay it. Grok Bot, Meta Muse and a third agent all failed on the SFMTA payment site, even though he gave them the payment link.

The lesson: Government payment sites often block agents. Use the agent to look up the amount and deadline, then pay yourself.

Copy this prompt

Open [CITY] parking ticket payment page and look up ticket number [TICKET NUMBER] with plate [PLATE NUMBER]. Tell me the amount due, the due date and the late fee. If you can't get past a step, stop and tell me which step and what you saw. Don't enter any payment details.

Our own prompt, written from what the source describes. We haven't run it ourselves. Text in [BRACKETS] is what you replace.

Watch out for

  • Paying late can add fees. Don't wait on an agent if the due date is close.

Where this comes from

Original post by @bonam on X, Oct 27, 2026. We rewrote it in our own words. Check the original for the full context.

Read the original

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