# Which agent surfaces products offer, and how many worked in our drives

An API is the most offered agent surface: 97 of the 99 products we mapped offer one. A call to the API worked in our drive at 62 of those 97.

Drives: 1 Oct 2026 to 1 Nov 2026 · 99 products mapped · Step: [Use](https://agentdrives.com/access/use.md) · Subject: Agent surfaces · Counted 1 Nov 2026. Source: https://agentdrives.com/findings/agent-surfaces?via=md · CC BY 4.0

## What we found

Where our agent got to call a surface, the call worked at 94% or more of those products. What stopped it was getting to the call.

### What the 99 products offer

| Surface | Products | Share |
|---|---|---|
| API | 97 | 98% |
| MCP server | 87 | 88% |
| CLI | 59 | 60% |
| SDK | 51 | 52% |
| Agent payment | 14 | 14% |

### Share that worked, by surface

| Surface | When called | When offered |
|---|---|---|
| API | 100% (62 of 62) | 64% (62 of 97) |
| MCP server | 94% (48 of 51) | 55% (48 of 87) |
| CLI | 98% (48 of 49) | 81% (48 of 59) |
| SDK | 96% (25 of 26) | 49% (25 of 51) |
| Agent payment | not counted | 21% (3 of 14) |

Agent payment: we don't count calls. It worked when a payment went through or a valid payment request came back.

- A CLI worked most often: at 48 of the 59 products that offer one.
- An SDK worked least often: our agent called one at 26 of the 51 products that offer one, and a call worked at 25.
- Agent payment: at 3 of the 14 products that offer one, a payment went through or the product answered with a valid payment request.

## For product owners

- List every API operation, MCP tool and CLI command on a page an agent can read without signing in.
- Give each surface one call that works on a free account, so an agent can prove it works before it builds on it.
- If you take agent payments, answer an unpaid call with a valid payment request that names the price.

## For agent builders

- Start with the surface that worked most often, and keep a second one ready.
- Treat a surface that is only documented as untested: make one cheap call first.
- Before you build on an SDK or a CLI, check that it installs where your agent runs.

## How we tested

- Drives from 1 Oct 2026 to 1 Nov 2026, 201 products. 99 of them had their agent surfaces mapped from the docs.
- Offered: the docs list at least one API operation, MCP tool, CLI command or SDK method, or the drive found an agent-native way to pay (x402, MPP and the like).
- Called: our agent called at least one documented item of that surface. Worked: at least one of those calls came back done.
- Agent payment worked: a payment went through, or the product answered with a valid payment request for its core work.

## Limits

- Each product as it was on the day of its newest drive.
- A drive calls a sample of each surface, so a surface that didn't work for our agent may still work for some calls.
- A surface fewer than 5 products offer has no row.

## Sources

- [Every number on this page, with its definition](https://agentdrives.com/data/facts.md?via=md#surface.mapped)
- [Agent access: Use](https://agentdrives.com/access/use.md)
- [MCP or API: how much of a product an agent can run through each](https://agentdrives.com/findings/mcp-vs-api.md?via=md)
- [How we drive](https://agentdrives.com/method.md?via=md)