# How to Choose a Distribution Platform for AI Agents: 12 Criteria

_2026-10-07 · Twelve criteria for choosing a social distribution platform an AI agent can run: MCP and API access, scoped keys, audit, per-account variation and pricing._

To choose a distribution platform for AI agents, test whether an agent can do the whole job through it: connect without a human clicking through screens, find the right accounts, build varied posts per account, wait for approval, schedule safely and read results per account. Then check the controls around that: key scopes, an audit log, official network APIs and pricing that does not penalize automation. A platform designed for people with an API added later usually fails on two or three of these, and those gaps are where agent projects stall.

The twelve criteria below are what we would use to evaluate any platform, including ours. They are grouped into access, control, distribution quality and business fit, and they end with a short hands-on test you can run in an afternoon.

## Why does "has an API" no longer settle the question?

Most social tools have offered an API for years. Those APIs were usually built for developers writing integrations: you read the docs, write code, handle authentication, map fields. An agent works differently. It discovers operations at runtime, reads descriptions to decide what to call, and needs structured errors it can act on. A platform built with agents in mind exposes its operations as tools through a standard such as the [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/getting-started/intro), describes them clearly and limits what each key can do. If you are new to MCP, start with our [explainer for marketers](/en/blog/mcp-explained-for-marketers).

## Access: can the agent reach the platform cleanly?

### 1. A remote MCP server

The agent should connect by URL, with no local install. Check the transport. The MCP specification defines [Streamable HTTP](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2025-06-18/basic/transports) for remote servers. Check also how authentication works and which clients that rules in or out.

### 2. A documented REST API with an OpenAPI description

Not every workflow runs inside an assistant. Scheduled jobs and internal tools call APIs directly. An OpenAPI description, for example [Shager's OpenAPI 3.1 file](https://app.shager.ai/api/v1/openapi.json), lets developers and code generators use the same operations as the MCP tools. Look for consistent response and error shapes; an agent recovers far better from `{ "error": { "code", "message" } }` than from an HTML error page.

### 3. Agent self-registration with human claim

Can an agent create a trial workspace on its own and hand a human a link to take ownership? This removes the slowest step in evaluation. The safeguard is that the sandbox must be limited until a human claims it. Shager's [registration recipe for agents](/auth.md) works this way: an unclaimed sandbox can create drafts but cannot schedule, publish, send approval requests or create connect links.

## Control: can you limit and observe what the agent does?

### 4. Scoped keys

Separate read, write and publish permissions are the most important control in agent-run distribution. Without them, the only thing between a prompt and a public post is the model's interpretation.

### 5. An audit log of agent calls

You need to see every call an agent made, with which key, and when. Ask whether the log is visible to the team in the product or only available through support.

### 6. Draft and approval states as first-class objects

The agent should be able to create a draft, request approval, check status and schedule only afterwards, all through tools. If client approval requires the client to create an account, expect approvals to stall. Our article on [human approval for agent posts](/en/blog/human-approval-for-agent-posts) explains why the gate belongs between draft and schedule.

## Distribution quality: will the output be safe and effective at scale?

### 7. Per-account variation in one call

Look for a way to set a different caption, first comment and format per account inside a single post request. Without it, agents either send identical captions everywhere or make one call per account, which is slower and harder to manage.

### 8. Staggered dispatch and pre-send validation

Sending to many accounts at the same second is a pattern platforms watch for. Check whether the platform spaces dispatch across accounts and lets you set the range, and whether it validates each post against the target network's rules before sending.

### 9. Official network APIs only

Ask directly how the platform publishes. Browser automation and shared logins put client accounts at risk under network terms. This is a yes or no question, and the answer should be in writing.

### 10. Attribution per account

A platform for agencies should generate a tracked link per account and report clicks per account and per post through the API, so the agent can produce the weekly read.

## Business fit: does it work for an agency's economics?

### 11. Client onboarding without passwords

The platform should let clients connect their own accounts through a link, without creating an account and without sharing credentials, and an agent should be able to create those links through the API once a human has authorized it.

### 12. Pricing that does not tax automation

Check whether API and MCP access are included or reserved for top tiers, whether each human reviewer costs a seat, and how price scales with the number of accounts. Agencies grow by accounts, so per-account pricing with unlimited users usually fits better than per-seat pricing. Shager's plans, with API, MCP and unlimited users on every tier, are on the [pricing page](/en/pricing).

## How do you score the shortlist?

Use a simple sheet. Score each criterion 0, 1 or 2, and mark any criterion that is a hard requirement for you.

| Criterion | Hard requirement? | Platform A | Platform B | Platform C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Remote MCP server | Yes |  |  |  |
| 2. REST API with OpenAPI |  |  |  |  |
| 3. Self-registration with claim |  |  |  |  |
| 4. Scoped keys | Yes |  |  |  |
| 5. Audit log | Yes |  |  |  |
| 6. Draft and approval states |  |  |  |  |
| 7. Per-account variation |  |  |  |  |
| 8. Stagger and validation |  |  |  |  |
| 9. Official APIs only | Yes |  |  |  |
| 10. Per-account attribution |  |  |  |  |
| 11. Client connect links |  |  |  |  |
| 12. Pricing fit |  |  |  |  |

Which items are hard requirements depends on your business. The four marked here are the ones we would not compromise on for client work.

## What hands-on test should you run?

Documentation tells you what a platform intends. A test tells you what an agent can actually do. Give each candidate the same task, using the same assistant.

1. **Connect.** Add the MCP server to your assistant. Time it.
2. **Discover.** Ask: "What can you do in this platform?" A good server's tool descriptions let the assistant answer accurately.
3. **Build.** Ask the agent to create a draft for three accounts with a different caption for each, a first comment with a link and a video in vertical format.
4. **Break it.** Give it a video with the wrong dimensions for a Reel. Watch whether the error is clear enough for the agent to explain and fix.
5. **Gate it.** With a key that lacks publish rights, ask the agent to schedule. It should be refused cleanly.
6. **Approve.** Send an approval request to a colleague acting as the client. Note whether they needed an account.
7. **Read.** Ask for clicks per account for a past date range.
8. **Audit.** Find the record of everything the agent just did.

For Shager, steps 1 to 8 map onto `whoami`, `list_workspaces`, `list_channels`, `upload_media_from_url`, `create_post` with `per_channel`, `request_approval`, `schedule_post` and `get_analytics`, with the audit log on the agents dashboard.

## FAQ

### Should we build our own distribution layer on the networks' APIs instead?

You can, and some large teams do. Weigh the cost of app review with each network, token management, format validation, rate limits and ongoing API changes against a platform that already handles them. For most agencies the build cost is hard to justify.

### How long should an evaluation take?

The hands-on test above takes an afternoon per platform. Follow it with two weeks of real drafts for one client before committing.

### Does a platform need to support every network on day one?

It needs to support the networks your clients use now, with a credible plan for the rest. Shager publishes to Facebook Pages, Instagram professional accounts and YouTube today, with TikTok and LinkedIn in development.

If Shager is on your shortlist, an agent can start the test itself by registering a sandbox, and the [agent entry point](/en/agents) has setup steps for each client.

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Source: https://shager.ai/en/blog/choosing-a-distribution-platform-for-agents