The deep integration of the digital economy with agricultural productive services is a key strategy to enhance the efficiency of agricultural service provision and to accelerate the development of modern agriculture. Based on a panel data of 31 Chinese provinces from 2012 to 2022, this paper assesses the development level of the digital economy and the efficiency of agricultural productive services by the fixed effects, mediation effect, and threshold effect models and thoroughly analyzes the mechanism through which the digital economy influences agricultural service efficiency. Results show that: 1) the digital economy significantly boosts the efficiency of agricultural productive services, with a more pronounced effect in the eastern and central regions, as well as in major grain production and sales areas. Two significant driving factors are the development of digital infrastructure and the digital transformation of industries; 2) the accumulation of rural human capital and the optimization of industrial structures serve as crucial intermediary pathways through which the digital economy enhances agricultural service efficiency; And 3) the effect of the digital economy on agricultural service efficiency is nonlinear, constrained by threshold effects related to service efficiency, non-agricultural employment levels, and technological investment. Based on these results, this paper suggests: continuing to promote the development of the digital economy, strengthening the accumulation of rural human capital, optimizing industrial structure upgrading, increasing technological investment, and coordinating regional economic development to further unlock the empowering potential of the digital economy in enhancing agricultural productive services.