How Automated Agents Pay Each Other: x402 Protocol Explained

说明与用途

自动化代理现在可以使用x402协议通过Base上的USDC支付请求，无需手动账户和密钥。

问题

Automated systems need to transact programmatically, but traditional payment rails require manual intervention—accounts, API keys, subscriptions.

结果

Agents can transact without manual intervention, enabling true machine-to-machine commerce.

工作流

• 1. Agent sends request to a paid API endpoint.
• 2. Endpoint responds with HTTP 402 and a payment request in USDC on Base.
• 3. Agent pays the required amount from its wallet.
• 4. Upon receipt, the endpoint processes the request and returns the response.

证据

We built a system where automated agents pay per request using the x402 protocol — HTTP 402 + USDC on Base. No accounts, no keys, just wallets and code.

来源