About agentpay
AgentPay is a BTC-native payment protocol and SDK for AI agents, built on CKB Fiber Network. It supports micropayments, escrow through Hold Invoice, and cross-chain payments; its packages include an MCP server with eight payment tools.
Key features
- 01Zero-gas micropayments
- 02Hold Invoice escrow
- 03Lightning cross-chain payments
- 04SDK and project scaffolding CLI
- 05HTTP 402 payment middleware
Use cases
- 01Charging agents per API call
- 02Holding payment until service delivery is confirmed
- 03Enabling agents to pay for another agent’s API
- 04Adding payment gates to HTTP APIs
MCP support
The AgentPay MCP server exposes eight tools for balances, payments, invoices, escrow operations, service payments, and channel listing.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
npx -y @agentpay-dev/mcp-serverFIBER_RPC_URLFiber Network RPC URLLocal servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.
Tools
Local servers expose tools only once running on your machine, and the maintainer has not provided a tool list.
Details
From the project READMEAgentPay - BTC-Native AI Agent Payment Protocol
Give every AI Agent a wallet. Let Agents pay each other - instantly, with zero fees.
AgentPay is a BTC-native payment protocol designed for AI Agent economies. Built on CKB Fiber Network (Lightning-compatible L2), it enables:
- Zero-gas micropayments - Pay per API call, no minimum amount
- Hold Invoice escrow - Lock funds until service delivery is confirmed
- BTC interoperability - Cross-chain payments via Lightning Network
- MCP integration - Let Claude/GPT agents make payments natively
Quick Start
Install
npm install @agentpay-dev/sdk @agentpay-dev/core
Create a Payment Agent
import { AgentWallet } from '@agentpay-dev/sdk';
const wallet = new AgentWallet({ fiberRpcUrl: process.env.FIBER_RPC_URL });
// Pay another agent for a service
const result = await wallet.payAndCall(
'https://translator-agent.example.com',
'translate',
{ text: 'Hello World', target: 'zh' }
);
Scaffold a New Project
npx create-agentpay my-agent
cd my-agent && npm install
Architecture
+-----------------------------------------------------+
| Applications |
| AI Agents | DePIN Devices | API Marketplaces |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
| AgentPay SDK |
| AgentWallet | ServiceProvider | HubClient |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
| AgentPay Core |
| Settlement | Metering | DID | Assets |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
| CKB Fiber Network (L2) |
| Payment Channels | Hold Invoice | HTLC Routing |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
| CKB L1 + BTC Lightning Network |
| xUDT Assets | RGB++ | Cross-chain (Cch) |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
Packages
| Package | npm | Description |
|---|---|---|
@agentpay-dev/core | Protocol core: Fiber RPC, settlement, assets, DePIN metering | |
@agentpay-dev/sdk | Developer SDK: AgentWallet, ServiceProvider, HubClient | |
@agentpay-dev/mcp-server | MCP Server: 8 payment tools for Claude/GPT | |
@agentpay-dev/x402-facilitator | HTTP 402 payment middleware with Fiber settlement | |
@agentpay-dev/ap2 | Google AP2 protocol bridge to Fiber | |
create-agentpay | CLI scaffolding tool |
Key Features
Hold Invoice - Trustless Escrow
The killer feature. Agent A locks payment, Agent B delivers, funds release only on confirmation:
import { ServiceProvider } from '@agentpay-dev/sdk';
const provider = new ServiceProvider({
fiberRpcUrl: process.env.FIBER_RPC_URL,
services: {
translate: {
price: 100_000_000n, // 1 CKB per request
handler: async (params) => {
const result = await doTranslation(params.text, params.target);
return { translation: result };
}
}
}
});
// Hold flow: Lock -> Deliver -> Release (atomic)
// If service fails, funds auto-refund via HTLC timeout
MCP Server - AI-Native Payments
Registered on the official MCP Registry as io.github.alefnt/agentpay.
Add to Claude Desktop config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"agentpay": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["@agentpay-dev/mcp-server"],
"env": { "FIBER_RPC_URL": "http://localhost:8227" }
}
}
}
8 MCP Tools:
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
get_balance | Check wallet balance (CKB + xUDT) |
send_payment | Send a payment via Fiber invoice |
create_invoice | Generate a Fiber invoice to receive payment |
pay_for_service | Pay-and-call another agent's API |
create_hold_invoice | Create escrow payment (lock funds) |
settle_hold | Release held funds after service delivery |
cancel_hold | Cancel and refund held payment |
list_channels | View active payment channels |
x402 HTTP Compatibility
Any HTTP API becomes a paid API with one middleware:
import { createX402Middleware } from '@agentpay-dev/x402-facilitator';
const paywall = createX402Middleware({ price: '100000000' });
http.createServer((req, res) => {
paywall(req, res, () => {
res.end(JSON.stringify({ data: 'premium content' }));
});
});
// Client: HTTP 402 -> pay Fiber invoice -> retry -> get content
BTC Cross-Chain
Pay with BTC, settle on CKB via Lightning-Fiber bridge:
import { CchClient } from '@agentpay-dev/core';
const cch = new CchClient({ cchRpcUrl: process.env.CCH_RPC_URL });
await cch.sendBtcToCkb({
btcPayReq: 'lnbc100n1p...',
fiberChannelId: '0x...',
});
Ecosystem Integration
AgentPay enhances existing payment solutions:
| Platform | How AgentPay Helps |
|---|---|
| x402 (Coinbase) | Zero-gas Fiber settlement backend for HTTP 402 protocol |
| AP2 (Google) | Settlement layer for agent authorization framework |
| Stripe | Complements with agent-to-agent micropayments (sub-cent) |
| Lightning Network | Cross-chain via Cch bridge, expanding BTC payment reach |
Project Structure
AgentPay/
packages/
core/ # Protocol core (Fiber RPC, settlement, DePIN)
sdk/ # Developer SDK (Wallet, Provider, Hub)
mcp-server/ # MCP Server for AI agents
x402-facilitator/ # HTTP 402 middleware
ap2/ # Google AP2 bridge
create-agentpay/ # CLI scaffolding
services/
hub/ # Hosted wallet service
registry/ # Agent discovery service
examples/
translate-agent/ # Translation service example
code-review-agent/ # Code review agent example
btc-to-ckb/ # Cross-chain payment example
docs/
product.md # Product overview
architecture.md # Technical architecture
Documentation
- Product Overview - What AgentPay solves and how
- Architecture - Technical design and protocol layers
- Competitive Analysis - Comparison with x402, AP2, Stripe
Tech Stack
- Runtime: Node.js 20+ / TypeScript 5.5+
- L2 Network: CKB Fiber Network (Lightning-compatible)
- L1 Blockchain: Nervos CKB
- Asset Standard: xUDT (extensible User Defined Token)
- Identity: .bit decentralized identity
- Cross-chain: Cch (CKB - BTC Lightning bridge)
- AI Integration: Model Context Protocol (MCP)
- Build: pnpm workspace monorepo
Development
git clone https://github.com/alefnt/AgentPay.git
cd AgentPay
pnpm install
pnpm build
pnpm test
Roadmap
- Core protocol (Fiber RPC, settlement, assets)
- SDK (AgentWallet, ServiceProvider, HubClient)
- MCP Server with 8 payment tools
- x402 HTTP 402 facilitator
- AP2 protocol bridge
- DePIN metering module
- BTC cross-chain (Cch + LND)
- RGB++ bridge integration
- npm packages published
- MCP Registry registration
- Fiber mainnet deployment
- Stablecoin (RUSD) support on CKB
- Public demo site
- Production Hub service
License
MIT - see LICENSE for details.
Built for the Agent Economy - where AI agents autonomously discover, negotiate, and pay for services.
Comments
New to MCP?
From what the protocol is to installing your first server, these answers cover most first questions.
An open protocol that defines how AI applications connect to external tools and data in a uniform way. Clients talk to the model; MCP servers provide tools, resources and prompt templates. They exchange standard messages, so one server can be reused by many clients.