About x402-payagent-mcp
x402-payagent-mcp is an x402 payment MCP server for AI agents to buy access to paid APIs with USDC. It offers local-key and delegated wallet modes, with spending mandates, receipts, and idempotency for payment handling.
Key features
- 01Find and inspect paid APIs
- 02Pay for requests through x402
- 03Use local signing or delegated wallets
- 04Set delegated spending limits
- 05Create receipts and prevent duplicate payments
Use cases
- 01Let an agent call APIs that require payment
- 02Check prices and payment requirements first
- 03Track wallet balances and recent payments
- 04Retry payments safely with idempotency keys
MCP support
The MCP server provides tools for wallet setup, paid API discovery and inspection, payments, balances, and payment history. The default surface has seven core tools; administration tools can be enabled with PAYAGENT_MCP_PROFILE=admin.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
npx -y @arispay/payagent-mcpARISPAY_API_KEYSecretArisPay developer API key (ap_live_… / ap_test_…). Optional — the setup tool can self-provision one from just an email, or set PAYAGENT_PRIVATE_KEY to sign locally with no account.PAYAGENT_PRIVATE_KEYSecretEVM private key for permissionless local signing (zero-signup mode): pay signs x402 payments with it directly — no ArisPay account needed. Generate one with `npx payagent wallet new`. Never sent to any server.Local servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.
Tools
6Saved tool list · updated 3w ago
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| name | string | No | Human name. Falls back to the email local-part. |
| string | Yes | Email to register the account under. It is also the recovery key — use a real address. |
Details
From the project README@arispay/payagent-mcp
One coherent USDC payment product for AI agents: call x402-paid APIs, with spend mandates, receipts, and idempotency. Works with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, or any MCP client. A thin wrapper around the payagent SDK.
Two ways to hold the wallet:
- Local key (zero signup). Set
PAYAGENT_PRIVATE_KEYto a funded EOA key.paysigns EIP-3009 locally — no ArisPay account, no email. The only guardrail is the wallet balance; use a dedicated low-balance wallet. - Delegated custody (managed, recommended).
setup({ email })self-provisions an account, a CDP-managed wallet, and a spend mandate in one call. ArisPay enforces per-transaction, daily, and monthly limits server-side before signing; no private key ever lives in this process.
Tools
Seven core tools (the default surface):
| Tool | What it does | Money |
|---|---|---|
setup | Create or recover an account + payer wallet in one call (delegated mode) | moves none |
discover | Search the paid-API catalog by intent + budget | read-only |
inspect | Read a URL's price and payment requirements without paying | read-only |
pay | The complete machine path: request → 402 → select variant → validate policy → pay → structured receipt. Requires an idempotencyKey; a repeated key returns the cached receipt without paying again | spends real money |
balance | Active identity, deposit address, on-chain USDC balance, mandate limits | read-only |
history | Recent payments — server feed (delegated) or local receipts (self-custody) | read-only |
check_payment_signal | Buy ArisPay Signal: recent signed probe evidence about an x402 resource (did a real paid probe settle and deliver?). A still-valid cached artifact returns without spending; an unknown resource is answered free | spends 1¢ per uncached call |
Wallet administration (create_agent, fund_agent, list_agents, rename_agent) loads only when the host config sets PAYAGENT_MCP_PROFILE=admin.
Every tool declares MCP safety annotations (readOnlyHint, destructiveHint, idempotentHint, openWorldHint); pay and check_payment_signal are the only destructive tools — both spend real money.
Support matrix
| Asset | Network | Local key (self-custody) | Delegated (managed mandate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDC | Base (default) | ✅ | ✅ |
| USDC | Ethereum, Polygon | ✅ | ✅ |
| USDC | Base Sepolia (testnet) | ✅ | ✅ |
| USDC (SPL) | Solana, Solana devnet | ❌ (EVM signing only) | ✅ (live on api.arispay.app since 2026-08-25) |
| USD1 | BNB Chain | ✅ | ✅ |
Notes:
- All prices are quoted by sellers in the 402 challenge;
payprefers an EVM variant and falls back to Solana when the seller offers no EVM option. - Delegated mandates are integer cents, validated server-side before any signature exists. Local mode has no server-side cap.
- Settlement is a single on-chain
transferWithAuthorization(EIP-3009): it succeeds or reverts atomically. When the seller returnsX-PAYMENT-RESPONSE, the receipt carries the settlement transaction hash. - ArisPay's own facilitator (
facilitator.arispay.app) charges no facilitator fee; sellers may use any facilitator, and their fee/finality policy applies.
Setup
Add the server to your MCP client config. No environment variables are required — pick a wallet mode later, from inside the chat, or set one of the env options below.
Claude Desktop
Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"arispay": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@arispay/payagent-mcp"]
}
}
}
For the zero-signup mode, add the key to the env block:
"env": { "PAYAGENT_PRIVATE_KEY": "0x..." }
Cursor
Same server block in .cursor/mcp.json. Windsurf: same pattern in ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json.
Cold start, from nothing
- Zero signup: generate a key with
npx payagent wallet new, put it in the host config asPAYAGENT_PRIVATE_KEY, send USDC on Base to the printed address.balanceshows the deposit address;paypays. - Managed: ask the agent to run
setup({ email: "[email protected]" })— it returns the wallet address and mandate. Fund the wallet with USDC, confirm withbalance, thenpay. Credentials persist to~/.payagent/config.jsonand are shared with thepayagentCLI.
Environment variables (all optional)
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
PAYAGENT_PRIVATE_KEY | Funded EOA key for local self-custody signing (zero-signup mode). |
ARISPAY_API_KEY | Developer key — usually unneeded; setup self-provisions one. |
ARISPAY_URL | ArisPay API base URL. Default https://api.arispay.app. |
PAYAGENT_MCP_PROFILE | admin additionally loads the four wallet-administration tools. Default: core (seven tools). |
ARISPAY_AGENT_KEY / PAYAGENT_WALLET | Legacy single-agent pair for v2.0.x hosts. |
Migrating from v3
v4 is a breaking release: the surface collapsed to one x402/USDC product.
| v3 tool | v4 |
|---|---|
create_user | setup |
pay_api | pay (now requires idempotencyKey, returns a structured receipt) |
discover_paid_api | discover |
inspect_paid_api | inspect |
check_wallet, get_balance_agent | balance |
| — | history (new) |
create_agent, fund_agent, list_agents, rename_agent | unchanged, behind PAYAGENT_MCP_PROFILE=admin |
create_wallet, list_wallets, fund_wallet, get_balance, pay_merchant, create_enduser, attach_card_for_user, set_user_limits, get_user_status | removed — the fiat funding and platform (end-user) surfaces left the public MCP |
Receipts and idempotency
pay requires a caller-chosen idempotencyKey (min 8 chars — use a UUID). Every completed payment writes a machine-readable receipt (amount, asset, network, wallet, settlement tx, remaining mandate) to ~/.payagent/mcp-receipts.json. Re-calling pay with a key that already paid returns the stored receipt and does not pay again — including when the paid request failed mid-flight. history lists receipts in self-custody mode; delegated mode reads the authoritative server feed.
How it works
- The agent calls
paywith a URL and anidempotencyKey; the seller answers HTTP 402 with its price. - With
PAYAGENT_PRIVATE_KEYset,payagentsigns the EIP-3009 authorization locally. Otherwise ArisPay validates the request against the agent's mandate and signs via Coinbase CDP. payagentretries with the signed payment header; the seller's facilitator settles USDC on-chain.- The tool returns the paid response plus a structured receipt.
In delegated mode, no private key lives in this process and payments that breach the mandate are rejected before any on-chain action. In local mode, the key is yours and stays in your process.
Install
npm install @arispay/payagent-mcp
Or invoke directly via npx @arispay/payagent-mcp from an MCP client config — no pre-install required. npx buyforme-mcp is the same server under the consumer brand.
Related
- payagent — the SDK + CLI for programmatic use
- facilitator.arispay.app — ArisPay's open x402 facilitator, where paid 402s settle
- x402 protocol — HTTP 402 payment standard
License
MIT
Comments
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