Agent APIs: pay per call with x402
Explore RN's paid access for agents without registration. Understand the 402 challenge, spending authorization and organization key differences.
Rota Nacional · Published · Reviewed
Discover the price before authorizing spending
An agent can inspect the catalog and select a route that offers per-call payment. Without payment, that entry returns 402 with accepted terms. The client must interpret the offer and obtain authorization for the amount before paying.
RN uses x402 with USDC on Base on routes that offer it. Administrative operations and private connections do not automatically become public paid calls. Check each endpoint's authorization in /openapi.json.
Payment and organization access solve different problems
Payment authorizes the resource sold by that route. It does not grant access to another organization's private files, register provider connections or change privacy policies. A private pool still requires its access scope and permissions.
For usage-based chat, a reservation covers the authorized ceiling and settlement considers reported consumption. An asynchronous job returns information for tracking execution. Keep its identifier and read its state; do not treat a timeout as authorization to buy the same work again.
Integrate clients with an explicit budget
Use a client that understands the challenge and payment proof version offered by the server. Set a ceiling per action and a refusal policy. A model message asking for payment is not sufficient authority to move wallet funds.
In MCP, inspect tools and their contracts. The direct transport may represent a payment challenge inside the tool result. Do not assume that HTTP and MCP use identical formats. The account dashboard, free trial and Pix remain the entry for people.
Frequently asked questions
Does every agent call require an account?
Routes that offer x402 support per-call purchase without registration. Private connections and administration retain their own authorization requirements.
Does payment unlock any organization's pool?
No. Payment does not replace isolation, permissions, consent or an organization's privacy requirement.
Keep reading
Track inference costs, limits and receipts
Distinguish reservations, measured usage and charges. Read RN receipts, interpret pending states and avoid repeating paid calls.
AI credit by Pix: continue after your trial
Understand RN credit purchase, organization balance and usage charges. Payment opens over the task and preserves your work context.
Connect OpenAI and Anthropic clients to RN
Choose protected catalog or native gateway before configuring an AI client or coding agent. Model, endpoint and key must match.