x402 Protocol Powers Autonomous AI Agents to Pay with Crypto

AI agents are software programs that can pursue goals with minimal human supervision, performing actions such as reading information, making decisions, and using external tools. To operate autonomously on the internet, these agents need a way to pay for services like data, compute, or online resources without human intervention.

The x402 protocol revives the unused HTTP 402 status code, enabling a pay‑per‑call model where agents can instantly purchase services using stablecoins such as USDC. By wrapping standard API calls with a payment layer, agents can obtain company enrichment data, on‑chain wallet profiles, and other public information for a few cents per request, with settlement handled non‑custodially via EIP‑3009. This structure allows autonomous agents to transact directly, expanding the possibilities for a machine‑driven internet economy.