x402

Use an API key and credits for most integrations. x402 lets you call paid /v1 routes without a key — pay USDC on Base, same JSON back.

Account routes (/v1/whoami, /v1/balance) and NL Ask (POST /v1/ask) always need an API key. They are not on the x402 rail.

Paid endpoints are also discoverable in the Coinbase x402 Bazaar catalog (HTTP and MCP).

How it works

Call a paid endpoint without x-api-key.
Read HTTP 402 and the PAYMENT-REQUIRED header (Base64 JSON — amount, network, pay-to, scheme).
Sign the payment (wallet or @x402/fetch).
Retry the same request with PAYMENT-SIGNATURE.
On success, use the JSON body as usual; PAYMENT-RESPONSE is the settlement receipt.

Price matches the Starter pack list rate: $0.014 per credit. Metering is the same as the credits rail (including attempt floors on some search endpoints).

Optional: send a payment-identifier so retries stay idempotent.

Exact vs upto

The PAYMENT-REQUIRED challenge includes a scheme. Register both schemes on your buyer client so every paid route works.

Scheme	When you see it	Buyer setup
`exact`	Flat-price routes (most endpoints)	Sign each request. USDC uses EIP-3009 — no on-chain approve
`upto`	Metered routes (e.g. list/search that charge per returned record)	Authorize a ceiling; settle charges only what was used. Needs a one-time Permit2 approve (below)

If you only register ExactEvmScheme, metered/upto calls will fail after the payment challenge.

One-time Permit2 approve

For upto on Base, your buyer wallet must approve the canonical Permit2 contract to spend USDC once:

USDC (Base): 0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913
Permit2: 0x000000000022D473030F116dDEE9F6B43aC78BA3

Call USDC.approve(Permit2, maxUint256) (or a large allowance) from the paying wallet. Exact / EIP-3009 routes do not need this. Standard x402 Permit2 setup — see the CDP / x402 buyer docs.

Distinguish HTTP 402

Kind	How to tell	What to do
Credits	`error.code = "insufficient_credits"` (API key present)	Top up credits
x402 challenge	`PAYMENT-REQUIRED` header + `error.code = "payment_required"`	Pay USDC and retry
Settle failed	`error.code = "payment_settlement_failed"`	Not a successful response — retry only with a new payment if needed

Do not treat every 402 as "out of credits." For walk-up pay, look for the PAYMENT-REQUIRED header. Full envelopes: Errors.

Try unpaid

curl -i "https://api.socialfetch.dev/v1/twitter/profiles/elonmusk"

Expect 402, a PAYMENT-REQUIRED header, and a JSON body pointing at this page (and the API-key quickstart).

Pay from Node

Install the official buyer helpers, then wrap fetch. Register Base (eip155:8453) and both Exact and Upto schemes.

npm install @x402/fetch @x402/evm viem

import { wrapFetchWithPayment, x402Client } from "@x402/fetch";
import { ExactEvmScheme } from "@x402/evm/exact/client";
import { UptoEvmScheme } from "@x402/evm/upto/client";
import { privateKeyToAccount } from "viem/accounts";

const signer = privateKeyToAccount(
  process.env.EVM_PRIVATE_KEY as `0x${string}`,
);

const client = new x402Client()
  .register("eip155:8453", new ExactEvmScheme(signer))
  .register("eip155:8453", new UptoEvmScheme(signer));

const fetchWithPayment = wrapFetchWithPayment(fetch, client);

const res = await fetchWithPayment(
  "https://api.socialfetch.dev/v1/twitter/profiles/elonmusk",
);

console.log(res.status, await res.json());
console.log(res.headers.get("PAYMENT-RESPONSE"));

Keep the private key server-side. Prefer the official buyer quickstart for other languages (Go, Python, etc.).

MCP

MCP uses the same dual-rail model:

OAuth → tools bill credits on your account (whoami, balance, and NL Ask always need OAuth).
Anonymous (no Bearer) → paid tools challenge with x402; attach payment meta and settle in USDC (Exact + Upto, same Permit2 rule as HTTP).

Invalid Bearer returns 401 — no x402 fallback.