Enables AI agents to autonomously pay for HTTP 402 resources using USDC with hard spending limits and local wallet management.
Also known as devmster/x402-trinity, x402-trinity
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- 3
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- Latest version
- 0.2.4
- Last commit
- Sep 27, 2026
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What is x402 Trinity MCP?
x402 Trinity enables AI agents to autonomously pay for HTTP 402 resources using USDC with hard spending limits and local wallet management.
Summary generated from the project's README
About x402 Trinity MCP server
x402 Trinity provides a way for AI agents to autonomously handle HTTP 402 Payment Required responses by paying for resources using USDC. It functions as a drop-in replacement for fetch, allowing agents to access paid APIs, datasets, or files without manual intervention. The system is designed for local wallet management, ensuring that private keys never leave the local process and no third-party hosted wallet service is required.
Developers can configure strict safety boundaries through mandatory spending limits, including maximum amounts per request and total lifetime budgets. The server supports the Base network by default but can be extended to any EVM chain via custom configurations. It includes specific tools for agents to check prices, execute payments, and monitor wallet status. Because the agent controls the budget, the server requires environment variables like X402_PRIVATE_KEY and X402_TOTAL_BUDGET to function, preventing the model from bypassing financial constraints.
What you can do with it
- 1Secure local transactionsUsers can manage payments locally to ensure the private key is never exposed to a third-party API.
Written from the project's README. Every use case is checked against a quote from it.
How to install x402 Trinity MCP
Formats verified 10 Nov 2026Add to CursorAdd to GooseInstall x402 Trinity MCP in Claude Code
$ claude mcp add --env 'X402_PRIVATE_KEY=<YOUR_X402_PRIVATE_KEY>' --env 'X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST=<X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST>' --env 'X402_TOTAL_BUDGET=<X402_TOTAL_BUDGET>' x402-trinity -- npx -y x402-trinityInstall x402 Trinity MCP in Cursor
~/.cursor/mcp.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"x402-trinity": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"x402-trinity"
],
"env": {
"X402_PRIVATE_KEY": "<YOUR_X402_PRIVATE_KEY>",
"X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST": "<X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST>",
"X402_TOTAL_BUDGET": "<X402_TOTAL_BUDGET>"
}
}
}
}Install x402 Trinity MCP in VS Code
.vscode/mcp.json
{
"servers": {
"x402-trinity": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"x402-trinity"
],
"env": {
"X402_PRIVATE_KEY": "<YOUR_X402_PRIVATE_KEY>",
"X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST": "<X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST>",
"X402_TOTAL_BUDGET": "<X402_TOTAL_BUDGET>"
}
}
}
}Install x402 Trinity MCP in VS Code CLI
$ code --add-mcp '{"name":"x402-trinity","type":"stdio","command":"npx","args":["-y","x402-trinity"],"env":{"X402_PRIVATE_KEY":"<YOUR_X402_PRIVATE_KEY>","X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST":"<X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST>","X402_TOTAL_BUDGET":"<X402_TOTAL_BUDGET>"}}'Install x402 Trinity MCP in Claude Desktop
claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"x402-trinity": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"x402-trinity"
],
"env": {
"X402_PRIVATE_KEY": "<YOUR_X402_PRIVATE_KEY>",
"X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST": "<X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST>",
"X402_TOTAL_BUDGET": "<X402_TOTAL_BUDGET>"
}
}
}
}Install x402 Trinity MCP in Codex
$ codex mcp add x402-trinity --env 'X402_PRIVATE_KEY=<YOUR_X402_PRIVATE_KEY>' --env 'X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST=<X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST>' --env 'X402_TOTAL_BUDGET=<X402_TOTAL_BUDGET>' -- npx -y x402-trinityInstall x402 Trinity MCP in Codex config.toml
~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.x402-trinity] command = "npx" args = ["-y", "x402-trinity"] [mcp_servers.x402-trinity.env] X402_PRIVATE_KEY = "<YOUR_X402_PRIVATE_KEY>" X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST = "<X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST>" X402_TOTAL_BUDGET = "<X402_TOTAL_BUDGET>"
Install x402 Trinity MCP in Gemini CLI
$ gemini mcp add -s user -e 'X402_PRIVATE_KEY=<YOUR_X402_PRIVATE_KEY>' -e 'X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST=<X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST>' -e 'X402_TOTAL_BUDGET=<X402_TOTAL_BUDGET>' x402-trinity npx -- -y x402-trinityInstall x402 Trinity MCP in Gemini settings.json
~/.gemini/settings.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"x402-trinity": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"x402-trinity"
],
"env": {
"X402_PRIVATE_KEY": "<YOUR_X402_PRIVATE_KEY>",
"X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST": "<X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST>",
"X402_TOTAL_BUDGET": "<X402_TOTAL_BUDGET>"
}
}
}
}Configuration
X402_PRIVATE_KEYRequiredSecretPrivate key of the wallet that pays. Use a dedicated wallet holding only what you would accept losing. The server refuses to start without it.
X402_MAX_PER_REQUESTRequiredHard ceiling for a single payment, in atomic units (USDC has 6 decimals, so 50000 is $0.05). Required: a model decides when payments happen, so the cap cannot come from the model.
X402_TOTAL_BUDGETRequiredLifetime ceiling across all payments, in atomic units. Required for the same reason as the per-request cap.
X402_ALLOW_HOSTSComma-separated hosts that may be paid. Anything else is refused however convincing the challenge looks.
X402_BUDGET_FILEPath to a file that makes the lifetime budget survive restarts. Without it the total resets every time the server starts.
X402_NETWORKSNetworks to accept. Defaults to base.
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| X402_PRIVATE_KEY | Private key of the wallet that pays. Use a dedicated wallet holding only what you would accept losing. The server refuses to start without it. | RequiredSecret |
| X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST | Hard ceiling for a single payment, in atomic units (USDC has 6 decimals, so 50000 is $0.05). Required: a model decides when payments happen, so the cap cannot come from the model. | Required |
| X402_TOTAL_BUDGET | Lifetime ceiling across all payments, in atomic units. Required for the same reason as the per-request cap. | Required |
| X402_ALLOW_HOSTS | Comma-separated hosts that may be paid. Anything else is refused however convincing the challenge looks. | |
| X402_BUDGET_FILE | Path to a file that makes the lifetime budget survive restarts. Without it the total resets every time the server starts. | |
| X402_NETWORKS | Networks to accept. Defaults to base. |
Automated checks
Ran Nov 14, 2026Full report →Passed our automated checks. That is not a security audit: read the code and give the server the narrowest access it needs. How checks work · What to fix for more points
- Source repository linked and reachabledevmster/x402-trinity is public and reachablegithub.com/devmster/x402-trinity ↗Pass
- Package names this repository as its sourcex402-trinity names devmster/x402-trinity as sourcenpmjs.com/package/x402-trinity ↗Pass
- Build provenance (Sigstore attestation)No build attestation published for this releaseNot checked
- Open source license (OSI)No licenseFinding
- Commit or release in the last yearLast commit or release 2026-09-27github.com/devmster/x402-trinity ↗Pass
- OpenSSF ScorecardNot checked
- Package name not close to a popular packageNo popular package one edit away from x402-trinityPass
- No critical advisory in the package or its dependencies1 resolved dependencies checked; no critical advisoryosv.dev ↗Pass
- No hidden instructions to the model0 tool descriptions and the README read; no override phrases, credential paths or hidden charactersPass
- Destructive tools are labelledNot checked
- Remote endpoint answers the MCP handshakeNot checked
README
View on GitHubx402-trinity
A drop-in fetch replacement that lets an AI agent pay for things by itself — with hard
spending limits, no hosted wallet service, and no changes to the agent's own code.
Zero runtime dependencies. 7 KB gzipped. Buyer and seller in TypeScript; buyer in Python.
npm install x402-trinity
Copy-paste setup
A ready-made brief for your coding agent. Paste it in and it does the install, the wallet, your spending limits, the price check and the purchase — you just say what you are buying and what it may spend.
Buying from a paid API, a dataset, a file, or another agent's service — anything that answers HTTP 402.
More setups, and a marketplace for you to earn for your products or buy from the marketplace, at x402trinity.com.
Why
When an agent hits a paid resource it gets 402 Payment Required. Without something to
handle that, the request simply fails.
x402-trinity handles it: reads the challenge, checks it against limits you set, signs, retries. All of it locally — no hosted wallet service, no third-party API, and the key never leaves your process.
Gas exists but the payer doesn't pay it — under EIP-3009 the facilitator submits the transfer, so an agent's wallet only ever needs USDC.
Buy (agent pays for things)
import { createX402Fetch } from 'x402-trinity';
const x402Fetch = createX402Fetch({
privateKey: process.env.X402_PRIVATE_KEY, // never hardcode
policy: {
maxAmountPerRequest: '5000', // 0.005 USDC max per call (REQUIRED)
totalBudget: '1000000', // 1.00 USDC lifetime (REQUIRED)
allowHosts: ['api.example.com'],
allowPayTo: ['0x...'],
},
});
const r = await x402Fetch('https://api.example.com/data'); // 402 handled, returns 200
Or patch the global so unmodified code pays automatically:
import { installX402 } from 'x402-trinity';
const uninstall = installX402(cfg); // globalThis.fetch now pays 402s
Confirm which wallet will pay before funding anything:
X402_PRIVATE_KEY=0x... npx x402-trinity-whoami
It prints the address and its balance on every chain, and never prints the key. If the address is not the wallet you meant, stop before sending anything.
Sell (charge for a resource, get paid)
import { createX402Seller } from 'x402-trinity/seller';
import { createFileNonceStore } from 'x402-trinity/budget-file';
const seller = createX402Seller({
payTo: '0xYourWallet', // 100% of every payment lands here
price: '10000', // 0.01 USDC, atomic units
network: 'base',
facilitator: 'https://your-facilitator.example', // REQUIRED — no default exists
nonceStore: createFileNonceStore('./.x402-nonces.json'), // REQUIRED — see below
});
// in any fetch-style handler:
const gate = await seller.guard(request);
if (gate.response) return gate.response; // unpaid or refused — hand back the 402
return new Response(yourData, { headers: seller.receiptHeader(gate.settlement) });
Both required fields are deliberate. There is no default facilitator because settling is someone's real money and guessing an endpoint is not a default. And the replay guard has to outlive the process: an in-memory one forgets every settled payment on restart, so a buyer could re-present a spent authorization and get the resource again for free. The constructor throws rather than let either be implicit.
The seller never holds a private key and never touches funds. It quotes a price and asks a facilitator to verify and settle; money moves buyer → you directly on-chain.
This release ships Base + USDC only. Any other EVM chain works through
customChains; your address is the same on all of them.
What it does
| Protocols | x402 v1 and v2, detected per response. Unknown versions and MPP challenges declined with a clear reason, never guessed |
| Chains | Base mainnet + USDC, shipped as the default. Any other EVM chain via customChains |
| Networks | short names and CAIP-2 (eip155:8453) |
| Custody | privateKey, additive shards, or remoteSign (HSM/MPC) — your choice, not the architecture's |
| Speed | 3.2 µs warm / 1.0 ms cold (TypeScript); 1.2 µs / 1.7 ms (Python) |
| Runtime | auto-detects Cloudflare Workers and changes strategy; also Node, Bun, Deno |
| Safety | mandatory caps, allowlists, never-pay-twice reconciliation, timing-hardened signing |
Another chain
Base is the default. The signing is chain-agnostic, so add whatever you need — including a testnet to rehearse on:
const fetch2 = createX402Fetch({
privateKey: process.env.X402_PRIVATE_KEY,
maxAmountPerRequest: '10000',
totalBudget: '100000',
customChains: {
'base-sepolia': { id: 84532, asset: '0x036cbd53842c5426634e7929541ec2318f3dcf7e', name: 'USDC', version: '2' },
},
});
Verify the entry against the deployed contract first: call DOMAIN_SEPARATOR() and check it
equals what this library computes. A wrong name or version produces a signature that looks
valid and the contract rejects.
It deliberately will not
Broadcast to a chain · hold funds · need gas or an RPC · take a cut of a payment (structurally impossible — EIP-3009 has one recipient) · require a hosted signer · pay without limits · guess at a protocol it doesn't speak.
Safety — read this before real money
Caps are mandatory. maxAmountPerRequest and totalBudget have no defaults; the wrapper
refuses to construct without them. An auto-payer without limits is a money leak controlled by
whoever runs the server.
totalBudget alone is per-instance. It is an in-memory counter that resets on restart, on
a new client, and on every Cloudflare Worker isolate — which is per request. On mainnet that
turns a lifetime cap into a per-request cap. Mainnet therefore requires a durable
budgetStore, or an explicit acknowledgeEphemeralBudget: true:
import { createFileBudgetStore } from 'x402-trinity/budget-file';
createX402Fetch({
...,
budgetStore: createFileBudgetStore('./.x402-budget.json'), // survives restarts
});
The key is in the process. That is the trade for having no hosted signer. Bound it:
use a dedicated wallet holding only what you would accept losing, set allowPayTo so an
exfiltrated key still cannot pay a stranger through this wrapper, and use remoteSign if you
need enclave-grade custody.
Timing hardening is hardening, not a proof. Secret scalars use blinding plus always-add-and-double, which cut the timing spread from 99.6% to 12% (Python: 99.9% → 1.1%). BigInt arithmetic is itself variable-time and no pure-JS implementation removes that.
MCP server — give an agent a wallet
MCP is how an assistant gets tools. This exposes three:
| tool | |
|---|---|
check_price |
what a resource costs, without paying |
pay_and_fetch |
fetch it, paying if it is within your limits |
wallet_status |
address, balance, spent, remaining |
{
"mcpServers": {
"x402-trinity": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "x402-trinity-mcp"],
"env": {
"X402_PRIVATE_KEY": "0x...",
"X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST": "50000",
"X402_TOTAL_BUDGET": "1000000",
"X402_BUDGET_FILE": "./.x402-budget.json",
"X402_ALLOW_HOSTS": "api.example.com",
"X402_NETWORKS": "base"
}
}
}
}
A model decides when these run. It cannot be reasoned with about budgets, and a
paywalled page can claim any price it likes. So the limits are not parameters the model can
set — they come from the environment, and the server refuses to start without
X402_PRIVATE_KEY, X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST and X402_TOTAL_BUDGET.
Set X402_BUDGET_FILE too, or the lifetime ceiling resets every restart. Set
X402_ALLOW_HOSTS and nothing else can be paid, however convincing the challenge looks.
Use a wallet holding only what you would accept losing.
Python
Same protocol, standard library only. Buyer only — to charge for a resource, use the TypeScript seller. Aimed at long-lived processes: on-body agents, robotics controllers, harvesting scripts.
from x402_trinity import X402Client, Policy
client = X402Client(
private_key=os.environ["X402_PRIVATE_KEY"],
policy=Policy(max_amount_per_request=5000, total_budget=1_000_000,
allow_hosts=["api.example.com"]),
)
body = client.urlopen("https://api.example.com/data").read()
Or as a decorator, so payment-unaware code just works:
from x402_trinity import x402_telemetry
@x402_telemetry(private_key=KEY, policy=Policy(...))
def harvest():
return urllib.request.urlopen("https://sensor.local/v1/lidar").read()
The warm path is 1.1 µs — a long-lived controller is warm after its first payment.
Development
npm install
npm run build # dist/*.js + *.min.js + *.d.ts
esbuild, typescript and wrangler are dev dependencies only, used for building.
The shipped package has zero runtime dependencies.
License
Business Source License 1.1. The source is open to read, modify and use non-commercially; production use is granted except as a hosted or managed service offering its functionality to third parties. It converts to MIT on 2029-08-25. See LICENSE.
This software moves money — read the additional notice there, and set your spending caps.
Convenience fee: 0.1% per transaction and 1 cent every 100 transactions.
x402 Trinity MCP questions
How do I add x402 Trinity MCP to Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add --env 'X402_PRIVATE_KEY=<YOUR_X402_PRIVATE_KEY>' --env 'X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST=<X402_MAX_PER_REQUEST>' --env 'X402_TOTAL_BUDGET=<X402_TOTAL_BUDGET>' x402-trinity -- npx -y x402-trinity in your terminal. Add --scope user to make it available in every project.
How do I add x402 Trinity MCP to Cursor?
Open ~/.cursor/mcp.json and add the server under mcpServers, using the Cursor config shown in the install section above.
How does the agent pay for resources?
The server handles 402 Payment Required challenges by reading the challenge, checking it against user-defined limits, signing the transaction, and retrying the request.
Does the agent need to pay gas fees?
No, the agent only needs USDC because the facilitator submits the transfer under EIP-3009.
Can I limit how much the agent spends?
Yes, you must set mandatory spending caps including maximum amount per request and a total lifetime budget.