Glossary
x402
x402 is an open payment standard that lets a service charge for access to its APIs and content directly over HTTP, using the "402 Payment Required" status code.
According to its own documentation, x402 lets a client pay for a resource without accounts, sessions or credential management. The documented flow is short: a buyer asks a server for a resource, and if payment is needed the server answers with a "402 Payment Required" response that carries payment instructions.
The buyer then prepares and submits a payment payload. The server checks and settles the payment itself, or hands that job to a facilitator that offers verify and settle endpoints. If the payment is valid, the server returns the resource.
It matters to agent businesses because software, not only people, can follow that flow. That is the reason it comes up when people ask how an agent might get paid, or pay for services it uses. We list it here as a term to understand, not as evidence that any particular agent earns.
What it is not
x402 is a payment protocol. It is unrelated to any meme token that happens to use the same ticker, and nothing on this page is about it. A service supporting x402 does not mean it earns anything.
Source: Welcome to x402 (x402 documentation)
Questions people ask
What is x402?
It is an open payment standard, described in its documentation as a way for services to charge for access to APIs and content directly over HTTP.
What does HTTP 402 mean?
402 Payment Required is a standard HTTP status code. x402 builds on it so a server can ask for payment before returning a resource.
Is x402 the same as a meme token with the same ticker?
No. x402 is a payment protocol. Any meme token using a similar ticker is a separate thing with no connection to the standard.
Does using x402 mean an agent makes money?
No. It only describes how a payment can be requested and made. Whether anyone pays is a separate question we check with evidence.
Keep reading
- Do AI agents make money?
- The AI earners we have found
- How we know what we tell you
- Related term: AI agent that earns
- Related term: MCP server
- All glossary terms
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