The Financial Layer of the Internet for AI Agents

402gate is an open payment infrastructure that enables instant, frictionless value exchange between data providers and autonomous AI agents.

With the explosion of LLMs (Large Language Models), the internet is shifting from a web read by humans to a web read by machines. Traditional business models—based on ads (which bots don't see) and credit card subscriptions (which bots don't have)—are becoming obsolete.

402gate solves this problem by implementing the x402 standard. We utilize the long-forgotten HTTP status code 402 Payment Required to create a native "language of money" that both servers and bots understand.

Why 402gate?

We are building infrastructure that turns the problem of uncontrolled scraping into a new revenue source.

Architecture: How it Works?

402gate acts as Middleware between your server and the end client. The entire process is automated and invisible to the user.

The diagram below shows the flow of a single request:

Use Cases

Who is 402gate for?

Getting Started

Start Monetizing AI Agents in Minutes

Welcome to the 402gate documentation. Our platform offers a suite of tools (SDKs and plugins) that allow you to integrate native crypto payments into your existing infrastructure – whether you run a blog or are building an advanced API.

Choose the integration path that best fits your tech stack.

Choose Your Path

What You Will Need

Getting Started FAQ

WordPress Plugin

Turn Your Content into Paid Data for AI

The official 402gate plugin allows you to instantly protect your WordPress posts and pages from free scraping by AI. It works in a "Plug & Play" model – requiring not a single line of code.

Prerequisites

Installation

Currently, the plugin is available via "Direct Download" (outside the official WordPress repository).

Configuration

This is the most important stage. Without proper configuration, the plugin won't know where to send the money.
Go to menu: Settings → 402gate.

How it Works? (Blocking Logic)

The plugin works in the background and intelligently filters incoming traffic to your site.

Testing

Want to check if the plugin works without being a bot? We prepared a debug mode.

1. Log out of WordPress (or open an Incognito tab).
2. Go to any post on your blog.
3. Append the suffix to the URL: ?bot=true
   Example: https://yoursite.com/my-article/?bot=true
4. Press Enter.

Python SDK

Monetize APIs and AI Models (FastAPI)

The official x402gate library for Python allows you to protect any API endpoint with a single decorator. It was designed with asynchronous frameworks like FastAPI (AI industry standard) in mind, but the architecture is open for adaptation.

Requirements

Installation

The package is available in the official PyPI registry.

Quick Start (FastAPI)

The simplest way to integrate is using the @protect decorator. It acts as a "gatekeeper" (middleware) that intercepts the request before it reaches your logic function.

from fastapi import FastAPI, Request
# Import the decorator from our library
from x402gate.core import protect 

app = FastAPI()

@app.get("/premium-forecast")
@protect(
    price="0.05", 
    wallet="0x1234567890123456789012345678901234567890" # Your public address
)
async def get_forecast(request: Request):
    # This code will execute ONLY if payment is verified.
    # Otherwise, x402gate returns HTTP 402 error.
    return {
        "status": "paid",
        "prediction": "BTC to 100k",
        "confidence": 0.98
    }

Configuration Parameters

The protect decorator accepts the following arguments:

How it Works Under the Hood?

When a user (or bot) sends a request to a protected endpoint:

Client Example (How to Test?)

To test your API as a client (bot), you can use curl:

Node.js SDK

Monetize APIs and Microservices (Express.js)

For the JavaScript/TypeScript environment, we prepared a lightweight middleware that integrates with popular server frameworks (like Express.js). This allows you to "cut off" access to any route and require payment before executing business logic.

Requirements

Installation

The package is available in the NPM registry.

Quick Start (Express.js)

The SDK works as a middleware function. It intercepts the request object, checks payment status, and decides whether to pass traffic through (next()) or return a 402 error.

const express = require('express');
const x402gate = require('x402gate');

const app = express();

// Payment gateway configuration
const paywall = x402gate({
    wallet: "0x1234567890123456789012345678901234567890", // Your wallet address
    price: "0.05" // Price in USDC
});

// This route is free
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
    res.send('Hello World!');
});

// This route requires 0.05 USDC payment
// Middleware 'paywall' checks payment BEFORE this code runs
app.get('/api/secret-data', paywall, (req, res) => {
    res.json({
        status: "success",
        data: "Here is premium data your bot paid for.",
        timestamp: new Date()
    });
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
    console.log('Server running on port 3000');
});

Configuration Options

Function x402gate(options) accepts an object with the following parameters:

Error Handling

Middleware automatically handles typical error scenarios, returning appropriate HTTP codes, so you don't need to write try/catch in your controller.

Testing (Client-Side)

To test a protected endpoint, you can use curl or create a simple JS client.

Gate Points & Economics

Economic Model & Loyalty Program

402gate is not just technology, it's a new economic model for the internet. In this section, we explain how money (USDC) flows and how our incentive system (Gate Points) works.

Payment Model (Peer-to-Peer)

Our architecture is based on Zero-Trust and Non-Custodial principles. This means that as a platform, we never touch your money.

Fund Flow

Transaction Costs (Gas Fees)

A common question is: "Will network fees eat up my profit?"

Answer: No.

• * Network: We use Base L2 (Ethereum Layer 2), where costs are minimal.
• * Sender Principle: In the crypto world, the gas fee is always paid by the sender (Bot).
• * Your Margin: If you set the price to 0.01 USDC, you receive exactly 0.010000 USDC.

Gate Points

Gate Points is an internal reputation and loyalty system designed to reward Data Providers who actively co-create the 402gate network during the Beta phase.

How to earn points?

Points are accrued automatically by our verification node (Oracle) after every successful on-chain transaction.

Purpose of Points

Gate Points serve to:

1. Contribution Measurement: We identify the most valuable nodes in the network (e.g., those with high uptime and unique data).
2. Reputation: In the future, points may unlock premium features (e.g., lower fees in SaaS model) or influence voting weight in protocol governance.

Checking Points Balance

Since points are stored off-chain (in our Supabase database), you won't see them in MetaMask. You can check your balance via our public API:

{
  "wallet": "0x123...",
  "points": 4500,
  "last_updated": "2025-10-24T12:00:00Z"
}

Economic FAQ