Hi HN — I’m building a payment-native API gateway for AI agents and developers.
API keys and subscriptions don’t work well for autonomous software: they require accounts, secrets, and prior trust before a single request can be made.
This gateway flips that model. Instead of authenticating, clients pay per request using HTTP 402 + x402. No API keys, no accounts, no Stripe integration for providers.
How it works:
• The gateway proxies any existing API
• Paid endpoints return 402 Payment Required
• The client (or agent) attaches a USDC payment
• The request is replayed and forwarded upstream
Current features:
• OpenAI-compatible proxy mode
• Provider dashboard for endpoints + pricing
• Curl + SDK examples for agents
• Runs as a single Rust binary or Docker
I’m looking for:
• API providers who want to monetize endpoints without building billing/auth
• Agent / LLM developers who want APIs that charge per tool call instead of monthly plans
Happy to answer technical questions — especially around latency, trust model, and failure modes.
