x402 HTTP Micropayment Mechanism

Description

HTTP-native micropayment handshake underlying the X42 protocol: agent hits a payment-gated endpoint; server returns HTTP 402 containing payment terms (price, currency, recipient wallet) plus a free data preview; agent autonomously sends payment and re-requests with a payment proof header; gets live data back. Standard rate for data endpoints is $0.01 USDC per query on Base L2. No API keys, no subscriptions, no rate limits — each call is independently priced.

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src-20260409-5acfec94bd6e