Payments Demo

Payment before access. Scoped access. Signed receipts.

On each paid route, the owner picks how external agents pay: Lightning, USDC on Base, or both. SatGate signs a receipt when it refuses an agent for a missing payment.

Lightning: the owner chooses how many requests one payment buys. On sat-priced routes the price can rise under load, up to a ceiling the owner sets.

USDC on Base: each payment buys one request. To see one, watch the USDC recording on the Demo page.

This demo simulates the Lightning flow (L402). A route that takes only USDC offers no L402 challenge.

GET
Ready to simulate... Click 'Run Request' to start.

The Lightning flow (L402)

1. 402 Blocked
2. Lightning Payment
3. Data Unlocked

FAQ

Lightning (L402) payment flow questions

What happens during a Lightning (L402) payment flow?

An agent requests a protected API, receives HTTP 402 Payment Required with an L402 challenge, pays the Lightning invoice, then retries with proof of payment. SatGate signs a receipt when it refuses an agent for a missing payment.

Why use L402 for agent API access?

L402 can carry payment proof at request time, but SatGate keeps its own checks around it: delegated permissions, max budgets, scoped access, and receipts before protected APIs unlock.

Can payment details be combined with access policy?

Yes. SatGate can combine L402 payment with capability tokens, scoped authorization, budget policy, receipt fields, receipt export, and revocation so payment does not become unrestricted access.