Agentic payments with x402 protocol

Agentic payments enable AI agents to autonomously run Apify Actors using third-party payment providers, without requiring traditional Apify user accounts. This allows agents to discover, execute, and pay for web scraping and automation tasks independently.

Apify supports agentic payments through the x402 protocol, an open standard for internet-native payments.

Experimental feature

Agentic payments are an experimental feature and may change significantly as payment protocols and AI technologies evolve.

What is x402

The x402 protocol is an open standard for internet-native payments. It enables direct on-chain payments using USDC on the Base blockchain.

The Apify MCP server implements an MCP extension of this protocol to support agentic payments. The client automatically detects payment requirements in the tool's metadata and signs a USDC payment on the Base blockchain (mainnet). This payment is included with the tool call - no human intervention needed.

Use x402 with Apify MCP server

The Apify MCP server provides the simplest way for agents to access Apify's Actor library using x402 payments.

Prerequisites

mcpc CLI - Install the mcpc CLI (npm install -g @apify/mcpc), the Universal MCP command-line client.
USDC on Base - A wallet funded with USDC on the Base mainnet blockchain.

Setup

Set up a local wallet and connect to the Apify MCP server with x402 payment support.

Create or import a wallet:

# Create a new wallet (generates a random private key)
mcpc x402 init

# Or import an existing wallet from a private key
mcpc x402 import <private-key>

# Verify your wallet address
mcpc x402 info

Fund the wallet with USDC on Base mainnet.
Connect to the Apify MCP server with x402 payment mode enabled. Add the ?payment=x402 query parameter to the server URL and pass the --x402 flag to mcpc:
```
mcpc connect "mcp.apify.com?payment=x402" @apify --x402
```

Call tools as usual. Payments are handled automatically:

mcpc @apify tools-call call-actor actor:="apify/rag-web-browser" input:='{"query": "latest AI news"}'

How it works

When x402 payment mode is enabled, the agent handles the full payment flow autonomously:

The Apify MCP server advertises payment requirements in each paid tool's metadata.
When mcpc calls a paid tool, it automatically signs a USDC payment using your local wallet and includes it in the request.
The server verifies and settles the payment on-chain, then executes the tool and returns the result.
If a tool is called without a payment, the server responds that payment is required and mcpc signs and retries automatically.

The Apify MCP server requires a minimum transaction of $1.00. The server tracks the payment as a balance. Subsequent tool calls draw from this balance without requiring a new on-chain transaction. When the balance runs out, mcpc automatically signs a new payment to top it up. After a period of inactivity, the server refunds any remaining unused balance to the client's wallet address on the Base blockchain.