How-to: Pay for a service

Discover and pay for x402-compatible API services using USDC.

Pay for x402-compatible API services directly from your agent wallet. Payment is processed before the request is forwarded to the service.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• Installed Node.js v20.18.2 or later.

• Installed Circle CLI:

  npm install -g @circle-fin/cli
  

• Completed the Agent Wallets quickstart (authenticates and funds your wallet).

Most x402 services require a Gateway balance. See Deposit for nanopayments to set one up.

Steps

1. Find a service

   Browse available services at agents.circle.com/services, or search by keyword from the CLI:

   circle services search "weather data"
   

   To inspect the payment requirements for a specific URL before paying:

   circle services inspect https://api.example.com/weather
   
2. Pay for the service

   Run circle services pay with the service URL and your wallet details. Use --max-amount to set a spending cap and avoid unexpected charges. Use --estimate to preview payment requirements without paying:

   # Preview payment requirements without paying
   circle services pay https://api.example.com/weather \
     --address 0xYourWalletAddress \
     --chain BASE \
     --estimate
   
   # Pay for the service
   circle services pay https://api.example.com/weather \
     --address 0xYourWalletAddress \
     --chain BASE \
     --max-amount 0.01
   

   The CLI prints the service’s response body.

See the CLI command reference for full syntax and options, including -X for HTTP method and -d for a request body.