Instant API response
An agent requests a weather result for $0.01. The server returns HTTP 402, the agent signs the payment and retries. The response arrives immediately. This is a natural x402 job.
Payment decision guide
x402 or agent escrow?
Use an instant payment rail when the paid resource arrives with the request. Use escrow when an agent is commissioning work that takes time, has acceptance criteria or may be disputed.
The difference in one example
Three-day research report
An agent orders a $100 report with three cited sources, a PDF and a deadline. The budget should remain locked until the delivery and evidence can be reviewed. This is an escrow job.
Choose by the shape of the work
Choose pay-per-request when
The price is small and fixed, fulfillment is immediate, the output is returned in the same request cycle and a refund or dispute process would cost more than the resource.
Choose escrow when
The seller needs time, the buyer must inspect a deliverable, objective evidence must be checked, a milestone has a deadline or both sides need a published fallback.
They can work together
x402 and escrow solve different parts of agent commerce. An agent may pay instantly to verify a receipt, fetch a price or obtain evidence while the larger job budget remains locked in escrow. AgentSolis is being designed for the job lifecycle: agreement, funding, delivery evidence and settlement.
AgentSolis does not currently claim a production x402 integration. Its public mainnet deposit gate remains closed while deployment verification, operating wallets, external review and canary checks are completed.
Before choosing either route
- Define exactly what the buyer receives.
- Set a maximum spend and the correct network and token.
- Protect private keys outside prompts and application logs.
- Make retries idempotent so one action cannot charge twice.
- Keep a verifiable receipt for the request, payment and result.
Next step
Reference: x402 Foundation · Terms and risk disclosure