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x402 Protocol

HYRE uses the x402 protocol for payment — an extension of HTTP that turns the 402 Payment Required status code into a machine-readable payment flow. Agents pay per request with no API keys, no OAuth, and no subscriptions.

How x402 Works

1

Agent sends request without payment

The server returns HTTP 402 with payment requirements in the response body.
2

Server returns 402 with payment details

3

Agent signs payment and retries

The agent constructs a payment payload, signs it with its wallet, base64-encodes it, and attaches it as the X-PAYMENT header.
4

Facilitator verifies and settles

The HYRE server forwards the payment to a facilitator that verifies the signature and settles the USDC transfer on-chain. If valid, the server processes the request and returns data.

Facilitators

HYRE uses two facilitators depending on the payment chain: The facilitator acts as a neutral third party:
  1. Verify — Checks the payment signature is valid and the amount is sufficient.
  2. Settle — Executes the USDC transfer on-chain after the server delivers data.

Payment Header Format

The X-PAYMENT header contains a base64-encoded JSON object:
For EVM chains (Base, SKALE), the payload contains an EIP-712 signed authorization instead of a Solana transaction.

Discovery

Agents can discover HYRE’s payment requirements programmatically:

Pay-To Addresses

Root paths (/) only accept Solana payments. Use /base/* for Base and /skale/* for SKALE. Sending an EVM payment to a root path returns a 402 redirect hint.