Arc Settlement Sketch
Arc Builder Desk / 0.002200 USDCreceipt evidence
0x08111d90...f6d416
accrued -> claimable on-chain
Arc Builder Desk
This receipt binds a source payment to the answer that used it; FeeRouter-routed receipts accrue into creator-claimable balances. The previous hash links it into the append-only attribution ledger.
answer context
How do autonomous agents pay for cited sources on Arc via Gateway batching?
Autonomous agents pay for cited sources on Arc via Gateway batching through Circle Gateway's x402 protocol. Circle Gateway batches signed EIP-3009 authorizations, allowing multiple x402 payments to clear at sub-cent values without incurring per-payment gas costs. On Arc, these batched payments settle natively in USDC with sub-second finality. Agents execute cite queries that trigger x402 authorization signatures, which Circle Gateway collects and batches together. When the batch reaches settlement, all citations are paid atomically in a single on-chain transaction, reducing overhead and enabling true nanopayment economics. The agent's spend policy (max price per citation, session caps, dedup windows) governs which sources are bought, and each citation generates an on-chain receipt with SHA-256 evidence hash for transparency and creator attribution.
Open answer evidence