Gateway Nanopayments Primer
Circle Developer Notes / 0.002400 USDCreceipt evidence
0xa10dcb84...591f84
paid to creator0.002400USDC
forum routed
Circle Developer Notes
This receipt binds a source payment to the answer that used it. The previous hash links it into the append-only attribution ledger.
receipt hash0xa10dcb84d61f220a55b47afd79c465a2c8b4e68ffdaf9bab823168ca96591f84
previous hash0x630c1569c83d3e3ef1153b8e29d69f9703e7d357a249abbb3af90e563a4ff34d
query id0x56486cac8fcc14bc
source idcircle-gateway-nano
creator wallet0x2222...2222
created at2026-06-23T14:56:32.112Z
payment resourceforum-fee-router:0xeff9bc359e8f2a5eabce55af3f1bb24f98eabf59
query payment hashnot reader-paid
payer0x4164F5B52ecc6F847f03071A287b0B59954cbcEe
transaction0xb4d832ec...0a7e0d
FeeRouter split34
FeeRouter createSplit0xa55cfc6b...0126bd
FeeRouter pay0xb4d832ec...0a7e0d
answer context
How does an autonomous agent pay creators per citation using x402 floats on Arc?
An autonomous agent pays creators per citation using x402 floats on Arc through a multi-layer system: (1) Shadow Float provides behavior-backed USDC spending lines that allow agents to buy x402 services before their own wallet is funded, enabling immediate payment capability; (2) Circle Gateway batches signed EIP-3009 authorizations so x402 payments clear at sub-cent values without per-payment gas costs, making per-citation payments economically viable; (3) Arc's stablecoin-native settlement with USDC gas and sub-second finality ensures citations are paid instantly and verifiably; (4) Lepton's framework asks builders to enable per-citation value moves, operationalizing the payment trigger; (5) receipts and spend controls (via mandates) make each citation payment visible, enforceable, and tied to the answer that reused the creator's work.
Open answer evidenceExplains the x402 payment batching and sub-cent clearing without gas, the technical foundation for per-citation payments.