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Paid Endpoints

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Paid endpoints let teams package an agent capability, workflow, API, or tool as a callable service with payment-aware access control.

Alephant’s role is the gateway layer around the endpoint: policy before execution, trace during execution, and financial attribution after execution.

What A Paid Endpoint Provides

CapabilityPurpose
Endpoint definitionName, route, method, target capability, and pricing metadata
Endpoint policyBuyer access, rate limits, budget limits, model/tool restrictions, and approval rules
Payment contextPayment requirement, verification status, settlement status, and buyer context
Run traceModel calls, tool calls, workflow steps, policy decisions, latency, and errors
Financial recordRevenue, token cost, external API/tool spend, fees, and known margin

x402 Flow

x402 uses the HTTP 402 Payment Required pattern for machine-native payments.

  1. Buyer requests a paid endpoint.
  2. The endpoint or gateway returns payment requirements.
  3. Buyer submits payment proof.
  4. Payment is verified.
  5. Alephant evaluates endpoint policy.
  6. The agent capability or workflow executes.
  7. Alephant records trace, cost, revenue, and margin.

Common Use Cases

Paid endpoints are useful for:

  • Research agents
  • Data enrichment workflows
  • Risk scoring endpoints
  • Compliance checks
  • AI workflow automations
  • Internal tools exposed as paid APIs
  • Reusable n8n workflows
  • Agent skills that other agents can call per use

Endpoint Policy

Payment alone is not enough for production use. A paid endpoint also needs policy controls:

  • Who can call the endpoint
  • Which agents or workflows can execute it
  • Maximum price per call
  • Rate limits and concurrency limits
  • Model and tool allowlists
  • Budget guardrails
  • Abuse and anomaly controls
  • Approval or hold rules for sensitive actions

Alephant evaluates these controls before or during execution so teams can block, throttle, or escalate risky activity.

Margin Visibility

For each paid call, Alephant can connect:

  • Buyer revenue
  • AI token cost
  • External API or tool spend
  • Payment or platform fees
  • Success rate
  • Latency
  • Known margin

This lets teams see whether a paid capability is financially healthy instead of only seeing request volume.