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Proxy Accounting for x402

x402 needs accounting.
StringCost delivers it.

Payments are the last step. The hard part is everything before: credits, prepaid plans, refunds, usage caps, and line-item audit trails.

Processing 10K+ API calls daily

x402 is a payment signal,
not an accounting system

The moment you meter real workloads, payment alone breaks down. You need authorization ceilings, credits, refunds, and a ledger that reconciles every token.

Unknown costs at request time

Agent workflows are variable. You can't price a multi-step run upfront.

Overpay or stall

Pay-then-serve forces users to prepay and hope. That kills trust.

No ledger, no margin

Without line-item accounting, you can't know what each run cost or earned.

Accounting Primitives

The missing layer that makes x402 viable

We sit in front of your agent traffic as a proxy. We meter the full workflow, compute the ledger, and settle the exact amount—whether prepaid, postpaid, or credit-based.

Finally answer: "What's the P&L of each agent run?"

Authorize then capture

Set a max, stream usage, capture only what was consumed.

Credits & prepaid balances

Package usage into credits with discounts and flexible terms.

Double-entry ledger

Every tool call becomes a debit and credit. Margin is visible.

Usage caps & budgets

Guardrail spend with per-user, per-agent, per-org limits.

Refunds & reversals

Failed runs reversed cleanly with full audit trail.

Normalized costs

Unified cost basis across all providers and tools.

Credit rails for agents,
not prefunded wallets

Run a credit-style model on top of x402. Agents transact independently within limits set by human or org owners.

Micro

$0.001

Single tool call

Macro

$1,000

High-value workflow

Same accounting backbone handles both—no prefunded wallet required.

Credit FlowAuth → Capture
1

Account ID + limits

Agent maps to KYC'd owner with set limits

2

402 detected

SDK detects challenge, requests authorization

3

Draw credit

StringCost draws from pool, opens ledger

4

Settle merchants

Pay in stablecoins while usage accrues

5

Capture exact

Close run, refund delta automatically

x402 without StringCost
is a billing dead end

Payment protocols don't replace accounting. Here's what you're missing.

Without StringCost
With StringCost
Pricing model
Guessing before the run
Auth max, capture exact
Refunds
Manual support tickets
Automatic reversals
Visibility
One total bill
Line-item ledger
Business models
Pay-per-call only
Prepaid, postpaid, credits
Risk control
No caps or guardrails
Budgets and limits
Credit
Prefunded wallet only
Credit + postpaid

How proxy accounting
makes it work

x402 signals payment required. StringCost turns that into a session that prices variable workloads in real time.

01

Client hits your endpoint

Gateway replies with a payment-required challenge if no active session exists.

02

StringCost opens session

We create an authorization ceiling, issue a signed session, start a ledger.

03

Usage streams through

Each token, tool call, compute step becomes a line item with cost and revenue.

04

Settle & capture

Capture exact amount used, return the remainder, close the books.

Make x402 actually work
for the agent economy

Proxy accounting, credits, and settlements in one stack. Built for usage-based AI.

No integration required
Works with any provider
Enterprise ready