What is x402?

x402 is a protocol for HTTP-native payments. A paid resource can respond with:

HTTP 402 Payment Required

The response tells the client:

• how much to pay
• which asset to use
• where to send payment
• how to retry with payment proof

AllowKit helps AI agents handle this flow safely using allowances and policies.

The flow

Client requests resource
  ↓
Server returns 402 Payment Required
  ↓
Client pays
  ↓
Client retries request with proof
  ↓
Server returns resource

Where AllowKit fits

Cloudflare Monetization Gateway lets resource owners charge AI agents per request at the edge, settled over x402 — APIs, datasets, pages, and MCP tools can all return 402 instead of a free response. That solves the seller side. AllowKit solves the buyer side: how much an agent is allowed to pay, to whom, and under whose approval, before it ever sends that payment.

One-liner: Cloudflare builds the toll booth. AllowKit gives agents the allowance card.

Roadmap, not shipped

x402-native middleware (@allowkit/x402) is on the public roadmap — see x402 roadmap. Today, AllowKit’s escrow and policy check are protocol-agnostic: the same policy engine that co-signs a service-registry payment is designed to sit in front of an x402 payment once that middleware ships.

Next: Pay x402 resources walks through the target integration shape.