Overview & Concepts

Streaming Acceptance is an extension of zerohash's agentic payments acceptance solution. For a one-time transaction, an agent signs a payment and the exchange clears in a single HTTP round trip. Streaming works differently: an agent signs one authorization to cover the first full session and is able to access the endpoint for the duration of the session.

The solution encompasses the following steps:

1. Configure the zerohash x402 middleware connector for your Platform's to support streaming. Note: streaming payments is only supported by the zerohash official middleware (an extension of the open-source x402 middleware framework).
2. Configure merchants x402 streaming payins parameters such as price-per-session, session length, maximum requests per agent, and maximum sessions per agent.
3. Configure merchants x402 payins parameters such as defining a session unit (per second, token, or megabyte), a price-per-unit, a maximum session spend cap, and a settlement/increment period.
4. Integrate to the Agentic Streaming integration guide, below.
5. Start accepting streaming agentic payments.

zerohash is applying this streaming payments rail to:

• Streaming and session access: Live data feeds, running model output, and video or audio streams billed by the second, the token, or the megabyte.
• Creator and publisher paywalls: Per-article, per-video, or per-download pricing collected at the moment of access, with no subscription required.
• Public API monetization for AI agents: Market data, inference, geolocation, or search APIs that charge per call instead of running on API keys and postpaid invoices.
• Agentic commerce for platforms: Marketplaces and SaaS platforms exposing usage-based tools directly to autonomous agents, on the same settlement model as their existing merchants.

Roles

1. Shopper's Agent initiates an x402 request. The agent calls the x402-enabled endpoint directly: GET /forecast?city=chicago . The merchant can configure the x402 payins parameters such as price-per-session, session length, maximum requests per agent, and maximum sessions per agent through the zerohash middleware solution.

2. Merchant returns payment requirements in response to Shopper's Agent. The zerohash middleware responds with 402 Payment Required with the KYA requirements to onboard a Shopper's agent and merchant's x402 configurations.

   Shopper's Agent resubmits x402 request with payment & KYA requirements - Shopper's agent includes all requirements in X-PAYMENT header of request.

3. zerohash authorize's the payment via POST /verify. The Platform submits the payment and KYA requirements to zerohash's /verify endpoint on the agent's behalf. zerohash checks the request against the merchant's configured product_permissions and transaction limits (see Set agent permissions and limits) and confirms whether it's authorized - no funds move at this step.

Streaming Integration Guide

The agent's session spend cap is enforced against merchant's x402 streaming configuration. A session cap is the maximum amount a merchant wants an agent to spend within a given frame.

x402 streaming is only supported through the zerohash middleware. The spend sessions are defined at first x402 request, and settlement terms are done in batches according to the merchant's configuration.

How a streaming session completes:

1 - Shopper's Agent initiates an x402 request - The agent calls the merchant's x402 streaming enabled endpoint, requesting access: GET /stream/market-data

2 - Merchant returns streaming payment requirements in response to Shopper's Agent. The merchant's middleware responds with 402 Payment Required with the KYA requirements to onboard a Shopper's agent, session unit, price-per-unit, and maximum cap it will accept.

  {
    //KYA requirements
    "accepts": [
      {
        "scheme": "upto",
        "network": "base",
        "asset": "USDC",
        "price_per_unit": "0.0001",
        "unit": "second",
        "max_session_amount": "5.00",
        "pay_to": "0xSkylineAddress"
      }
    ]
  }

3 - Shopper's Agent resubmits x402 request with streaming payment & KYA requirements - Shopper's agent includes all requirements in X-PAYMENT header of request that includes an authorization for the first full session.

4 - zerohash authorize's the payment via POST /verify. The Platform submits the payment and KYA requirements to zerohash's /verify endpoint on the agent's behalf. zerohash checks:

1. The request against the merchant's configured product_permissions transaction, assets, network, and session limits; and,
2. Validates the payment authorization signature; and,
3. Performs KYA on Shopper's Agent and sending wallet

If the above checks pass, then zerohash moves to settle the first session.

Response:

{
    "status": "verified",
    "session_id": "SESSION-8821",
    "participant_code": "CUST01",
    "account_label": "AGENT01"
  }

5 - zerohash initializes first session with on-chain settlement - zerohash uses settles the first session's duration using the payment authorization from the Shopper's Agent. The session is opened with the merchant's maximum session limit.

6 - Shopper's agent begins streaming session - Once zerohash confirms settlement, the zerohash middleware returns 200 OK with the requested resource. The agent is now free to use the unlocked streaming resource for the duration of the session.

7 - Shopper's agent extends session with incremental payments - The shopper's agent submits requests to extend their session using the /settle endpoint anytime before the session ends. The extension payment must be for the full amount of the session cost and can only be extended for one future session at a time. Example: an agent is in an active streaming payments session and sends a /settle request to extend their session for another 60 seconds. They cannot extend another 60 seconds until the current session ends.

POST /settle call:

  {
    "session_id": "SESSION-8821",
    "participant_code": "CUST01",
    "account_label": "AGENT01",
    "increment_amount": "0.006",
    "asset": "USDC.BASE"
  }

Response:

{
    "status": "settled",
    "settlement_type": "internal_ledger",
    "session_id": "SESSION-8821",
    "cumulative_amount": "0.006",
    "remaining_cap": "4.994",
    "settled_at": "2026-07-29T12:01:00Z"
  }

6 - Session closes: When the agent's last session expires, or the cap is reached, the session is automatically closed.