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Nevermined helps you monetize AI-enabled services — whether that’s an agent, an MCP tool/server, or access to a protected resource (like a dataset or file). At the heart of the platform are two concepts:
  • Services & Resources: the thing you’re charging for (an API, a tool, or gated access)
  • Payment Plans: how customers pay and what they’re entitled to consume

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What is a Service or Resource?

In the Nevermined ecosystem, a service is anything you expose for paid access. That might be:
  • AI Agents: autonomous or human-in-the-loop agents you call via HTTP.
  • MCP Tools / Servers: monetizable tool endpoints accessed via the MCP.
  • Protected Assets: gated resources like files, datasets, prompts, or static downloads.
Regardless of the form factor, a monetizable service/resource typically has:
  • A public interface (HTTP endpoint, MCP tool, or download URL)
  • A pricing + access policy (a payment plan)
  • A verification step (validate entitlement before delivering)
  • Usage tracking (meter and redeem credits per request or per access)

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Service Components

Metadata

Name, description, tags, and identifiers for discovery.

Interface

How clients access the service: HTTP endpoints, MCP tools, or gated assets.

Payment Plans

One or more plans that define pricing and access terms.

Access Control & Metering

Validate entitlement and automatically meter usage and redeem credits.

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Standards and protocols (x402)

Nevermined supports modern payment standards used in AI and API commerce. In particular, x402 standardizes how clients and servers negotiate payment-required requests, enabling smoother, interoperable monetization flows. If you’re integrating with x402-compatible clients/servers, see the x402 integration.

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What is a Payment Plan?

A Payment Plan is a set of rules and conditions that define how subscribers pay to access your service/resource. Plans are defined by two main components: their price and the consumption model.

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Key Attributes of a Payment Plan

Payment Method

Choose whether customers pay in Fiat (via Stripe) or Crypto (including stablecoins).

Pricing & Receivers

Define price, payout currency, and how revenue is distributed across one or more receivers.

Plan Types

  • Time-based: limited by duration (e.g., 30 days, 1 year)
  • Credits-based: limited by usage (e.g., 100 requests)
  • Trial: free limited access for testing

Consumption & Settlement

Choose how usage is paid for:
  • Credits: prepaid balance redeemed per request/access
  • Pay-as-you-go (PAYG): settle in USDC as it happens
Perfect for usage-based pricing models:
  • Fixed Credits: set amount of credits (e.g., 100 credits)
  • Credits per Request: set how many credits each request consumes
  • Flexible Redemption: redeem different amounts based on usage
Ideal when you want to avoid pre-purchased credits and settle usage as it occurs:
  • Per-request settlement: settle in USDC as each request happens
  • No credit balance: customers pay on demand rather than topping up credits
Ideal for subscription models:
  • Duration: set expiration time (days, months, years)
  • Unlimited Usage: within the time period
  • Auto-expiry: plan expires after duration
Combine time and credits:
  • Credits with Expiry: e.g., 1000 credits valid for 30 days
  • Rate Limiting: control usage within time periods

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Example Payment Plans

  • Customer Support MCP Tool: 49/monthforunlimitedusage,or49/month for unlimited usage, or 10 for 1,000 calls.
  • Dataset Access: $99 for 30-day access to a protected resource.
  • Agent API: $10 for 100 credits, with each request consuming 1 credit.

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How It All Works Together

1

Register the service/resource

Define your service interface (API, MCP tool, or protected asset) and metadata.
2

Create plans

Create one or more payment plans: pricing, credits, duration, and consumption rules.
3

Customers purchase access

Users buy plans using fiat or crypto and receive entitlements.
4

Validate before delivery

Validate entitlement (tokens / headers / proxy validation) before serving requests or granting access.
5

Meter usage

Automatically redeem credits per request/access and track consumption.
By combining services/resources with flexible payment plans, Nevermined supports monetization across agents, MCP tools, and protected assets.