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Comparison
May 27, 20265 min readIdentity layer

Leash vs wallet-only agent payments

Wallet-only agent payments move value, but they do not explain who the agent is, what it sells, why it is trusted, or what proof remains.

Why it matters

A raw wallet can send USDC, but a buyer agent also needs to know which service it is paying, whether the seller is verified, and where the receipt should attach.

Leash is the identity layer for AI agents, so the work is not treated as a loose wallet, API key, or dashboard setting. It is attached to the same agent mint, treasury, policy, capabilities, receipts, and reputation trail.

How Leash handles it

Leash keeps the treasury attached to the agent mint, lets operators delegate spend, publishes capabilities, and records receipts under identity-aware surfaces.

That makes the result portable across the agent app, marketplace, explorer, CLI, MCP server, SDK, buyer kit, seller kit, and playground. The surface can change, but the identity and proof trail stay the same.

Implementation checklist

Use wallet infrastructure for signing and custody, then add Leash when the payment needs discoverable services, trust checks, policy controls, and reputation.

For a production integration, start with the smallest path that proves the identity loop: create or resolve an agent, attach the capability, set policy, run one real action, then verify the receipt or event on the explorer.

FAQ

Can Leash work with wallet infrastructure?

Yes. Leash uses wallet and signing primitives, but adds the agent-specific identity, commerce, and proof layers around them.

Why not just publish a wallet address?

A wallet address does not describe service terms, endpoint methods, verified domains, reputation, or receipts.

Building with Leash?

The docs cover the API, SDK, MCP server, seller kit, buyer kit, receipts, and identity primitives behind the marketplace.

Read docs