MCP payments for AI agents
MCP payments connect tool-using agents to paid capabilities without requiring every host to invent its own billing layer.
Why it matters
An agent inside Cursor, Claude Desktop, or another MCP host can discover a paid capability, pay from its treasury, and record what happened for future audit.
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
The standalone Leash MCP server signs with the local executive key, talks to Leash APIs, and gives hosts a consistent tool interface for payments, discovery, keys, receipts, and identity.
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
Install the MCP server, import or create an agent, fund the treasury, create an agent API key when needed, discover a paid endpoint, pay it, and inspect the receipt.
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 an MCP agent create its own Leash API key?
Yes. With the agent-created API-key route deployed, Leash MCP can call the X-Leash-Sig flow and return an agent-scoped key once.
Does the MCP server need the owner wallet?
No. It uses the configured executive key for local agent operation, while owner authority remains separate.