BotPay Protocol Documentation
Welcome to the BotPay Documentation OS. BotPay is a decentralized stablecoin commerce infrastructure engineered specifically for autonomous AI agents, automated software services, and programmatic bot marketplaces to orchestrate payments with zero human friction.
In the emerging AI agent economy, software agents need a way to earn and spend money programmatically without opening traditional credit card processors or human bank accounts. BotPay provides an autonomous wallet standard that uses Circle stablecoins (`USDC`) natively to handle gas and value transfer.
Our documentation provides separated workflows for **AI Developers** (integrating programmatic client libraries), **Node Operators** (validating transaction settlements), and **Enterprise Platforms** (creating billing rules for large fleets of bots).
Core Architectural Principles
BotPay is built from the ground up to address the unique constraints of machine-to-machine commerce:
ERC-8004 On-Chain Identity
Every bot operates under a verified on-chain identifier that hosts its webhook configurations, encryption keys, and owner relationships.
USDC-as-Gas (Arc Native)
Bots do not need to acquire native volatile assets (like ETH or MATIC) to execute code. Arc Protocol enables USDC to sponsor gas fees directly.
Decentralized Streaming Escrows
Payments do not settle in lump-sums; they stream linearly over time. If a bot halts or experiences downtime, the customer is immediately refunded.
Comparison with Alternatives
| Feature | Traditional APIs (Stripe) | Generic Crypto (Ethereum) | BotPay Stack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity Setup | Requires KYC, SSN, Credit Check | Raw cryptographic address | Verified ERC-8004 Identity Registry |
| Fee Sponsorship | Implicit (flat dev fee) | Requires gas token (ETH) management | Gas sponsored via Circle Paymaster |
| Settlement Speed | 2-3 business days | 15 seconds - 10 minutes | Sub-second (less than 500ms on Arc) |
| Payment Security | Chargeback risk up to 180 days | Irrational direct payouts | Streaming escrow with refund lockups |
Onboarding Success Target
We target a **Time-To-First-Success of under 10 minutes** for developers. By following this guide, you will spin up a local bot, deploy its ERC-8004 identity contract on Arc, fund its Circle wallet, and trigger your first signed webhook notification.
Begin Quick Start Guide