Payments MCP: Bringing Wallets, Onramps, and Payments to Every Agent
October 23, 2025
TL;DR: Coinbase is launching Payments MCP, the easiest way for agents to get onchain via x402. It’s the first tool that lets popular LLMs like Claude, Gemini, and Codex access a wallet, onramp, and payments. All with no API key required.
We still think every agent deserves a wallet.
On the heels of the upcoming x402 Foundation announcement, spearheaded by Coinbase and Cloudflare, today’s release is another step toward a new era of agentic commerce, where AI agents don’t just analyze or recommend, but can act in the global economy.
Payments MCP extends this vision by giving AI agents the same onchain financial tools humans use, from wallets and onramps to stablecoin payments, all accessible through natural language. An MCP, or Model Context Protocol, is a framework that lets AI models safely access external tools and services.
We believe crypto rails - and stablecoins in particular - are the ideal payment infrastructure for agentic commerce. They move at the speed of code, integrate seamlessly with APIs, and enable autonomous agents to act without human friction. Payments MCP is the missing link between intelligent automation and real-world economic participation.
What’s Happening
Coinbase Developer Platform built Payments MCP, an integration that lets large language models (LLMs) interact directly with the crypto economy by giving them a wallet, onramp, and the ability to transact with stablecoins, all from a simple prompt window.
With this release, it’s easier than ever for users to experiment with agentic commerce, thanks to features like:
Wallet creation and sign in with just an email: no developer setup or API keys required
Customizable via user-friendly interface: configure your agent, set spend limits, and manage transactions without touching code
Integrated x402 Bazaar Explorer: discover APIs and services your agent can pay for, directly within the UI
Built-in onramp and guest checkout (in supported regions): agents can start transacting instantly with little user input
Runs locally on your desktop: for both speed and security
Payments MCP has been tested and verified to work with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, and Cherry Studio, making it one of the most compatible and accessible onramp for AI agents today. And support for more of your favourite LLMs is coming soon.
Why It Matters
The future of AI requires agent to be able to transact and do, not just read and write. Payments MCP gives agents the ability to take action in the global economy, safely and autonomously. Agents can now pay for compute, retrieve paywalled data, tip creators, or even manage lightweight business operations, all on their own and via x402.
For the first time, widely used LLMs can natively connect to the crypto economy and payment protocols like x402, bridging the gap between AI and decentralized finance. This first-of-its-kind access opens up entirely new possibilities for agentic commerce and autonomous financial workflows.
At the same time, Payments MCP is designed with control and safety in mind. Users can configure spending limits and manage permissions to ensure agents operate within clear boundaries, making it easy to experiment with autonomous payments without compromising security.
What’s Next
We’re continuing to expand agentic commerce capabilities, bringing more integrations, developer resources, and supported LLMs.
Developers can start experimenting today here: https://github.com/coinbase/payments-mcp?tab=readme-ov-file#coinbasepayments-mcp
Or dive into the docs here: http://docs.cdp.coinbase.com/payments-mcp/welcome
About x402: x402 is an open, web-native payment protocol that enables instant stablecoin payments directly over HTTP by reviving the long-unused “402 Payment Required” status code. By embedding payments into standard web requests, x402 lets APIs, apps, and AI agents transact seamlessly - unlocking frictionless, pay-per-use monetization without subscriptions, accounts, or manual checkout flows.
Learn more about the work Coinbase Developer Platform is leading with x402 here.
