🧵 I've been tracking x402 since launch. It's the HTTP 402 spec revived for AI agents to handle USDC micropayments on data and APIs. Instant on-chain, no accounts needed. Coinbase announced in May 2025, went live on Base in September with Cloudflare. Open-source, works across chains using ERC-3009. Quick Mechanics •Server adds a fee like $0.01 USDC to the HTTP header. Agent pays up, gets access right away. Zero hassle. •Built for machine-to-machine trades. I hooked it into a test agent with one code change. Now it pulls paid queries like clockwork. Traction Update •As of Nov 2: Nearly 4.24M transactions in a week, weekly volume now at $3.37M with a 195% surge. Total USDC moved tops $4M, 98% on Base. Ecosystem •No core token, but side plays like $PING (now $31M cap) and $PAYAI jumped hard. Sector cap cleared $1B, up 568% in a week. •Fresh builds: Chainbase APIs in beta, MiraNetwork tying in for verified payments. Pilots rolling with Google, Visa, AWS. Key Edges •Coinbase routes 80% of traffic. Need more like Questflow and self-hosts to spread it out and dodge chokepoints. •Watch for regs slowing non-crypto uptake. But V2 drops Q1 2026 with enterprise kits. Could underpin a huge agent market by 2030.