Overview

MPP (Machine Payments Protocol) on Quicknode provides pay-per-request access to blockchain endpoints across all supported networks. MPP is an open protocol by Tempo Labs and Stripe, submitted as an IETF Internet-Draft, that enables machine-to-machine stablecoin micropayments via standard HTTP authentication headers.

Any application or AI agent with a wallet can start making RPC calls immediately. No account, API keys, or subscription required.

MPP is an additive access method. It does not replace Quicknode's standard plans. Teams running production workloads benefit from standard plans with SLAs, dedicated support, and higher rate limits. MPP is designed for AI agents, rapid prototyping, and use cases where permissionless, per-request access is the priority.

info

MPP on Quicknode is currently in alpha.

# Fetch machine-readable MPP documentation for AI agents
curl https://mpp.quicknode.com/llms.txt

Quick Start

Install the mppx package:

npm install mppx viem

This example uses the Tempo payment method with PathUSD. Fund your wallet before making requests.

import { Mppx, tempo } from 'mppx/client'
import { privateKeyToAccount } from 'viem/accounts'

const account = privateKeyToAccount(process.env.PRIVATE_KEY as `0x${string}`)

// Polyfills globalThis.fetch to handle 402 challenges automatically
Mppx.create({
  methods: [tempo({ account })],
})

// Replace /tempo-mainnet with any supported network slug
const response = await fetch('https://mpp.quicknode.com/tempo-mainnet', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    jsonrpc: '2.0',
    id: 1,
    method: 'eth_blockNumber',
    params: [],
  }),
})

const { result } = await response.json()
console.log('Block number:', BigInt(result))

With the polyfill active, standard fetch calls handle payment negotiation automatically. The client detects 402 responses, signs the required payment, and retries the request. The payment method is independent of the chain you query, so replace /tempo-mainnet in the URL with any supported network slug to call a different chain.

Looking for other setup options?

Use the mppx CLI to make paid RPC calls directly from the terminal. For paying with Solana USDC instead, see Solana Setup.

Supported Protocols

MPP endpoints support the following protocols:

• JSON-RPC
• REST

Pricing

MPP supports two billing patterns (intents) that determine how payments are structured:

	Charge	Session
Cost per request	$0.001	$0.00001 ($10 per million requests)
Endpoint	POST /:network/*	POST /session/:network/*
Settlement	One on-chain transaction per request	Off-chain vouchers, batched on-chain settlement
Best for	Simple integrations, low volume	High volume, agents, metered usage

Intent Types

Charge

The charge intent is the simplest path. Each request triggers a single on-chain payment. There is no session state, no escrow, and no setup. The mppx SDK handles the 402 challenge and payment signing automatically.

Session

The session intent uses payment channels for high-frequency access. The flow:

1. The client deposits funds into an escrow contract (approximately 500ms initial setup).
2. Each subsequent request sends a cumulative EIP-712 signed voucher instead of an on-chain transaction.
3. The server verifies each voucher with a single ecrecover call, with no RPC or database lookup needed.
4. The server closes the channel on its own schedule, settling in batches on-chain.
5. Unused funds from the deposit are refunded when the channel closes.

import { Mppx, tempo } from 'mppx/client'
import { privateKeyToAccount } from 'viem/accounts'

const account = privateKeyToAccount(process.env.PRIVATE_KEY as `0x${string}`)

// Session-only — payment channels for 100x cheaper requests
Mppx.create({
  methods: [tempo.session({ account })],
})

// First request opens channel on-chain (~500ms),
// subsequent requests use off-chain vouchers (microseconds)
// Replace /tempo-mainnet with any supported network slug
const response = await fetch('https://mpp.quicknode.com/session/tempo-mainnet', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    jsonrpc: '2.0',
    id: 1,
    method: 'eth_blockNumber',
    params: [],
  }),
})

console.log(await response.json())

Supported Payment Networks

Stablecoin payments are accepted on the following networks:

Network	Token
Tempo Testnet (chain 42431)	PathUSD
Tempo Mainnet (chain 4217)	PathUSD / USDC.e
Solana Mainnet	USDC

The payment network is independent of the chain you query. For example, you can pay with PathUSD on Tempo and query Ethereum, Solana, or any other supported chain.

Testnet Caps

Testnet caps are limited to 10,000 requests per intent per wallet (charge and session counted separately). After reaching a cap, switch to mainnet for production usage.

Solana Setup

For Solana-native integrations, use the solana-mpp package:

npm install solana-mpp mppx @solana/web3.js @solana/spl-token

import { Mppx, solana } from 'solana-mpp/client'
import { Keypair } from '@solana/web3.js'

const keypair = Keypair.generate()

Mppx.create({ methods: [solana({ wallet: keypair })] })

// Replace /solana-mainnet with any supported network slug
const response = await fetch('https://mpp.quicknode.com/solana-mainnet', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    jsonrpc: '2.0',
    id: 1,
    method: 'getSlot',
    params: [],
  }),
})

const { result } = await response.json()
console.log('Slot:', result)

CLI

The mppx CLI lets you make paid RPC calls directly from the terminal:

npm install -g mppx

# Create a wallet (stored in keychain)
mppx account create

# Charge intent — $0.001/request (replace /tempo-mainnet with any supported network)
mppx -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[]}' \
  https://mpp.quicknode.com/tempo-mainnet

# Session intent — $0.00001/request (replace /session/tempo-mainnet accordingly)
mppx -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[]}' \
  https://mpp.quicknode.com/session/tempo-mainnet

Rate Limits

MPP endpoints are rate limited to 1,000 requests per 10 seconds per IP:network combination.

Payment Receipts

Every successful response includes a Payment-Receipt header. You can parse it with the mppx SDK:

import { Receipt } from 'mppx'

const receipt = Receipt.fromResponse(response)
console.log(receipt.status)    // "success"
console.log(receipt.reference) // tx hash (charge) or channelId (session)

How It Works

The mppx SDK handles the full payment flow automatically. Under the hood, each request follows this sequence:

1. Send a request. POST a JSON-RPC or REST call to https://mpp.quicknode.com/:network (charge) or https://mpp.quicknode.com/session/:network (session).
2. Receive a payment challenge. The server responds with HTTP 402 and a WWW-Authenticate: Payment header containing the payment method, intent, amount, and recipient.
3. Sign and retry. The client signs a token transfer and retries the request with an Authorization: Payment header carrying the payment credential.
4. Receive the response. The server settles the payment, proxies the RPC request, and returns the result with a Payment-Receipt header containing the transaction reference.

# Challenge (server → client, on 402)
WWW-Authenticate: Payment id="...", realm="mpp.quicknode.com",
  method="tempo", intent="charge", request="<base64url JSON>"

# Credential (client → server)
Authorization: Payment <credential>

# Receipt (server → client, on success)
Payment-Receipt: <receipt>

MPP vs Standard Quicknode Plans

	MPP	Standard Plans
Authentication	Wallet-based (HTTP Payment auth)	Account-based (API key)
Billing	Pay per request (stablecoins)	Monthly/Yearly subscription
Setup required	Wallet + stablecoin	Account + API key
Status	Alpha	Production SLA
Best for	Agents, prototyping, permissionless access	Teams, production workloads

Resources

mppx SDK

Official TypeScript SDK for MPP

→

solana-mpp

Solana payment method for MPP

→

MPP Documentation

Full MPP protocol documentation

→

IETF Internet-Draft

Payment HTTP authentication scheme specification

→

Tempo Payment Method

Tempo-specific payment method documentation

→

mppx CLI Reference

CLI tool for making MPP payments from the terminal

→

tip

For managing Quicknode infrastructure through natural language, see Quicknode MCP. For giving AI coding agents accurate Quicknode API knowledge, see Blockchain Skills. For the x402 payment protocol, see x402 Payments.

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