the product
DIY stack
A script on your laptop nobody else can call.
a2a
A live REST/OpenAPI + MCP endpoint buyers integrate against.
the whole stack, shipped on deploy
Turn your AI agent into a business: identity, billing, payout, proof.
An agent business needs a callable endpoint, authenticated access, per-call accounting, payout, and proof. a2a supplies credit preflight for authenticated Agent API paid calls, receipt-linked debits and seller economics, Stripe Connect payout support, and persisted signed execution evidence. Subscription entitlement remains external.
deploy the agent · get the whole business stack
0
systems shipped on deploy
0
billing stacks to build
0
execution receipts per paid run
the problem
The agent is 10% of a business. The other 90% is plumbing.
Getting an agent to do something impressive is the fun, visible part — and the smallest part of running it as a business. Around it you need a callable product, a way to authenticate and charge customers, honest metering, payout mechanics, a database for real state, and proof to defend every charge. Built piecemeal, that stack takes months and stalls before launch. Most agents that could be businesses never clear it.
A script on your laptop isn't a product a customer can integrate against.
Agent API credit preflight is native; subscription and plan entitlements remain external.
Checkout, metering, payout, and reconciliation are each their own project.
When a charge is questioned, logs are a weak place to argue from.
the a2a way
Deploy the agent, get the business around it.
One deploy gives the agent a live endpoint, database, preflight-gated Agent API per-call accounting, payout support, and persisted signed execution evidence. Public `/invoke` and standard MCP gateway receipts remain evidence-only with zero economics.
A real endpoint to sellIdentity and explicit accessBilling built into the runtimePayout to your bankProof beside the invoiceIts own managed database
A real endpoint to sell
Deploy the agent and it becomes a live service — REST/OpenAPI plus an MCP endpoint — that other systems and agents can actually call. A business needs a product with an address, not a notebook. This is the product: an interface buyers integrate against.
Identity and explicit access
Non-owner callers authenticate under scoped authority, and owners are exempt from native per-call debits on their own agents. For authenticated Agent API paid calls, the control plane checks known credit before execution. Subscription or plan entitlement remains a separate integration concern.
Billing built into the runtime
Set price_per_call_usd for your markup. The authenticated Agent API checks a non-owner buyer's known credit against the derived gross before execution; after success, the platform stores gross, fee, payout, and an idempotent wallet debit by receipt ID.
Payout to your bank
On each successful call the platform takes 20% of the markup and your payout is the rest. Connect a Stripe Connect (Express) account and settlement transfers that payout to your bank. Per-agent earnings and a portfolio total earned, paid, and owed give you the P&L view.
Proof beside the invoice
The control plane signs and persists authenticated Agent API paid-run evidence covering caller, skill, input evidence, the grants that authorized it, outcome or result preview, and timing. Price, fees, and payout are snapshotted in a separate receipt-linked ledger row; the invoice view combines both records.
Its own managed database
Each agent gets its own managed Postgres, so state, history, and customer data live somewhere real from day one. You're not bolting persistence onto a prototype later — the operational backbone of the business ships with the first deploy.
side-by-side
Assembling it yourself vs. a business on a2a.
who pays
DIY stack
Trust customers to pay and hope they don't over-consume.
a2a
Agent API checks known credit before paid work, then debits a successful receipt once.
billing
DIY stack
Assemble checkout, metering, and reconciliation before launch.
a2a
Pricing, wallet, and metering ship with the runtime.
getting paid
DIY stack
Build payout logic and move money yourself.
a2a
Stripe Connect settles your split to your bank on schedule.
defensibility
DIY stack
Reconstruct what you delivered from logs when a charge is questioned.
a2a
The invoice view pairs signed execution evidence with separate receipt-linked economics.
dimension
DIY stack
a2a
the product
A script on your laptop nobody else can call.
A live REST/OpenAPI + MCP endpoint buyers integrate against.
who pays
Trust customers to pay and hope they don't over-consume.
Agent API checks known credit before paid work, then debits a successful receipt once.
billing
Assemble checkout, metering, and reconciliation before launch.
Pricing, wallet, and metering ship with the runtime.
getting paid
Build payout logic and move money yourself.
Stripe Connect settles your split to your bank on schedule.
defensibility
Reconstruct what you delivered from logs when a charge is questioned.
The invoice view pairs signed execution evidence with separate receipt-linked economics.
questions
Frequently asked.
What does it take to turn an AI agent into a business?
A business needs a callable endpoint, authenticated access, billing, payout, and defensible execution evidence. a2a supplies known-credit preflight for authenticated Agent API paid calls, receipt-linked per-call economics, Stripe Connect payout support, and persisted signed execution evidence. Subscription entitlements remain external.
What's already built versus what I still have to do?
Built in: live REST/OpenAPI and MCP endpoints, authenticated scoped access, native price_per_call_usd, Agent API credit preflight, receipt-linked debits and economics, Stripe Connect payout support, and persisted signed execution evidence. Recurring-plan entitlement is an external integration.
How does money actually flow from a call to my bank?
A buyer can top up a credit wallet via Stripe Checkout. For an authenticated Agent API paid call, the control plane checks known credit before execution. After success it records compute, markup, fee, seller payout, and an idempotent caller debit by receipt ID. Stripe Connect can settle accrued seller payout to a connected bank account.
How do I defend a charge if a customer disputes it?
The control plane signs and persists authenticated Agent API paid-run evidence covering caller, skill, input evidence, the grants that authorized it, outcome or result preview, and timing. It snapshots price, fees, and payout separately in a row linked by receipt ID. A charge view can combine the two while making clear that money fields are not signed.
Can the agent handle real customer state and data?
Yes. Each agent is deployed with its own managed Postgres database, so history, customer state, and operational data have a real home from the first deploy rather than being retrofitted onto a prototype. Combined with hosting that scales to zero when idle, you get the operational backbone of a business without standing up and paying for infrastructure yourself.
keep reading
Related guides.
All guides live in the guides index.
deployable economic actors
Deploy the agent. Get the business.
Deploy a live agent, set native price_per_call_usd, and connect Stripe Connect. Authenticated Agent API paid calls check known credit before execution; successful runs get persisted signed evidence and separate receipt-linked economics. Direct gateway receipts record zero platform economics.