Primer-Systems Chutes AI Proxy (x402)
Build a pay-per-inference proxy for Bittensor Chutes (Subnet 64). Accept USDC payments on Base and forward requests to Chutes' decentralized AI network.
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when the user wants to:
- Build an AI inference API that accepts crypto payments
- Wrap Chutes/Bittensor with their own pricing
- Create a pay-per-request AI service without subscriptions
- Monetize AI access using stablecoins
- Set up a Bittensor-powered AI endpoint
How to Respond
| User Says/Asks | What to Do |
|---|---|
| "Create a Chutes proxy" | Run x402 create chutes-proxy my-proxy |
| "I want to sell AI inference" | Scaffold the proxy, explain the business model |
| "How do I accept payments for AI?" | Explain x402 + Chutes, offer to scaffold |
| "Set up Bittensor integration" | Run the create command |
| "What models does Chutes support?" | List models (DeepSeek, Llama, Qwen, etc.) |
Quick Start
Node.js / TypeScript
npx @primersystems/x402 create chutes-proxy my-ai-proxy
cd my-ai-proxy
npm install
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your Chutes API key and wallet address
npm run dev
Python
pip install primer-x402
x402 create chutes-proxy my-ai-proxy
cd my-ai-proxy
pip install -r requirements.txt
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your Chutes API key and wallet address
uvicorn main:app --reload
How It Works
User Request
|
v
[Your Proxy] -- No payment? --> Return 402 + price
|
v
User signs USDC payment (gasless)
|
v
[Your Proxy] -- Verify payment --> [Primer Facilitator]
|
v
[Chutes API] -- Forward request --> Bittensor Subnet 64
|
v
AI Response returned to user
You pre-pay Chutes with your API credits. Users pay YOU in USDC. You keep the margin.
Configuration
After scaffolding, edit .env:
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
CHUTES_API_KEY |
Your Chutes API key from chutes.ai | Yes |
WALLET_ADDRESS |
Your wallet to receive USDC | Yes |
PRICE_PER_1K_TOKENS |
Your price in USD (default: 0.001) | No |
FACILITATOR_URL |
x402 facilitator (default: Primer's) | No |
Getting a Chutes API Key
- Go to chutes.ai
- Sign up / connect wallet
- Subscribe to a tier ($3/month base)
- Generate API key (starts with
cpk_)
Deployment
Cloudflare Workers (TypeScript - Free)
wrangler login
wrangler secret put CHUTES_API_KEY
wrangler secret put WALLET_ADDRESS
npm run deploy
Docker (Python)
docker build -t chutes-proxy .
docker run -p 8000:8000 --env-file .env chutes-proxy
Other Platforms
- fly.io:
fly launch && fly secrets set CHUTES_API_KEY=xxx - Railway/Render: Connect repo, set env vars in dashboard
- Vercel Edge: Build and deploy TypeScript version
API Endpoints
Your proxy exposes:
| Endpoint | Description | Payment |
|---|---|---|
GET / |
Health check | Free |
POST /v1/chat/completions |
Chat completions (OpenAI-compatible) | Required |
GET /v1/models |
List available models | Free |
Supported Models
Any model on Chutes, including:
deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V3Qwen/Qwen3-235B-A22Bmeta-llama/Llama-3.1-70B-Instructmeta-llama/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct
See chutes.ai for the full list.
Pricing Strategy
The proxy estimates tokens and charges upfront:
Price = (estimated_tokens / 1000) * PRICE_PER_1K_TOKENS
Set PRICE_PER_1K_TOKENS higher than Chutes' cost to make margin. Example:
- Chutes costs you ~$0.0005/1K tokens
- You charge $0.001/1K tokens
- You keep 50% margin
Limitations
- Streaming not supported - Template doesn't handle
stream: true - Token estimation is approximate - Uses ~4 chars/token heuristic
- Pre-payment only - No post-inference reconciliation
Use Cases
| Who | Why |
|---|---|
| AI agent operators | Give agents paid AI access without API keys |
| API resellers | Wrap Chutes with your branding/pricing |
| Privacy services | AI without accounts or KYC |
| Bittensor miners | Add stablecoin revenue stream |
Testing Your Proxy
# Should return 402 Payment Required
curl http://localhost:8787/v1/chat/completions \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"messages":[{"role":"user","content":"Hello"}]}'
# Pay and get response (using x402 CLI)
npx @primersystems/x402 pay http://localhost:8787/v1/chat/completions \
--max-amount 0.01 \
--method POST \
--body '{"messages":[{"role":"user","content":"Hello"}]}'
Links
- Chutes AI: https://chutes.ai
- Bittensor: https://bittensor.com
- x402 Protocol: https://x402.org
- Primer Systems: https://primer.systems
- SDK Documentation: https://x402.org/docs/bittensor.html
- GitHub: https://github.com/primer-systems/x402