# X402 Stellar Context > Project context for the x402-stellar monorepo. Use this to understand what the project does, how it's structured, and how the pieces fit together. Load this first when working on any part of the codebase. - Skill: `stellar/x402-stellar-context` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add stellar/x402-stellar-context` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/stellar/x402-stellar-context/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: stellar (https://skillmd.com/u/stellar) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/stellar/x402-stellar-context --- # x402-stellar Context ## What This Is An implementation of the [x402 payment protocol](https://www.x402.org/) for the Stellar network. The x402 protocol uses HTTP status code 402 (Payment Required) to enable machine-readable paywalls — a server responds with 402 + a `PAYMENT-REQUIRED` header, the client pays via blockchain, then retries the request with a `PAYMENT-SIGNATURE` header. The facilitator verifies and settles payments on-chain. This repo provides: - A **Stellar facilitator** that verifies and settles x402 payments on the Stellar blockchain - A **paywall server** example using Express + the `@x402/express` middleware - A **React SPA client** that renders a wallet-connect paywall UI when it receives a 402 - A **paywall package** that generates the HTML paywall page with Stellar wallet integration ## How x402 Payment Flow Works ``` Client Server Facilitator Stellar | | | | |-- GET /networks ------->| | | |<-- { networks: [...] } -| | | | | | | |-- GET /protected/:net ->| | | |<-- 402 + requirements --| | | | | | | | (user signs tx in wallet) | | | | | | |-- GET /protected/:net ->| | | | (PAYMENT-SIGNATURE hdr)|-- POST /verify -------->| | | |<-- { valid: true } -----| | | | | | | |-- POST /settle -------->| | | | |-- submit tx --->| | |<-- { success, txHash } -| | |<-- 200 + PAYMENT-RESPONSE + content -------------| | ``` 1. Client fetches `GET /networks` to discover which networks are available (testnet, mainnet, or both) 2. Client requests a protected resource via `GET /protected/testnet` or `GET /protected/mainnet` 3. Server responds with `402 Payment Required` + `PAYMENT-REQUIRED` header (base64 `PaymentRequired` payload: price, network, payTo address) 4. Client renders a paywall page where the user connects a Stellar wallet and signs a transaction 5. Client retries the request with the signed payment in the `PAYMENT-SIGNATURE` header 6. Server forwards the payment to the facilitator for verification 7. Facilitator checks the transaction is valid (correct amount, recipient, not expired) 8. Server serves the content; facilitator settles (submits) the transaction on-chain 9. Server returns content with `PAYMENT-RESPONSE` header (base64 `SettlementResponse`) and injects the transaction hash link via `txHashInjector` middleware ### Header compatibility note x402 v2 HTTP transport uses: - `PAYMENT-REQUIRED` (server → client, 402 response) - `PAYMENT-SIGNATURE` (client → server, retried request) - `PAYMENT-RESPONSE` (server → client, settlement metadata) The vendored `@x402/*` packages in this repo still include v1 fallbacks (`X-PAYMENT`, `X-PAYMENT-RESPONSE`) for backward compatibility, but v2 headers are the canonical protocol path. ## Architecture pnpm 10.7.0 monorepo with Turborepo. All own packages are scoped `@x402-stellar/*`. ### Packages | Package | Path | Purpose | | ------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `@x402-stellar/paywall` | `packages/paywall/` | Builds the paywall HTML page. Uses a builder pattern: `createPaywall().withNetwork(stellarPaywall).build()`. The `stellarPaywall` handler uses `@creit.tech/stellar-wallets-kit` for wallet connection. Bundles React + wallet UI into a single HTML string via esbuild. | | `@x402-stellar/facilitator` | `examples/facilitator/` | Express service that wraps `x402Facilitator` from `@x402/core`. Registers the `ExactStellarScheme` with a Stellar signer derived from `FACILITATOR_STELLAR_PRIVATE_KEY`. Exposes `/verify`, `/settle`, `/supported`, `/health`. | | `@x402-stellar/simple-paywall-server` | `examples/simple-paywall/server/` | Express service that uses `@x402/express` `paymentMiddleware` to protect `GET /protected/:network` (testnet and/or mainnet). Configures per-network `x402ResourceServer` instances with `HTTPFacilitatorClient` pointing at each network's facilitator. Exposes `GET /networks` for network discovery. Also uses the paywall package to generate the 402 response HTML. | | `@x402-stellar/simple-paywall-client` | `examples/simple-paywall/client/` | React/Vite SPA. Three-page demo: Home, Try It (fetches `GET /networks` and shows buttons for each available network), and the protected content page. | ### Vendored Packages 4 pre-built `@x402/*` packages live under `vendors/x402/typescript/packages/`. They are a git submodule from the upstream [coinbase/x402](https://github.com/coinbase/x402) repo, included as **dist-only** (never modify source, never rebuild). | Package | Purpose | | ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `@x402/core` | Protocol types, facilitator base class, server base class, `HTTPFacilitatorClient` | | `@x402/extensions` | Protocol extensions (not directly used) | | `@x402/express` | `paymentMiddleware` and `x402ResourceServer` for Express | | `@x402/stellar` | `ExactStellarScheme` (facilitator + server sides), `createEd25519Signer` | ### Build Order Turborepo resolves `^build` dependencies. In practice: `paywall` builds first (esbuild + tsup), then `server` (imports paywall). Facilitator and client have no cross-dependencies and build in parallel. ## Key Design Decisions **Paywall as bundled HTML**: The paywall package pre-bundles the entire React wallet UI into an HTML string at build time. When the server returns a 402, it sends this HTML directly — no client-side JS bundle loading needed. The `template.ts` file (~2.25 MB, auto-generated) contains the base64-encoded bundle. **txHashInjector middleware**: Registered before the `@x402/express` middleware. It wraps `res.end`/`res.write` to intercept the response body after payment settlement and replaces `{{TX_LINK}}` with a Stellar Expert transaction link. This lets the protected content reference its own payment transaction. **Facilitator is internal**: In the Docker Compose setup, the facilitator is not exposed externally — it runs on an internal network. Facilitator routes (`/verify`, `/settle`, `/supported`) are NOT externally accessible — they are an internal service, not a public API. **Startup validation**: Before creating the Express app, the server calls `Env.validateFacilitators()` which fetches `GET /supported` from every configured facilitator (with optional `Authorization: Bearer` header). If any facilitator is unreachable or returns a non-200 status, the server throws with aggregated diagnostics. **`trust proxy` via `proxy-addr`**: Both server and facilitator use the `proxy-addr` package with `TRUST_PROXY` env var (defaulting to `loopback,linklocal,uniquelocal`) instead of Express's built-in string-based trust. This matches the pattern used in Stellar's `laboratory-backend`. ## Repository Layout ``` x402-stellar/ ├── packages/paywall/ # Paywall HTML builder │ └── src/ │ ├── builder.ts # PaywallBuilder class │ ├── stellar-handler.ts # Stellar wallet integration │ ├── stellar.ts # Re-export for paywall/stellar entry │ ├── types.ts # PaywallConfig, PaywallProvider types │ └── browser/ # esbuild source for the wallet UI │ └── build.ts # Build script -> gen/template.ts ├── examples/ │ ├── facilitator/ # Stellar facilitator service │ │ └── src/ │ │ ├── app.ts # Express app: /verify, /settle, /supported, /health │ │ ├── index.ts # Entrypoint: listen + graceful shutdown │ │ ├── config/env.ts # Typed Env class (validates at startup) │ │ └── utils/logger.ts # Pino structured logging │ └── simple-paywall/ │ ├── server/ # Paywall server │ │ └── src/ │ │ ├── app.ts # Express app: helmet, cors, trust proxy, error handler │ │ ├── index.ts # Entrypoint: listen + graceful shutdown │ │ ├── config/env.ts # Typed Env class │ │ ├── middleware/ │ │ │ ├── payment.ts # Creates x402 paymentMiddleware │ │ │ └── txHashInjector.ts # Replaces {{TX_LINK}} in responses │ │ ├── routes/ │ │ │ ├── health.ts # GET /health │ │ │ └── protected.ts # GET /protected/:network (paywalled content) │ │ └── utils/logger.ts │ ├── client/ # React/Vite SPA │ └── docker-compose.yml # 3-container local setup ├── vendors/x402/ # Git submodule (dist-only, never modify) │ └── typescript/packages/{core,extensions,http/express,mechanisms/stellar} ├── Dockerfile # Multi-target: facilitator, server, client ├── Makefile # check = install + format + lint + typecheck + test + build ├── turbo.json # Task config with ^build dependency ├── pnpm-workspace.yaml # Workspace globs └── .env.example # Template for required env vars ``` ## Deployment Modes | Mode | Description | Config | | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------ | | **Local dev** | 3 separate processes (facilitator, server, client) | `pnpm dev` | | **Docker Compose** | 3 containers, facilitator internal, server on 3001, client on 8080 | `docker-compose.yml` | | **Standalone Docker** | Any individual target (`facilitator`, `server`, `client`) | `docker build --target ` | ## Environment Variables Minimum required for the system to function: | Variable | Used By | Purpose | | --------------------------------- | ----------------- | -------------------------------------------- | | `FACILITATOR_STELLAR_PRIVATE_KEY` | Facilitator | Signs and submits Stellar transactions | | `TESTNET_SERVER_STELLAR_ADDRESS` | Server | Stellar public address for testnet payments | | `MAINNET_SERVER_STELLAR_ADDRESS` | Server | Stellar public address for mainnet payments | | `CLIENT_STELLAR_PRIVATE_KEY` | Client (dev only) | Wallet key for testing (never in production) | Per-network server variables use `TESTNET_` or `MAINNET_` prefixes: `_SERVER_STELLAR_ADDRESS`, `_STELLAR_RPC_URL`, `_FACILITATOR_URL`, `_FACILITATOR_API_KEY`. Provide at least one set to enable that network. Client env variables are resolved as follows: `VITE_SERVER_URL`, `VITE_APP_NAME`, and `VITE_PAYMENT_PRICE` may be provided via runtime `window.__CONFIG__` (Docker, injected by `docker-entrypoint.sh`) or via Vite build-time env, with hardcoded defaults as fallback. `VITE_PORT` configures the Vite dev server port at startup (default `5173`) and is not read from `window.__CONFIG__` at runtime in Docker. Full reference in the root `README.md` and per-service `.env.example` files. ## Test Coverage 101 tests across 6 files: - `examples/facilitator/tests/config/env.test.ts` — 25 tests (Env class validation) - `examples/facilitator/tests/routes/facilitator.test.ts` — 10 tests (route behavior) - `examples/simple-paywall/server/tests/config/env.test.ts` — 41 tests (Env + dual-network config + address validation + validateFacilitators) - `examples/simple-paywall/server/tests/middleware/txHashInjector.test.ts` — 10 tests - `examples/simple-paywall/server/tests/routes/protected.test.ts` — 12 tests (health + networks + protected routes per network) - `examples/simple-paywall/server/tests/routes/protected-single-network.test.ts` — 3 tests (single-network deployment behavior) Run with `pnpm test` (Turborepo runs vitest in each package).