Telnyx x402 Cryptocurrency Payment
Fund a Telnyx account with USDC on the Base blockchain using the x402 payment protocol. The flow has three steps: get a quote, sign the payment client-side, and submit for settlement.
Feature Flag: x402 payments are gated behind the
X402_PAYMENTS_ENABLEDfeature flag. If not enabled for the account, the API returns403 Forbidden.
Prerequisites
- Telnyx API key (
TELNYX_API_KEY) - Crypto wallet with USDC on Base network (chain ID:
eip155:8453) - USDC contract on Base:
0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913
Environment Variables
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
TELNYX_API_KEY |
Yes | Telnyx API v2 key |
Step 1: Get a Quote
Request a quote for the USD amount to fund. Per-payment minimum and maximum limits apply; they are configurable and may change, and the API's 422 error messages state the current values. Quotes expire after 5 minutes.
curl -s -X POST "https://api.telnyx.com/v2/x402/credit_account/quote" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TELNYX_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"amount_usd": "50.00"}' | jq .
Response:
{
"data": {
"id": "quote_abc123",
"record_type": "quote",
"amount_usd": "50.00",
"amount_crypto": "50000000",
"network": "eip155:8453",
"expires_at": "2026-03-09T19:00:00Z",
"payment_requirements": {
"x402Version": 2,
"resource": {
"url": "payment:quote_abc123",
"description": "Payment of $50.00 USD",
"mimeType": "application/json"
},
"accepts": [
{
"scheme": "exact",
"network": "eip155:8453",
"amount": "50000000",
"asset": "0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913",
"payTo": "0xRecipientAddress",
"maxTimeoutSeconds": 300,
"extra": {
"quoteId": "quote_abc123",
"facilitatorUrl": "https://www.x402.org/facilitator",
"name": "USD Coin",
"version": "2"
}
}
]
}
}
}
Quote Response Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
id |
Quote identifier (use in submission) |
record_type |
Always "quote" |
amount_usd |
Requested USD amount |
amount_crypto |
USDC amount in smallest unit (6 decimals: $50.00 → "50000000") |
network |
CAIP-2 network identifier (e.g. "eip155:8453") |
expires_at |
ISO 8601 quote expiry (5 minutes from creation) |
payment_requirements |
x402 V2 payment requirements (see below) |
Payment Requirements (x402 V2)
The payment_requirements object follows the x402 protocol V2 structure:
x402Version— Protocol version (2)resource— The resource being paid for:url— Canonical resource URL (included in the payment signature)description— Human-readable descriptionmimeType— Response content type
accepts— Array of accepted payment methods, each containing:scheme— Payment scheme ("exact"for fixed-amount transfers)network— CAIP-2 network (e.g."eip155:8453")amount— Amount in token smallest unitsasset— Token contract addresspayTo— Recipient wallet addressmaxTimeoutSeconds— Maximum time before quote expiresextra— Additional metadata:quoteId,facilitatorUrl, and EIP-712 domain fieldsnameandversion. Note:chainIdis derived fromnetwork(e.g.,eip155:8453→8453) andverifyingContractis the same asasset
Step 2: Sign the Payment (Client-Side)
The user must sign an EIP-712 typed data message authorizing a USDC transferWithAuthorization (EIP-3009). This is done client-side using ethers.js, viem, or any EIP-712 signing library.
⚠️ Security: Never hardcode private keys in source code or commit them to version control. Use environment variables, a hardware wallet, or a secure key management service.
Required inputs:
- Payer wallet's private key
- Quote details from
payment_requirements.accepts[0]:payTo,amount, and the EIP-712 domain fromextra - A random 32-byte nonce
- Validity period (current time → quote expiry)
EIP-712 domain (assembled from multiple sources):
{
"name": "USD Coin", // ← from quote: accepts[0].extra.name
"version": "2", // ← from quote: accepts[0].extra.version
"chainId": 8453, // ← client must know: Base mainnet chain ID (NOT in quote response)
"verifyingContract": "0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913" // ← client must know: USDC contract address on Base (NOT in quote response)
}
Important: Only
nameandversionare provided in the quote response (accepts[0].extra). The client must derive the remaining EIP-712 domain fields:
chainId: Parse from the CAIP-2 network string inaccepts[0].network(e.g.,"eip155:8453"→8453)verifyingContract: Same asaccepts[0].asset— the USDC token contract addressThese are not included in the quote response; they are derived from other fields in
accepts[0].
EIP-712 types (TransferWithAuthorization):
{
"TransferWithAuthorization": [
{ "name": "from", "type": "address" },
{ "name": "to", "type": "address" },
{ "name": "value", "type": "uint256" },
{ "name": "validAfter", "type": "uint256" },
{ "name": "validBefore", "type": "uint256" },
{ "name": "nonce", "type": "bytes32" }
]
}
The signing produces a signature (r, s, v) that authorizes the USDC transfer without requiring an on-chain transaction from the user.
This step cannot be done with curl alone — it requires a crypto signing library. Guide the user to use ethers.js, viem, or a similar tool.
Building the payment_signature Payload
After signing, you must construct the payment payload JSON and base64-encode it.
⚠️ Critical: The PaymentPayload v2 has THREE top-level keys:
x402Version,accepted, andpayload. Thepayload(signature + authorization) is a top-level sibling ofaccepted, NOT nested inside it.
PaymentPayload v2 structure:
PaymentPayload v2:
├── x402Version: 2
├── resource (optional): ← What is being paid for
│ ├── url
│ ├── description
│ └── mimeType
├── accepted: ← WHAT is being paid (exact copy of accepts[0])
│ ├── scheme
│ ├── network
│ ├── amount
│ ├── asset
│ ├── payTo
│ ├── maxTimeoutSeconds
│ └── extra: { quoteId, facilitatorUrl, name, version }
└── payload: ← PROOF of payment authorization (top-level!)
├── signature
└── authorization: { from, to, value, validAfter, validBefore, nonce }
Correct v2 format (complete example with realistic values):
{
"x402Version": 2,
"resource": {
"url": "https://api.telnyx.com/v2/x402/credit_account",
"description": "Credit account via x402 payment",
"mimeType": "application/json"
},
"accepted": {
"scheme": "exact",
"network": "eip155:8453",
"amount": "50000000",
"asset": "0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913",
"payTo": "0x4838B106FCe9647Bdf1E7877BF73cE8B0BAD5f97",
"maxTimeoutSeconds": 300,
"extra": {
"quoteId": "quote_abc123",
"facilitatorUrl": "https://www.x402.org/facilitator",
"name": "USD Coin",
"version": "2"
}
},
"payload": {
"signature": "0xe0fbde58a3c04dc2bae26f25ed36c7802f9214c88b3e26e6e9f79a2838a9c4651d2f7e8a90b45c31d8e5f720ca9d9b13f6d8a2e5c1b4f7e8d9a0b3c6d5e4f2a71b",
"authorization": {
"from": "0x71C7656EC7ab88b098defB751B7401B5f6d8976F",
"to": "0x4838B106FCe9647Bdf1E7877BF73cE8B0BAD5f97",
"value": "50000000",
"validAfter": "0",
"validBefore": "1773166865",
"nonce": "0x8a3b5c7d9e1f2a4b6c8d0e2f4a6b8c0d2e4f6a8b0c2d4e6f8a0b2c4d6e8f0a1b"
}
}
}
Note: The
resourcefield is optional per the@x402/coreschema, but the working e2e implementation includes it. It describes the API endpoint being paid for.
Full Flow: Quote → PaymentPayload → Submit
1. You receive a quote response (from Step 1):
{
"data": {
"id": "quote_78ab4393-b7c1-4949-a6df-9ffa56642252",
"amount_crypto": "50000000",
"payment_requirements": {
"accepts": [{
"scheme": "exact",
"network": "eip155:8453",
"amount": "50000000",
"asset": "0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913",
"payTo": "0x4838B106FCe9647Bdf1E7877BF73cE8B0BAD5f97",
"maxTimeoutSeconds": 300,
"extra": { "quoteId": "quote_78ab4393-b7c1-4949-a6df-9ffa56642252", "facilitatorUrl": "https://www.x402.org/facilitator", "name": "USD Coin", "version": "2" }
}]
}
}
}
2. You construct the PaymentPayload:
accepted — Copy payment_requirements.accepts[0] from your quote response exactly as the accepted value. Do not modify or omit any fields.
payload — Constructed by the client:
| PaymentPayload field | Source |
|---|---|
payload.signature |
Your EIP-712 signature (0x-prefixed) |
payload.authorization.from |
Your wallet address |
payload.authorization.to |
Same as accepted.payTo |
payload.authorization.value |
Same as accepted.amount |
payload.authorization.validAfter |
"0" (immediate) |
payload.authorization.validBefore |
Unix timestamp (quote expiry) |
payload.authorization.nonce |
Random 32-byte hex (0x-prefixed) |
resource (optional) — The working e2e implementation includes a top-level resource object describing the API endpoint being paid for. The @x402/core schema considers this optional, but including it is recommended.
3. Base64-encode and submit:
PAYMENT_PAYLOAD='{"x402Version":2,"resource":{"url":"https://api.telnyx.com/v2/x402/credit_account","description":"Credit account via x402 payment","mimeType":"application/json"},"accepted":{"scheme":"exact","network":"eip155:8453","amount":"50000000","asset":"0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913","payTo":"0x4838B106FCe9647Bdf1E7877BF73cE8B0BAD5f97","maxTimeoutSeconds":300,"extra":{"quoteId":"quote_78ab4393-b7c1-4949-a6df-9ffa56642252","facilitatorUrl":"https://www.x402.org/facilitator","name":"USD Coin","version":"2"}},"payload":{"signature":"0xe0fbde58a3c04dc2bae26f25ed36c7802f9214c88b3e26e6e9f79a2838a9c4651d2f7e8a90b45c31d8e5f720ca9d9b13f6d8a2e5c1b4f7e8d9a0b3c6d5e4f2a71b","authorization":{"from":"0x71C7656EC7ab88b098defB751B7401B5f6d8976F","to":"0x4838B106FCe9647Bdf1E7877BF73cE8B0BAD5f97","value":"50000000","validAfter":"0","validBefore":"1773166865","nonce":"0x8a3b5c7d9e1f2a4b6c8d0e2f4a6b8c0d2e4f6a8b0c2d4e6f8a0b2c4d6e8f0a1b"}}}'
# tr strips the line wraps GNU base64 inserts at 76 chars — they would corrupt the JSON below
ENCODED=$(echo -n "$PAYMENT_PAYLOAD" | base64 | tr -d '\n')
curl -X POST "https://api.telnyx.com/v2/x402/credit_account" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TELNYX_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"id":"quote_78ab4393-b7c1-4949-a6df-9ffa56642252","payment_signature":"'"$ENCODED"'"}' | jq .
Step 3: Submit the Payment
Request Body
POST /v2/x402/credit_account
The request body is a JSON object with exactly two required fields:
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
id |
string | Yes | The quote ID returned from the quote endpoint. Format: quote_<uuid> (e.g. quote_78ab4393-b7c1-4949-a6df-9ffa56642252) |
payment_signature |
string | Yes | Base64-encoded JSON string of the PaymentPayload v2 structure (see Building the payment_signature Payload above) |
Both fields are required. The id must reference a valid, unexpired quote. The payment_signature must be the entire PaymentPayload v2 JSON (with the accepted wrapper), base64-encoded.
Complete Example
See the full flow example in Step 2 above for the complete quote → payload → submit workflow.
Note: The
PAYMENT-SIGNATUREheader approach is not currently supported at the API gateway level. Use thepayment_signaturebody parameter instead.
Settlement Status
Success response (201 Created):
{
"data": {
"id": "txn_uuid",
"record_type": "x402_transaction",
"amount": "50.00",
"currency": "USD",
"status": "settled",
"quote_id": "quote_abc123",
"tx_hash": "0x...",
"created_at": "2026-03-09T19:00:00Z"
}
}
The status field can be:
verified— Payment signature verified, settlement pending on-chainsettled— On-chain transaction confirmed, platform credit applied
Settlement is nearly instant (~2 seconds on Base L2). Platform credit is applied upon reaching settled status.
Error Handling
| Error Code | HTTP Status | Meaning | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
amount_usd must be at least <min> |
422 | Below the current minimum | Retry with an amount at or above the minimum the error states |
amount_usd must not exceed <max> |
422 | Above the current maximum | Retry with an amount at or below the maximum the error states |
insufficient_balance |
422 | Wallet lacks USDC | Fund the wallet with USDC on Base |
insufficient_funds |
422 | Wallet lacks USDC (alias) | Fund the wallet with USDC on Base |
insufficient_allowance |
422 | USDC token allowance insufficient | Approve USDC spending for the facilitator contract |
expired_authorization |
400 | Quote/authorization expired | Request a new quote |
invalid_signature |
400 | Signature check failed | Verify EIP-712 domain, types, and signing parameters |
invalid_nonce |
400 | Authorization already used or cancelled | Generate a new nonce and re-sign |
facilitator_unavailable |
502 | On-chain facilitator unreachable | Retry after a moment |
facilitator_timeout |
503 | Payment processing timed out | Funds not transferred; retry |
settlement_timeout |
503 | Settlement taking too long | Check wallet balance before retrying |
transaction_failed |
502 | On-chain transaction failed | Funds not transferred; retry or contact support |
Common Mistakes
❌ Wrong: Putting fields at root level (v1-style)
{
"x402Version": 2,
"scheme": "exact",
"network": "eip155:8453",
"payload": {
"signature": "e0fbde...",
"authorization": { "from": "...", "to": "...", "value": "..." }
}
}
Error: "Invalid PaymentPayload structure: accepted: Required"
Fix: Wrap scheme, network, and payment requirement fields inside an accepted object. Keep payload at the top level alongside accepted.
❌ Wrong: Nesting payload inside accepted
{
"x402Version": 2,
"accepted": {
"scheme": "exact",
"network": "eip155:8453",
"amount": "50000000",
"payload": { "signature": "0x...", "authorization": { ... } }
}
}
Error: "Invalid PaymentPayload structure: payload: Required"
Fix: payload is a top-level sibling of accepted, not nested inside it. Move payload out to the root level of the JSON object.
❌ Missing 0x prefix on signature
"signature": "e0fbde58a3..."
Fix: Always include the 0x prefix: "signature": "0xe0fbde58a3..."
❌ Mismatched values from the quote
If amount, payTo, or network in your payload don't match the quote's values, you'll get validation errors (e.g., amount mismatch, network mismatch). Always copy these values directly from payment_requirements.accepts[0].
Important Notes
- Payments are in USDC on the Base blockchain (Layer 2)
- The facilitator (x402.org) handles on-chain settlement
- The quote ID is idempotent — submitting the same quote twice returns the existing transaction
- This is a documentation-only skill; the signing step requires a crypto wallet library