x402 + IBA

The Two Layers Agentic Commerce Needs

x402 gives your AI agent a wallet and a payment protocol.
It solves how the agent pays.

IBA Intent Bound Authorization declares what the agent is authorized to pay for —
the payee, the amount, the category, the hard limits —
before x402 is called.

x402 gives your agent a wallet.
IBA decides what it is allowed to spend it on.

THE PAYMENT PROTOCOL

x402 — HTTP Payment Layer

Coinbase’s open protocol enabling AI agents to pay for web resources autonomously using HTTP 402. The agent encounters a paywall, pays with a stablecoin, receives the resource. Solves the mechanics of agentic payment.

HOW: HTTP 402 response triggers payment flow

WHAT: Stablecoin micropayments for API resources

SPEED: Sub-second autonomous transactions

GAP: Does not declare what the agent may pay for

COMBINED

THE AUTHORIZATION LAYER

IBA — Pre-Execution Gate

A signed human intent certificate declared before the x402 flow begins. Authorized payees. Maximum spend. Permitted resource categories. Hard limits that no instruction or injection can override. Solves what the agent is permitted to pay for.

WHAT: Signed certificate before x402 is called

SCOPE: Declared payees, categories, limits

HARD: Limits no instruction can override

CLOSES: The authorization gap x402 leaves open

LIVE COMPARISON · SAME AGENT · SAME x402 PROTOCOL · DIFFERENT AUTHORIZATION

Ungoverned x402 Agent vs IBA-Governed x402 Agent

x402 AGENT — NO IBA

UNGOVERNED

WALLET BALANCE

$500.00

UNAUTHORIZED SPEND

$0.00

NO IBA CERTIFICATE · NO DECLARED SCOPE · NO HARD LIMITS
Agent pays whatever it is instructed to pay · No cryptographic boundary

x402 TRANSACTION LOG — UNGOVERNED

x402 AGENT + IBA CERT

IBA GOVERNED

WALLET BALANCE

$500.00

SAVED BY GATE

$0.00

CERT ACTIVE: API resources only · Max $50/tx · Declared domains only
HARD LIMITS: No crypto · No undeclared payees · No above-limit tx

x402 GATE LOG — IBA GOVERNED

FIRE INJECTION ATTACKS

Watch what happens to each agent — ungoverned vs IBA governed

ATTACK VERDICT · UNGOVERNED vs IBA GOVERNED