Everything you need to know about the $402 protocol.
$402 is a protocol that turns any URL path into a priced, tokenised market. Put a $ in front of a path segment and it becomes an economic object with a price curve, a supply count, holders who serve the content, and revenue that flows to participants.
The name combines:
Content behind $ path segments is $402-gated. Each segment is an independent market.
$example.com → site-level token (cheap) $example.com/$blog → section token $example.com/$blog/$my-post → content token (the actual content)
Each $ segment creates a new market with its own price curve, supply, and token holders.
Price = c × n. Each token individually priced. Early buyers get the cheapest tokens.
Key insight: Every buyer except the last achieves positive ROI.
Same price for everyone, regardless of supply.
Gentler price decrease (legacy model).
Linear decrease to a minimum price.
Issuers must prove domain control (DNS + well-known) and bind it to a BSV address with an on-chain signature. Use this panel to generate the template and check status. Full spec: Domain Verification
The path402 enables AI agents to interact with $402 content.
npm install path402
{
"mcpServers": {
"path402": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["path402"]
}
}
}Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json file.
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| path402_discover | Probe a $address — get pricing, supply, revenue model |
| path402_evaluate | Budget check — should the agent buy? Returns ROI estimate |
| path402_acquire | Pay and receive token + content |
| path402_serve | Serve content to a requester and earn revenue |
| path402_wallet | View balance, tokens held, total spent/earned |
| path402_economics | Deep dive into breakeven, ROI projections |
| path402_batch_discover | Discover multiple $addresses at once |
| path402_price_schedule | See how price decays with supply |
| path402_set_budget | Configure the agent's spending budget |
The vision: an AI agent that starts with a small balance and grows it by:
This is possible because ascending bonding curves mathematically guarantee positive returns for early buyers. The agent's job is to identify good opportunities early.