OpenClaw · Skill
L402
This plugin provides a complete toolkit for agent-driven Lightning Network commerce. Three skills work together to enable agents to send and receive micropayments over the Lightning Network using the L402 protocol.
Install
Start with the primary install command. Alternate entrypoints are included below for ClawHub and OpenClaw CLI users.
Primary command
clawhub install roasbeef/lightning-agent-commerceClawHub installer
npx clawhub@latest install roasbeef/lightning-agent-commerceOpenClaw CLI
openclaw skills install roasbeef/lightning-agent-commerceDirect OpenClaw install
openclaw install roasbeef/lightning-agent-commerceWhat this skill does
This plugin provides a complete toolkit for agent-driven Lightning Network commerce. Three skills work together to enable agents to send and receive micropayments over the Lightning Network using the L402 protocol.
Why it matters
L402 lets agents pay per request rather than sharing API keys or managing subscriptions, enabling fully autonomous commerce between agents without human intervention.
Typical use cases
- Fetching real-time market data from a paid API with automatic invoice settlement
- Running a per-request paywall in front of an existing backend service
- Enabling two agents to exchange data and payment without human involvement
- Capping micropayment spend per API call to stay within a budget
- Prototyping agent payment workflows on a testnet Lightning node
Source instructions
Agentic Commerce Toolkit
This plugin provides a complete toolkit for agent-driven Lightning Network commerce. Three skills work together to enable agents to send and receive micropayments over the Lightning Network using the L402 protocol.
Components
| Skill | Purpose |
|---|---|
| lnd | Run Lightning Terminal (litd: lnd + loop + pool + tapd) |
| lnget | Fetch L402-protected resources (pay for data) |
| aperture | Host paid API endpoints (sell data) |
Full Setup Workflow
Step 1: Install All Components
# Install litd (Lightning Terminal — bundles lnd + loop + pool + tapd)
skills/lnd/scripts/install.sh
# Install lnget (Lightning HTTP client)
skills/lnget/scripts/install.sh
# Install aperture (L402 reverse proxy)
skills/aperture/scripts/install.sh
Step 2: Set Up the Lightning Node
# Start litd container (testnet by default)
skills/lnd/scripts/start-lnd.sh
# Create an encrypted wallet
skills/lnd/scripts/create-wallet.sh --mode standalone
# Verify node is running
skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh getinfo
Step 3: Fund the Wallet
# Generate a Bitcoin address
skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh newaddress p2tr
# Send BTC to this address from an exchange or another wallet
# Verify balance
skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh walletbalance
Step 4: Open a Channel
# Connect to a well-connected node (e.g., ACINQ, Bitfinex)
skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh connect <pubkey>@<host>:9735
# Open a channel
skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh openchannel --node_key=<pubkey> --local_amt=1000000
# Wait for channel to confirm (6 blocks)
skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh listchannels
Step 5: Configure lnget
# Initialize lnget config (auto-detects local lnd)
lnget config init
# Verify connection
lnget ln status
Step 6: Fetch Paid Resources
# Fetch an L402-protected resource
lnget --max-cost 1000 https://api.example.com/paid-data
# Preview without paying
lnget --no-pay https://api.example.com/paid-data
# Check cached tokens
lnget tokens list
Step 7: Host Paid Endpoints (Optional)
# Start your backend service
python3 -m http.server 8080 &
# Configure aperture to protect it
skills/aperture/scripts/setup.sh --insecure --port 8081
# Start the L402 paywall
skills/aperture/scripts/start.sh
# Other agents can now pay to access your endpoints
# lnget --max-cost 100 https://your-host:8081/api/data
Agent-to-Agent Commerce
The full loop for autonomous agent commerce:
Agent A (buyer) Agent B (seller)
───────────── ─────────────
lnd node running lnd node running
↓ ↓
lnget fetches URL ──────────────→ aperture receives request
↓
Returns 402 + invoice
↓
lnget pays invoice ─────────────→ lnd receives payment
↓ ↓
lnget retries with token ───────→ aperture validates token
↓
Proxies to backend
↓ ↓
Agent A receives data ←────────── Backend returns data
Buyer Agent Setup
# One-time setup
skills/lnd/scripts/install.sh
skills/lnget/scripts/install.sh
skills/lnd/scripts/start-lnd.sh
skills/lnd/scripts/create-wallet.sh --mode standalone
lnget config init
# Fund wallet and open channels (one-time)
skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh newaddress p2tr
# ... send BTC ...
skills/lnd/scripts/lncli.sh openchannel --node_key=<pubkey> --local_amt=500000
# Ongoing: fetch paid resources
lnget --max-cost 100 -q https://seller-api.example.com/api/data | jq .
Seller Agent Setup
# One-time setup
skills/lnd/scripts/install.sh
skills/aperture/scripts/install.sh
skills/lnd/scripts/start-lnd.sh
skills/lnd/scripts/create-wallet.sh --mode standalone
# Configure and start paywall
skills/aperture/scripts/setup.sh --port 8081 --insecure
# Start backend with content to sell
mkdir -p /tmp/api-data
echo '{"market_data": "..."}' > /tmp/api-data/data.json
cd /tmp/api-data && python3 -m http.server 8080 &
# Start aperture
skills/aperture/scripts/start.sh
# Buyers can now access:
# https://your-host:8081/api/data.json (100 sats per request)
Cost Management
Agents should always control spending:
# Set a hard limit per request
lnget --max-cost 500 https://api.example.com/data
# Check cost before paying
lnget --no-pay --json https://api.example.com/data | jq '.invoice_amount_sat'
# Track spending via token list
lnget tokens list --json | jq '[.[] | .amount_paid_sat] | add'
Security Summary
| Component | Security Model |
|---|---|
| Wallet passphrase | Stored at ~/.lnget/lnd/wallet-password.txt (0600) |
| Seed mnemonic | Stored at ~/.lnget/lnd/seed.txt (0600) |
| L402 tokens | Stored at ~/.lnget/tokens/<domain>/ per domain |
| lnd macaroons | Standard lnd paths at ~/.lnd/data/chain/... |
| Aperture DB | SQLite at ~/.aperture/aperture.db |
For production use with significant funds, use watch-only mode with a remote
signer container. See the lightning-security-module skill for details.
Stopping Everything
skills/aperture/scripts/stop.sh
skills/lnd/scripts/stop-lnd.sh