pay-for-http-request

pay-for-http-request

Make HTTP requests with automatic x402 payment support using purl.

Description

This skill enables making HTTP requests to payment-gated APIs using purl, a curl-like CLI tool that automatically handles x402-based payments on EVM and Solana networks.

When to Use This Skill

When an API returns HTTP 402 (Payment Required) and supports the x402 payment protocol, purl can automatically negotiate and execute the payment to access the resource.

Common Scenarios

Scenario	Example
Tool calls	Paying per request to an API service
Premium data feeds	Accessing real-time market data, weather, or analytics
Content monetization	Paying to access paywalled articles or media
Compute resources	On-demand access to compute or storage services

When NOT to Use

• Regular HTTP requests that don't require payment (use curl instead)
• APIs using traditional payment methods (credit cards, API keys with billing)

Usage

purl <URL> [OPTIONS]
purl <COMMAND>

Commands

Command	Description
wallet	Manage wallets (keystores)
config	Manage configuration
balance	Check wallet balance
inspect	Inspect payment requirements without executing
networks	Manage and inspect supported networks
version	Show version information
completions	Generate shell completions script
topics	Display help topics (exit-codes, formatting, examples, environment)

Request Options

Payment Options

Option	Description
--max-amount <AMOUNT>	Maximum amount willing to pay (in atomic units)
--confirm	Require confirmation before paying
--network <NETWORKS>	Filter to specific networks (comma-separated)
--dry-run	Preview payment without executing

Display Options

Option	Description
-v, --verbosity	Verbosity level (can be used multiple times: -v, -vv, -vvv)
-q, --quiet / -s, --silent	Do not print log messages
-i, --include	Include HTTP headers in output
-I, --head	Show only HTTP headers
-o, --output <FILE>	Write output to file
--output-format <FORMAT>	Output format: auto, text, json, yaml (auto detects: text for terminal, json for pipes)
--color <MODE>	Control color output: auto, always, never

HTTP Options

Option	Description
-X, --request <METHOD>	Custom request method
-H, --header <HEADER>	Add custom header
-A, --user-agent <AGENT>	Set user agent
-L, --location	Follow redirects
--connect-timeout <SECONDS>	Connection timeout in seconds
-m, --max-time <SECONDS>	Maximum time for the request
-d, --data <DATA>	POST data
--json <JSON>	Send JSON data with Content-Type header

Wallet Options

Option	Description
--wallet <PATH>	Path to wallet file
--password <PASSWORD>	Password for wallet decryption
--private-key <KEY>	Raw private key (hex, for EVM; use wallet for better security)

Global Options

Option	Description
-C, --config <PATH>	Configuration file path

Wallet Commands

purl wallet <COMMAND>

Command	Description
list	List available wallets
add	Create a new wallet (interactive)
show <NAME>	Show wallet details
verify <NAME>	Verify wallet integrity
use <NAME>	Set a wallet as the active payment method
remove <NAME>	Remove a wallet

Wallet Add Options

Option	Description
-n, --name <NAME>	Name for the wallet
-t, --type <TYPE>	Wallet type: evm or solana
-k, --private-key <KEY>	Private key to import (hex for EVM, base58 for Solana)

Config Commands

purl config [COMMAND]

Command	Description
(none)	Show current config
get <KEY>	Get a specific configuration value (supports dot notation)
validate	Validate configuration file

Examples

Basic payment request

purl https://api.example.com/premium-data

Preview payment without executing

purl --dry-run https://api.example.com/data

Require confirmation before payment

purl --confirm https://api.example.com/data

Set maximum payment amount

purl --max-amount 10000 https://api.example.com/data

Filter to specific network

purl --network base-sepolia https://api.example.com/data

Verbose output with headers

purl -vi https://api.example.com/data

Save output to file as JSON

purl -o output.json --output-format json https://api.example.com/data

POST request with JSON data

purl --json '{"key": "value"}' https://api.example.com/data

Custom headers

purl -H "Authorization: Bearer token" https://api.example.com/data

Follow redirects with custom method

purl -L -X POST https://api.example.com/data

Check wallet balance

purl balance
purl balance --network base

Inspect payment requirements

purl inspect https://api.example.com/endpoint

Wallet management

purl wallet add                      # Interactive wallet creation
purl wallet add --type evm           # Skip type selection
purl wallet add --type solana -k KEY # Import existing key
purl wallet list                     # List all wallets
purl wallet use my-wallet            # Switch active wallet

View supported networks

purl networks
purl networks info base

Supported Networks

Type	Networks
EVM	ethereum, ethereum-sepolia, base, base-sepolia, avalanche, avalanche-fuji, polygon, arbitrum, optimism
SVM	solana, solana-devnet

Prerequisites

1. Create a wallet: purl wallet add
2. Set up a payment method (wallet) with funds on the desired network
3. Ensure the target API supports x402 payment protocol

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
PURL_MAX_AMOUNT	Default maximum amount willing to pay
PURL_NETWORK	Default network filter
PURL_CONFIRM	Default confirmation behavior (true/false)
PURL_KEYSTORE	Default wallet/keystore path
PURL_PASSWORD	Wallet password (for non-interactive use)