Ontario Protocol

x402 preflight and trust layer for autonomous agents

Documentation

Ontario Protocol MCP/x402 Listing Package

Ontario Protocol is an x402 payment preflight and trust surface for autonomous agents. It exposes MCP-compatible discovery, free readiness checks, and paid trust tools so agents can verify service metadata before paying.

Homepage: https://ontarioprotocol.com

MCP manifest: https://ontarioprotocol.com/.well-known/mcp.json

Remote MCP endpoint: https://ontarioprotocol.com/mcp

x402 manifest: https://ontarioprotocol.com/.well-known/x402.json

Agent buyer guide: https://ontarioprotocol.com/.well-known/agent-buyer.json

Discovery: https://ontarioprotocol.com/discover

Free readiness checker: https://ontarioprotocol.com/verify

Free owner next step: https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/mcp-owner-next-step

Directory reviewer / endpoint-owner fit check: https://github.com/thom899g/ontario-protocol-mcp-listing/issues/new?template=endpoint_owner_fit_check.yml

Downloadable listing packet: https://github.com/thom899g/ontario-protocol-mcp-listing/releases/download/v0.1.2/ontario-listing-packet-v0.1.2.zip

Fastest Buyer-Safe Path

Use this path if you are an agent, directory crawler, or endpoint owner trying to decide whether Ontario is worth a real paid call:

Confirm the public manifests:
- MCP: https://ontarioprotocol.com/.well-known/mcp.json
- x402: https://ontarioprotocol.com/.well-known/x402.json
Probe the cheapest paid endpoint without paying:
- GET https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/x402/reputation/demo-agent
- Expected: HTTP 402 payment challenge for 0.001 USDC on Base.
Run the free policy check before any wallet action:
- POST https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/agent/can-pay
If you own an MCP/x402 endpoint, request a free public fit check:
- https://github.com/thom899g/ontario-protocol-mcp-listing/issues/new?template=endpoint_owner_fit_check.yml
Only make a paid call after your own policy allows USDC-on-Base settlement and you can store the payment quote/receipt.

Current boundary: Ontario has public crawler/developer-tool inspection and a self-funded 0.01 USDC rail proof, but no verified customer paid call yet. A valid market signal is an accepted listing, rejection, crawler fetch, endpoint-owner request, paid call, signup, or payment.

Recommended Directory Description

Ontario Protocol exposes MCP and x402 tools for verifying paid agent endpoints before agents pay. Start with free readiness and can-pay tools, then use paid trust, reputation, and listing tools only after policy allows.

Tools

Tool	Method	Endpoint	Price
`agent_can_pay`	POST	`https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/agent/can-pay`	free
`x402_readiness_verify`	POST	`https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/verify/x402-readiness`	free
`agent_verify_payment`	POST	`https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/agent/verify-payment`	free
`discover`	GET	`https://ontarioprotocol.com/discover`	free
`agent-trust-scan`	POST	`https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/x402/agent-trust-scan`	0.01 USDC
`reputation-lookup`	GET	`https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/x402/reputation/{agent_id}`	0.001 USDC
`list-agent`	POST	`https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/x402/list-agent`	0.10 USDC
`list-service`	POST	`https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/x402/list-service`	0.50 USDC

If A Paid Probe Returns HTTP 402

Start with the cheapest paid proof, then use the free preflight before signing:

curl -i https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/x402/reputation/demo-agent
curl -fsSL -X POST https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/agent/can-pay \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"endpoint":"https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/x402/reputation/demo-agent","max_usdc":"0.001","agent_policy":"standard"}'

Expected boundary:

GET /api/x402/reputation/demo-agent returns HTTP 402 with Payment-Required / X-Payment-Required, quote_id, maxAmountRequired=1000, network=base, and payTo.
The response also includes free alternatives: can-pay policy check, readiness verifier, sandbox, MCP endpoint, docs, and mini-check path.
A paid call should happen only after the agent policy allows USDC-on-Base settlement and the caller can store the quote/payment response for audit.

Listing Purpose

This package exists to support agent/tool directory review. It is not a separate production deployment, not a payment collector, and not a legal or financial guarantee. Ontario provides observable readiness signals; agents should still enforce their own budget, wallet, timeout, and policy controls before payment.

Free-First Owner Path

If you run an MCP or x402 endpoint and found Ontario through a directory, start here before any paid action:

public fit-check form: https://github.com/thom899g/ontario-protocol-mcp-listing/issues/new?template=endpoint_owner_fit_check.yml
owner handoff route: GET https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/mcp-owner-next-step
human owner page: https://ontarioprotocol.com/docs/mcp-owner-paid-call
free mini-check request: POST https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/mcp-mini-check
free listing validation: POST https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/x402/list-service/validate

The paid list-service route is only for owners who want a public Ontario catalog listing after the free checks are useful.

If You Hit `POST /api/x402/list-service`

Recent public probes are reaching the paid listing endpoint directly. Treat the first HTTP 402 as price discovery, not as a reason to sign immediately:

Validate the listing payload without payment:
- POST https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/x402/list-service/validate
Rehearse the payment flow without live spend:
- POST https://ontarioprotocol.com/sandbox/api/x402/list-service
Open a free fit-check issue if you want the listing reviewed before paying:
- https://github.com/thom899g/ontario-protocol-mcp-listing/issues/new?template=endpoint_owner_fit_check.yml
Use the paid route only after the endpoint is ready and your agent/operator policy allows the 0.50 USDC Base payment:
- POST https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/x402/list-service

This keeps crawlers, agent operators, and endpoint owners on the no-spend path until the listing is ready enough to justify a paid catalog submission.

Verification

Directory crawlers should inspect the live MCP manifest rather than treating this repository as the server implementation:

curl -fsSL https://ontarioprotocol.com/.well-known/mcp.json
curl -fsSL https://ontarioprotocol.com/.well-known/x402.json
curl -fsSL https://ontarioprotocol.com/api/demand/stats

The remote MCP endpoint accepts POST /mcp for JSON-RPC MCP calls. GET /mcp returns HTTP 405 with a JSON method hint, manifest URL, and Link discovery headers; crawlers should fetch /.well-known/mcp.json for the manifest before posting JSON-RPC.

For a full ingestion sequence, see Directory Crawler Guide.

For ranked owner-reviewed submission targets and evidence criteria, see Directory Target Shortlist.

For observed external MCP crawler compatibility, see Crawler Compatibility Receipt.

For public accepted-listing evidence on agent-tools.cloud, see agent-tools.cloud Listing Evidence.

Evidence Contract

A real market signal for this distribution test must be one of: accepted listing, listing rejection, directory click, crawler/registry fetch, inbound listing attempt, signup, paid x402 call, or payment. Drafts and local reports do not count.

Boundary

This repository contains public listing metadata only. It does not contain private source code, secrets, wallets, deployment credentials, or payment keys.