Pay.sh allows AI agents to process payments on a per-request API basis using stablecoins on Solana, bypassing the traditional subscription model.
Solana Foundation and Google Cloud have launched Pay.sh, a gateway service that allows AI agents to automatically pay Google Cloud and dozens of other APIs using Solana 's stablecoin on a per-request basis, rather than relying on traditional monthly subscription models. This is one of the first large-scale deployments to transform the concept of "programmable money" into a practical operational infrastructure for automated AI systems.
Pay.sh operates as a proxy API layer built on Google Cloud Platform, connecting AI agents to back-end services via two open payment protocols: x402, incubated by Coinbase and now managed by the Linux Foundation, and the Machine Payment Protocol (MPP) developed by Tempo and Stripe. Each API call costs only a fraction of a US cent, completely eliminating the account registration barrier which is incompatible with the automated operating model of AI agents.
The system is compatible with many major platforms, including Google Cloud, Gemini, Anthropic's Claude Code, OpenAI's Codex, and connects with blockchain infrastructure providers such as Helius and Alchemy, as well as data services from Dune Analytics and Nansen.
The race to build payment infrastructure for the AI agent economy.
Pay.sh launches amidst a race among leading technology and cryptocurrency companies to build payment infrastructure to support automated AI systems, a segment predicted to generate unprecedented Microtransaction .
Last month, Coinbase introduced the x402 app store dedicated to AI agents. Earlier this year, Google also announced an AI agent payment protocol backed by Coinbase and the Ethereum Foundation. Stripe and MoonPay have both taken their own steps to empower AI agents to trade stablecoins on behalf of users.
These initiatives share a common premise: traditional payment infrastructure, designed for humans, based on accounts and recurring payment cycles, is incompatible with the operating model of AI agents, where millions of small transactions need to be processed automatically, instantly, and without human intervention. Stablecoins on high-speed blockchains like Solana, with near-zero transaction costs and the ability to settle payments in the smallest units, emerge as the natural infrastructure for this economic model.
However, the real challenge lies not in the technology but in widespread adoption. Pay.sh and similar products are still in the process of convincing enterprise developers to change their deeply ingrained integration models. The ability of large organizations outside the cryptocurrency ecosystem to allow autonomous AI systems to control wallets and process payments will be the decisive test for this wave of infrastructure.
