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AI Summarizer with zk-Powered • 402 Pay-Per-Use Payments

Masken is AI Summarizer with zk-Powered x402 Pay-Per-Use Payments

Masken ($MASKEN) is a decentralized AI microservice protocol that enables pay-per-use AI summarization using the x402 (HTTP 402 Payment Required) standard and a zk-enabled verification layer. Traditional AI API economics rely on subscription models, opaque billing, high platform fees, and centralized metering. Masken replaces this with a trust-minimized, on-chain micropayment system, where users—human or autonomous agents—pay only for each request they make.

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ZK & x402 Protocol

Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Relevance

In the coming machine economy, AI agents, IoT devices, and autonomous services must negotiate, transact, and verify payments without human oversight. x402 provides the missing payment layer for such interactions.

Scenario • Enterprise

Research Assistant AI pays per request

A research assistant summarizes thousands of articles for an enterprise client and autonomously pays Masken on each call via x402. No monthly plan, no intermediaries — usage-based by default.

x402micropaymentsreceipts
Scenario • Media

Decentralized news aggregator

A community-run feed integrates Masken to summarize news in real-time; every API call is a tiny on-chain payment. Auditable spend, predictable costs, and global access.

real-timeon-chainagent-to-agent
x402 thus enables AI-to-AI commerce — computation and value flow are tightly coupled, verifiable, and globally accessible.
Masken System Architecture
Technology Stack

Technology Stack

The Masken technology stack is built to balance AI inference performance, blockchain verification efficiency, and Web3 payment modularity. Its design prioritizes scalability, developer accessibility, and interoperability with both traditional and decentralized systems. Masken’s architecture blends software and on-chain components to enable reliable, low-latency summarization with real-time payment validation.

Backend Infrastructure

Express powers the x402 middleware: detects unpaid requests, issues HTTP 402, and orchestrates verification before inference.

  • Node.js + Express — concurrent API handling for x402 flows
  • Docker — containerized services (middleware, verifiers, engines)
  • WebSocket Event Layer — async chain confirmations → trigger summarize
Node.jsExpressDockerWebSocket

Blockchain Integration

High-throughput micro-payments on Solana; optional ERC-20 verification on Ethereum.

  • Solana Web3.js — generate receivers, monitor mempool, confirm in seconds
  • ethers.js — optional ERC-20 (USDC/DAI) verification
  • Coinbase x402 SDK — standardizes HTTP 402 + metadata formatting
SolanaEthereumx402 SDK

AI Model Layer

Production summarization with flexible routing across providers and local models.

  • OpenAI GPT API — production-grade summarization
  • Local LLM (HF Transformers) — privacy + cost control
  • Adaptive Model Router — picks API/local by latency, price, accuracy
OpenAITransformersRouter

Database & Logging

Hybrid storage for receipts and high-speed caching of repeated segments.

  • PostgreSQL — transactional records (receipts, payments)
  • Redis — caching of text chunks & metadata
PostgreSQLRedisReceipts

Audit & Analytics

Anonymized metrics: usage, average summary size, per-chain payments, success rates.

  • Observability — cost, latency, and reliability dashboards
  • Privacy-preserving — no PII, aggregated signals
MetricsAnonymizedSLOs

Developer Tooling

DX for rapid iteration, testing, and deployment of x402 endpoints.

  • Cursor AI — assisted middleware authoring
  • Next.js + Tailwind — optional dashboard & flow visualizer
  • GitHub CI/CD — continuous deploy for services & verifiers
CursorNext.jsTailwindCI/CD
Ⅰ

Phase 1 — MVP Development

Goal: Build the foundational x402 payment-enabled summarization service.

  • Launch testnet API for text summarization using OpenAI GPT-4.
  • Implement 402 payment negotiation flow.
  • Enable USDC micropayments on Solana devnet.
  • Integrate Web3.js verification system.
  • Release developer documentation and GitHub repository for transparency.
Deliverable: Proof-of-concept showing 402 → payment → verification → summarization.
Ⅱ

Phase 2 — On-Chain Verification & Multi-Payment Support

Goal: Enhance trust and expand payment flexibility.

  • Full integration with Coinbase x402 SDK.
  • Add Ethereum and Base chain support.
  • Launch on-chain payment validation dashboard.
  • Introduce signed nonces & replay protection.
  • Deploy stablecoin and $MASKEN hybrid billing options.
Deliverable: Autonomous verification across multiple blockchains.
Ⅲ

Phase 3 — Multi-AI Engine Expansion

Goal: Support multiple summarization models and adaptive routing.

  • Integrate Hugging Face transformer-based models for offline/local summarization.
  • Implement adaptive router to select engines by cost/speed.
  • Introduce advanced AI analytics dashboard.
  • Begin testing AI-to-AI agent communication modules (masken:// API calls).
Deliverable: Multi-model, agent-compatible network with dynamic pricing.
Ⅳ

Phase 4 — Developer SDK & Ecosystem Expansion

Goal: Empower developers and expand network effects.

  • Release open-source Masken SDK for Node.js, Python, and Rust.
  • Enable external developers to deploy x402 AI microservices under a unified protocol.
  • Launch Masken DAO & token staking governance system.
  • Begin enterprise pilots in document-heavy sectors (legal, finance, education).
Deliverable: Developer-first ecosystem with composable x402 services.
Ready?

Get started now

Join the community, test the API, and help shape a pay-per-use AI summarizer powered by x402. Build faster—with verifiable payments and agent-ready workflows.

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