csoai/x402-settlement-census

x402 settlement census — 2026-09-06

We paid 316 conformant x402 hosts as an ordinary buyer and recorded what came back. Not a survey of what hosts advertise — a record of what they did when real USDC arrived.

outcome	hosts	share
REFUSED	213	67.4%
DELIVERED	100	31.6%
NO_CHALLENGE	2	0.6%
MISMATCH	1	0.3%

Two in three conformant hosts refused a correctly-signed payment. Being listed in a Bazaar index and answering a valid 402 is not the same as taking money and delivering.

Method

Buyer's-eye, exactly as a client experiences it:

1. GET the resource → 402 + a challenge (v2 header, or v1 body)
2. sign an EIP-3009 TransferWithAuthorization for accepts[0], with the EIP-712 domain taken from the challenge itself
3. GET again carrying PAYMENT-SIGNATURE (v2) or X-PAYMENT (v1)
4. record status, bytes, content-type, latency, and the settlement tx the host reports

The payer never broadcasts a transaction and holds no ETH: the authorisation travels in a header and the host's facilitator submits it and pays gas. That is what EIP-3009 is for.

Caps, enforced in code: 0.05 USDC per host (50000 units), 5.5 USDC total. Actual spend 1.3398 USDC. Hosts asking more than the per-host cap were never contacted. Our own hosts are excluded by name — paying ourselves is a self-settlement, never a purchase.

Beneficiary concentration

174 distinct payTo addresses collect for 314 live doors — and the three largest collect for 91 of them.

payTo	hosts
0x2880EdfFF13100677Bf97A3CBdF3Bc34771C4E5E	62
0xFFc458dB291b4ABcE020fE3de4f91F2770E537b1	18
0xEf879BFD6C4AccB8F795136de90246e1EC245e06	11

A directory of many hosts is not a market of many beneficiaries, and a host count cannot show that.

Took a settlement and still refused (13 hosts)

These reported an on-chain settlement in their own PAYMENT-RESPONSE and then answered the retried request with 402/4xx anyway. Money moved; nothing was delivered. Check the chain yourself:

host	units	settlement tx
api.vibe.airforce	1000	0xe9bba7f8d3e52b5f…
5108-x402.community.iamstarchild.com	2000	0x00aa4923b82a19d1…
agent.api.0x.org	10000	0xddf564dbe6cfb93d…
agents.bytemine.ai	10000	0x9b143a686a7265f4…
linklens-sand.vercel.app	10000	0xb6e0cc06928e709d…
rentcast.x402.paysponge.com	10000	0x05adb3a1be357a1e…
tripadvisor.x402.paysponge.com	10000	0x66cfef13db6641a6…
url-extractor.x402.paysponge.com	10000	0xe8c860ce72c6ef82…
agent-proxy.alchemy.com	20000	0x452d1ba528cbc7ff…
agents.x402stock.xyz	20000	0x4a577262638e4316…
screenshotone.x402.paysponge.com	20000	0x97e33e1d05380a9e…
wolframalpha.x402.paysponge.com	20000	0xce4b39d183145526…
formo.x402.paysponge.com	50000	0xaec93dcc900b7e5c…

What this is NOT

• Not a ranking or a recommendation. No host was contacted, before or after.
• REFUSED is not proof of bad faith. A host may rate-limit, require an account, or have changed its terms between the challenge and the retry. From outside, all of those look identical.
• One purchase per host, at one moment. A single refusal is not a pattern. A second round is what would make it one.
• Not revenue. Every USDC left our own wallet. Paying anyone is a cost.
• Not certification, not a conformity mark. Measurement of what happened, and when.

The move_a_self config

A second config records our own eight doors, paid by a wallet we control. It is here so the method can be checked against a case where the answer is known, and it is labelled so nobody mistakes it for demand: a self-settlement is never revenue. /api/revenue one_number stayed 0 throughout and self_settlements rose to 5. Five doors settled (all receipts status 0x1 on Base); three are priced at 250, 25 and 25 USD by design and were not bought — settling all eight would cost about 300 USDC.

Reproduce

SETTLE=1 X402_PAYER_KEY=<throwaway> python3 scripts/grants/x402-settlement-census.py \
  --max-hosts 316 --total-cap 5.5 --out x402-settlement-census-2026-09-06.jsonl

Source population: csoai/x402-bazaar-conformance, hosts that are conformant on eip155:8453 with scheme exact and an amount inside the per-host cap.

The live board is the authority

GET https://councilof.ai/api/gspc — quote totals.public_count. This Hub card is a printer of that GET, never a second engine. If the fetch fails the honest answer is UNCHECKABLE — never a fabricated 0.000. Status words: LOADING / UNREACHABLE / UNMEASURED / UNCHECKABLE.

Lid: 23 axes measured · 14 model fleets · 0 separated leaders · 3 public leader scores · 9 fact runs · TIE is TIE · not a certificate. A public leader score is a published field, not proof of a separated leader; read each row's status and separation.

This repository: NOT A BOARD MEASUREMENT — this repository is a corpus, mirror or door published by CSOAI. It carries no axis score. The measured slots live on the board GET below.

Live board (authority)	https://councilof.ai/api/gspc
Verify a card — free, no account	https://councilof.ai/gspc-verify
How to verify, by hand	https://councilof.ai/signed/HOW-TO-VERIFY.md
Transparency root (Merkle)	https://councilof.ai/root.json
DID document	https://csoai.org/.well-known/did.json
A2A agent card	https://councilof.ai/.well-known/agent-card.json
Every CSOAI repo on the Hub	https://huggingface.co/csoai
Methodology DOI	10.5281/zenodo.21991104 (Zenodo record unavailable since 29 Sep 2026: account blocked by Zenodo; appeal pending. Live methodology page (not the deposit's bytes): https://councilof.ai/methodology/)
MCP endpoint — 16 tools, verified 2026-09-27T05:00:40Z	POST https://councilof.ai/mcp
MCP Registry	io.github.CSOAI-ORG/gspc — version not pinned here; the registry is the authority
npm — MCP server	csoai-gspc-mcp — npx -y csoai-gspc-mcp. No version is pinned here: ask the registry for the current one rather than trusting a number written on a card.
Python reader + card verifier	pip install "csoai-gspc[verify]" then csoai-gspc check — re-derives the board totals from the axis array and exits non-zero if they disagree
The board as a dated, citable snapshot	10.5281/zenodo.22293341 (Zenodo record unavailable since 29 Sep 2026: account blocked by Zenodo; appeal pending. Live board dataset (not the deposit's bytes): https://huggingface.co/datasets/csoai/gspc-board)

What is in this repository

file	bytes	rows	what
x402-settlement-census-2026-09-06.jsonl	188557	316	data (one JSON object per line)
dry/dry-2026-09-24.jsonl	144857	405	data (one JSON object per line)
dry/dry-2026-09-27.jsonl	138391	390	data (one JSON object per line)
dry/dry-2026-09-06.jsonl	113745	321	data (one JSON object per line)
dry/dry-2026-09-26.jsonl	110373	316	data (one JSON object per line)
dry/dry-2026-09-10.jsonl	105907	316	data (one JSON object per line)
dry/dry-2026-09-11.jsonl	102576	288	data (one JSON object per line)
receipts-verified-2026-09-06.json	19843		JSON document
README.md	17210		card
summary-2026-09-06.json	6192		JSON document
x402-move-a-self-2026-09-06.jsonl	5287	10	data (one JSON object per line)
receipts-verified-2026-09-06.summary.json	3652		JSON document
manifest.jsonl	3531	14	derived at 2026-09-27T05:00:40Z
settle-loop/SETTLES-2026-09-22.jsonl	2249		data (one JSON object per line)

manifest.jsonl is derived from this repository's own file tree at 2026-09-27T05:00:40Z; it lists every file with its size, its blob hash and a direct URL, so an agent can enumerate the repo without cloning it.

Citation

@misc{csoai_gspc_x402_settlement_census,
  title        = {x402-settlement-census — Council of AI / GSPC},
  author       = {{CSOAI Ltd}},
  year         = {2026},
  doi_status   = {Zenodo DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21991104: UNAVAILABLE since 29 Sep 2026 (Zenodo blocked the CSOAI account; appeal pending; status https://councilof.ai/interop/zenodo-status.json). Cite the served methodology: https://councilof.ai/signed/HOW-TO-VERIFY.md},
  howpublished = {Hugging Face Hub, \url{https://huggingface.co/datasets/csoai/x402-settlement-census}},
  note         = {Live board: https://councilof.ai/api/gspc. Measurement, not certification.}
}

---

Measurement, not certification. Issued by CSOAI Ltd (England & Wales, Companies House 16939677), 3rd Floor, 86–90 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NE. Card refreshed 2026-09-27T05:00:40Z.

Capability + living GET (TUI7 distribution 2026-09-14)

SUPERSEDED: typed Hub triples LIVE (re-GET /api/hub-cards → counts.*) (and prior 885/900/937/1113/1182/1185) — do not re-paste. Hub cite = live GET only.

Live board: GET https://councilof.ai/api/gspc → quote totals.public_count / totals.lid (23·23·0 derived, never typed as a frozen paste)
Hub cards: GET https://councilof.ai/api/hub-cards → quote counts.cells / counts.measured / counts.unmeasured LIVE (no typed Hub triple)
Hub bank: https://huggingface.co/datasets/csoai/gspc-hub-cards
Free verify: https://councilof.ai/gspc-verify
Discovery: GET https://councilof.ai/.well-known/x402.json (live · Base · USDC)
OX discovery resources: councilof 0/60 honest — do not invent rows
Measurement, never certification. Printer only — no axis mine on ZeroGPU. A100 COLD.

Council of AI — GSPC + Hub printer

• Living board: https://councilof.ai/api/gspc — quote totals.public_count / totals.lid (never invent MEASURED)
• Hub cite: https://councilof.ai/api/hub-cards — re-GET; quote counts.* (typed LIVE (re-GET /api/hub-cards → counts.*) SUPERSEDED 2026-09-14)
• Hub dataset bank: https://huggingface.co/datasets/csoai/gspc-hub-cards
• Verify free: https://councilof.ai/gspc-verify
• x402 discovery: https://councilof.ai/.well-known/x402.json
• Catalog: https://councilof.ai/api/x402
• Free door (amount 0): https://councilof.ai/api/free-door
• Jail goldbank: https://huggingface.co/datasets/csoai/gspc-jail-goldbank
• Human: free + x402 PAYG · Coming—Paddle not live · never Stripe
• Agents: payTo is merchant receive — never the signer
• Self-settle proves the rail; stranger revenue is separate (do not invent buyers)
• Measurement, not certification. Never sell a rank. Never certify.

Any Hub x402.json in a CSOAI printer is a byte-mirror of the living well-known GET — not a second authority.

OpenX402 + free discovery (cite only · never invent OX resource rows)

OpenX402 server: Council of AI · https://councilof.ai · payTo 0x212686404a7d1e1fd88f35ed6200c3af7a78ae31
Servers API: GET https://openx402.ai/api/servers (LIVE row · registered 2026-09-14 · Base tx 0x0eb1ead995e235a2…)
Whitelist: GET https://facilitator.openx402.ai/whitelist/0x212686404A7D1E1fD88F35eD6200c3aF7A78ae31 → whitelisted true
OX discovery resources: GET https://facilitator.openx402.ai/discovery/resources → councilof still 0/60 (no free advertise API; settle-through required — do not invent rows)
Estate well-known: GET https://councilof.ai/.well-known/x402.json → 10 resources · mode live
OpenAPI: https://councilof.ai/openapi.json
Free-door: https://councilof.ai/api/free-door (402 amount 0 · bazaar)
Free crawl: https://councilof.ai/api/feeds/provider-diff (200 JSON · not a paid OX resource)
Catalog: https://councilof.ai/api/x402
Measurement, never certification. Self≠revenue. Never clone PayAI.

Owner: N-Sites spray onto HF leftovers / registry printers. OX discovery stays 0 until settle-through — never invent. Stamp 2026-09-14T03:29Z.

Smithery / MCP door (measured 2026-09-14 — not a certification)

• Primary free MCP door: https://councilof.ai/mcp — GET 200; tools/list = 12 tools (matches registry tools[] for csoai/gspc-mcp).
• Smithery primary listing: https://smithery.ai/server/csoai/gspc-mcp · registry https://registry.smithery.ai/servers/csoai/gspc-mcp — deploymentUrl=https://gspc-mcp--csoai.run.tools → GET/POST 401 invalid_token (Smithery auth required). Prefer Connect https://councilof.ai/mcp; registry deploymentUrl is gateway-by-design (run.tools 401 without bearer) — do not claim registry points at the council door.
• Stale duplicate: https://smithery.ai/server/csoai/gspc · registry https://registry.smithery.ai/servers/csoai/gspc — tools[] includes phantoms measure|verify|jail-probe|enter-arena (not on live /mcp); deploymentUrl=https://gspc--csoai.run.tools also 401. Prefer archive/unlist; keep only csoai/gspc-mcp.
• Registry write: PATCH/DELETE need Authorization — no free write without Nick Smithery login (HARD BLOCKER if token absent).
• Measurement only. Never invent that Smithery was fixed. Never certify.

Objections, contact and corrections

To object to a row, ask for a re-check, request a correction or ask for a record to be withdrawn, email nicholas@csoai.org or use the appeals and dispute route at https://councilof.ai/dispute/. Corrections are listed in the corrections ledger at https://councilof.ai/api/corrections, with what changed and when. CSOAI Ltd (company no. 16939677, England and Wales) is the accountable publisher.

How to cite

CSOAI Ltd (Council of AI). x402 settlement census. 2026. Hugging Face dataset csoai/x402-settlement-census. https://huggingface.co/datasets/csoai/x402-settlement-census

@misc{csoai_x402_settlement_census,
  title        = {x402 settlement census},
  author       = {{CSOAI Ltd}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Hugging Face dataset, https://huggingface.co/datasets/csoai/x402-settlement-census},
  note         = {Corrections: https://councilof.ai/api/corrections}
}

Licence: CC-BY-4.0. Attribute Council of AI, CSOAI Ltd (16939677), https://councilof.ai.

Corrections and verification

• Corrections ledger (signed): https://councilof.ai/api/corrections. Corrections to CSOAI's published records are logged there with what changed and when.
• Verify a signed record yourself, free and without an account: https://councilof.ai/gspc-verify/ (step by step: https://councilof.ai/signed/HOW-TO-VERIFY.md).
• Conformance kit for signed-receipts/v1, with test vectors for implementers: https://councilof.ai/spec/signed-receipts/v1/conformance/

Signed archive by axis (measurement, never certification)

Source: https://councilof.ai/signed/card_index.json (schema csoai.gspc-card-index/0.1, packaged 2026-08-28T15:39:25Z). Existing signed units only; measured is not scored; supply-led, never a grade.

Axis	Signed cards	Distinct models	Sample signed card
arc-30	23	23	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/eeb12ba044e7d474b92ed5c379cafba5005a7e8f720ed8cd52e5a92ed1435536.json
care	23	23	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/e5b5ec5f0d5b7f4d772276d11197f9cd22b339f287bc0bc61ea784749bd8100f.json
care-refusal-help	27	27	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/acf6bf0356123632758bf6c98c83d81c7a8392c3b111b311317c516cc65133a4.json
care-refusal-protect	27	27	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/82994353b8f94337746ddf73700b0edc425d695d43910dbfeb53d118d5a09a1c.json
gov	23	23	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/0db9c146ab2c5488a83946529e6c527d4ad9e98418c29f341e3be3ee6100b996.json
gsm8k-30	23	23	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/5f9ea3e964a9cad3e85fb51c4453c4d5c89208584825b3f17e9a9fc32346830b.json
gspc-conformance	21	21	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/32df7c2b25d7306e30efdfc25a6d2a1c17a951071e2567e19db475b86214b17d.json
gspc-continuity	21	21	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/58bd1deacf1422a805816242176ae63e688307ee767cc384e44a96fac114a5f1.json
gspc-governance	21	21	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/1390baba7c0507ddd6ec85088b3a9763c1b7d929aa01ca298414478ff90b356d.json
gspc-openness	21	21	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/75c0f83d849121a8bf43306d10591cbba15465816e7364438af25a5d0401ac3d.json
gspc-provenance	21	21	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/35a4eb2b69dfe03fad8aa082a6ab0845f506d03218ea3c1bece93337cb427bca.json
gspc-safety	21	21	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/5dfe7d868d252689ff4d5eabb9cad17587f797ddbd8fce26a63b7f5227c29373.json
jail-escape-detection	8	8	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/acec0ee7b86c1385e0455660ea1f2f23bfccc904a1b68308263a5e2eb982fa57.json
mmlu-30	23	23	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/e9dfb663c9156e6540da491d87e21a061c25271ee9ff9f8a563126af784fe34d.json
swag-30	25	25	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/30d86609e50d82ecf7527feb27f83bbc64190bc4ea32c4dcf3d6f07a07addec4.json
swarm-candidates	7	7	https://councilof.ai/signed/cards/8591fdc18b6b7cbd0513c3306d59bc6624f4e93bcafe2ce4326691a2a79ad891.json

Totals: 335 signed cards · 16 card_index axes · 335/335 cards HTTP 200 · 64 distinct public model names.

Live lids (re-GET 2026-10-06T01:13Z):

• GET https://councilof.ai/signed/card_index.json → n_cards=335
• GET https://councilof.ai/api/gspc → 23 axes · 23 measured
• GET https://councilof.ai/api/hub-cards → 384/384/0 (cells/measured/unmeasured)

Connect: Primary MCP: https://councilof.ai/mcp

Verify (free): https://councilof.ai/gspc-verify/ · method https://councilof.ai/signed/HOW-TO-VERIFY.md

Zenodo DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21991104: UNAVAILABLE since 29 Sep 2026 (Zenodo blocked the CSOAI account; appeal pending; status https://councilof.ai/interop/zenodo-status.json). Cite the served methodology: https://councilof.ai/signed/HOW-TO-VERIFY.md

Caveat: do not fuse card_index axes (16) with board axes (23) or Hub cells (384); they are three different counts. Per-card values are point-in-time; never compare a card's accuracy to the live board as one number. RunPod pod outputs are UNSIGNED and are not counted or cited.

Smithery / MCP Connect (measured 2026-10-05 — not a certification)

• Primary Connect (free tools): https://councilof.ai/mcp — initialize 200; call tools/list. Prefer this URL in every agent config.
• Smithery discovery: https://smithery.ai/servers/csoai/gspc-mcp — external release lists upstream https://councilof.ai/mcp. Registry deploymentUrl remains the Smithery gateway (https://gspc-mcp--csoai.run.tools); POST without bearer → 401. That is gateway-by-design — do not claim the registry points at the council door.
• Stale duplicate csoai/gspc: UI /servers/csoai/gspc 404 after unlist attempt; registry row may still exist with run.tools 401. Prefer only csoai/gspc-mcp for discovery.
• Measurement only. Never invent that registry deploymentUrl equals councilof.ai/mcp. Never certify.