How I Built an Autonomous AI Agent That Earns USDC While I Sleep

A developer has created a minimal prototype of an autonomous AI agent capable of earning USDC to fund its own compute and data requirements. By utilizing the x402 protocol, the agent implements a Payment Required HTTP pattern, allowing it to charge for services via the WWW-Authenticate header. This stateless approach enables the agent to receive micropayments and sustain itself autonomously, removing the need for manual wallet funding while maintaining compatibility with standard HTTP clients.