Lightning Enable provides a platform for API builders to monetize their APIs for autonomous AI agents using per-request payments over the Lightning Network. The service is designed to facilitate machine-to-machine transactions, allowing software agents to pay for API access on a per-call basis without requiring traditional account setups, sign-ups, or credit card payments. By integrating Lightning Enable, API providers can add L402 producer endpoints, which issue HTTP 402 challenges with Lightning invoices. Once an agent pays the invoice, it retries the request with cryptographic proof of payment, and the API verifies this proof before serving the response. This approach enables instant settlement, typically in about one second, and eliminates the need for hosted Lightning nodes or MCP servers on the agent side.
NET and Node (with Python support forthcoming), allowing developers to gate routes with minimal configuration. Pricing can be set per endpoint, and existing API features such as subscriptions, rate limits, and API keys remain unchanged. The platform's dashboard provides a consolidated view of revenue, request volume, and active APIs, with the ability to manage endpoints, set per-route pricing, and monitor real-time Bitcoin earnings. API endpoints can be listed in a public L402 registry and discovered by agents running the open-source MCP server, making it easier for agents to find and pay for API access.
On the agent side, Lightning Enable provides a free, open-source MCP (Machine Commerce Protocol) server under the MIT license. Agents can connect wallets such as Strike or NWC to facilitate payments and access L402-protected APIs. The MCP server can be installed via dotnet or pip, and works from MCP hosts like Hermes. No hosted MCP or Lightning node is required for agents to participate.
Lightning Enable charges a flat monthly subscription fee to API providers, rather than taking a percentage of transaction volume. All payments settle directly in Bitcoin, with no chargebacks or card network fees, and providers retain the full amount paid by their customers. The platform is positioned as a payment infrastructure solution for enabling machine-native, per-request API monetization, addressing the needs of both API builders and the emerging class of autonomous software agents.
Lightning Enable sits in PulseGate's Payments infrastructure category. It focuses on allowing API providers to monetize endpoints for AI agents using instant Lightning payments per request. It is built as a B2B product for API developers and SaaS providers. A free plan is available. The product ships for the web, the command line, and API.
Lightning Enable builds and maintains Lightning Enable, and the product first shipped in 2026. Development happens publicly on GitHub with 30 commits in the last 90 days. PulseGate's similarity index finds few close equivalents — Lightning Enable occupies a relatively distinct niche. Key capabilities include lightning payments, API monetization, and agent integration. It exposes integrations via a public API.
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