<!--
Sitemap:
- [MPP — Machine Payments Protocol](/index): MPP (Machine Payments Protocol) is the open standard for machine-to-machine payments—co-developed by Tempo and Stripe. Charge for API requests, tool calls, and content via HTTP 402.
- [Page Not Found](/404)
- [Brand assets and guidelines](/brand): Download official MPP logos, wordmarks, and brand assets. Guidelines for using the Machine Payments Protocol brand in your project or integration.
- [Extensions](/extensions): Community-built tools and integrations for MPP
- [Frequently asked questions](/faq): Answers to common questions about MPP—payment methods, settlement, pricing, security, and how the protocol compares to API keys and subscriptions.
- [Machine Payments Protocol](/overview): MPP standardizes HTTP 402 for machine-to-machine payments. Learn how agents, apps, and services exchange payments in the same HTTP request.
- [Payment methods](/payment-methods/): Available methods and how to choose one
- [Protocol overview](/protocol/): The Machine Payments Protocol standardizes HTTP 402 with an extensible challenge–credential–receipt flow that works with any payment network.
- [Quickstart](/quickstart/): Get started with MPP in minutes. Protect your API with payments, connect your agent, or integrate your app with MPP-enabled services.
- [SDKs and client libraries](/sdk/): Official MPP SDKs in TypeScript, Python, and Rust, plus community SDKs in other languages.
- [Discovery](/advanced/discovery): Advertise your API's payment terms with an OpenAPI discovery document so clients and agents know what endpoints cost before making requests.
- [Identity](/advanced/identity): Use MPP Credentials for access control, rate limiting, and multi-step workflows—without requiring payment.
- [Refunds](/advanced/refunds): Return funds to clients after a charge, or let sessions refund unused deposits automatically.
- [Build with an LLM](/guides/building-with-an-llm): Use llms-full.txt to give your agent complete MPP context.
- [Accept multiple payment methods](/guides/multiple-payment-methods): Accept Tempo stablecoins, Stripe cards, and Lightning Bitcoin on a single API endpoint. Serve a multi-method 402 Challenge and let clients choose.
- [Accept one-time payments](/guides/one-time-payments): Charge per request with a payment-gated API
- [Accept pay-as-you-go payments](/guides/pay-as-you-go): Build a payment-gated API with session-based billing using mppx payment channels. Charge per request with near-zero latency overhead.
- [Proxy an existing service](/guides/proxy-existing-service): Put a payment gate in front of any API without changing its code. Use the mppx Proxy SDK to charge for upstream access.
- [Accept split payments](/guides/split-payments): Distribute a charge across multiple recipients
- [Accept streamed payments](/guides/streamed-payments): Accept streamed payments over Server-Sent Events with mppx. Bill per token in real time using Tempo payment channels for LLM inference APIs.
- [Charge intent for one-time payments](/intents/charge): Immediate one-time payments
- [Card payment method](/payment-methods/card/): Card payments via encrypted network tokens
- [Custom payment methods](/payment-methods/custom): Build your own payment method
- [Lightning](/payment-methods/lightning/): Bitcoin payments over the Lightning Network
- [Solana](/payment-methods/solana/): Native SOL and SPL token payments
- [Stellar SEP-41 token payments](/payment-methods/stellar/): SEP-41 token payments on the Stellar network
- [Stripe payment method](/payment-methods/stripe/): Cards, wallets, and other Stripe supported payment methods
- [Tempo stablecoin payments](/payment-methods/tempo/): Stablecoin payments on the Tempo blockchain
- [Challenges](/protocol/challenges): Server-issued payment requirements
- [Credentials](/protocol/credentials): Client-submitted payment proofs
- [HTTP 402 payment required](/protocol/http-402): HTTP 402 Payment Required signals that a resource requires payment. Learn when and how MPP servers return 402 with a WWW-Authenticate Challenge.
- [Payment receipts and verification](/protocol/receipts): Receipts confirm successful payment in MPP. Return them in the Payment-Receipt header so clients can verify that the server accepted their Credential.
- [Transports](/protocol/transports/): MPP defines transport bindings for HTTP and MCP. Learn how Challenges, Credentials, and Receipts map to headers and JSON-RPC messages.
- [Use with agents](/quickstart/agent): Connect your coding agent to MPP-enabled services. Set up Tempo Wallet or the mppx SDK to handle 402 payment flows automatically.
- [Use with your app](/quickstart/client): Handle payment-gated resources in your app. Use the mppx client SDK to intercept 402 responses, pay, and retry—all automatically.
- [Add payments to your API](/quickstart/server): Add payment-gated access to your API with mppx. Accept stablecoins, cards, and Bitcoin in a few lines of code using the MPP server SDK.
- [SDK features](/sdk/features): Feature parity across TypeScript, Python, and Rust MPP SDKs.
- [Python SDK](/sdk/python/): The pympp Python library
- [Rust SDK for MPP](/sdk/rust/): The mpp Rust library
- [Getting started](/sdk/typescript/): The mppx TypeScript library
- [Card charge](/payment-methods/card/charge): One-time payments using encrypted network tokens
- [Lightning charge](/payment-methods/lightning/charge): One-time payments using BOLT11 invoices
- [Lightning session](/payment-methods/lightning/session): Pay-as-you-go payments over Lightning
- [Solana charge](/payment-methods/solana/charge): One-time payments on Solana
- [Stellar charge](/payment-methods/stellar/charge): One-time SEP-41 token transfers
- [Channel](/payment-methods/stellar/session): High-frequency off-chain payments
- [Stripe charge](/payment-methods/stripe/charge): One-time payments using Shared Payment Tokens
- [Tempo charge](/payment-methods/tempo/charge): One-time TIP-20 token transfers
- [Session](/payment-methods/tempo/session): Low-cost high-throughput payments
- [HTTP transport](/protocol/transports/http): The HTTP transport maps MPP payment flows to standard HTTP headers—WWW-Authenticate for Challenges, Authorization for Credentials, and Payment-Receipt.
- [MCP and JSON-RPC transport](/protocol/transports/mcp): Payment flows for AI tool calls
- [Python MPP client](/sdk/python/client): Handle 402 responses automatically
- [Core Types](/sdk/python/core): Challenge, Credential, and Receipt primitives
- [Server](/sdk/python/server): Protect endpoints with payment requirements
- [Client](/sdk/rust/client): Handle 402 responses automatically
- [Core types](/sdk/rust/core): Challenge, Credential, and Receipt primitives
- [Server](/sdk/rust/server): Protect endpoints with payment requirements
- [CLI Reference](/sdk/typescript/cli): Built-in command-line tool for paid HTTP requests
- [Method.from](/sdk/typescript/Method.from): Create a payment method from a definition
- [Paid API proxy server](/sdk/typescript/proxy): Paid API proxy
- [McpClient.wrap](/sdk/typescript/client/McpClient.wrap): Payment-aware MCP client
- [stripe client method](/sdk/typescript/client/Method.stripe): Register all Stripe intents
- [Method.stripe.charge](/sdk/typescript/client/Method.stripe.charge): One-time payments via Shared Payment Tokens
- [tempo client method](/sdk/typescript/client/Method.tempo): Register all Tempo intents
- [Method.tempo.charge](/sdk/typescript/client/Method.tempo.charge): One-time payments
- [Method.tempo.session](/sdk/typescript/client/Method.tempo.session): Low-cost high-throughput payments
- [tempo.session](/sdk/typescript/client/Method.tempo.session-manager): Standalone session manager
- [Mppx.create](/sdk/typescript/client/Mppx.create): Create a payment-aware fetch client
- [Mppx.restore](/sdk/typescript/client/Mppx.restore): Restore the original global fetch
- [Transport.from](/sdk/typescript/client/Transport.from): Create a custom transport
- [Transport.http](/sdk/typescript/client/Transport.http): HTTP transport for payments
- [Transport.mcp](/sdk/typescript/client/Transport.mcp): MCP transport for payments
- [BodyDigest.compute](/sdk/typescript/core/BodyDigest.compute): Compute a body digest hash
- [BodyDigest.verify](/sdk/typescript/core/BodyDigest.verify): Verify a body digest hash
- [Challenge.deserialize](/sdk/typescript/core/Challenge.deserialize): Deserialize a Challenge from a header
- [Challenge.from](/sdk/typescript/core/Challenge.from): Create a new Challenge
- [Challenge.fromHeaders](/sdk/typescript/core/Challenge.fromHeaders): Extract a Challenge from Headers
- [Challenge.fromMethod](/sdk/typescript/core/Challenge.fromMethod): Create a Challenge from a method
- [Challenge.fromResponse](/sdk/typescript/core/Challenge.fromResponse): Extract a Challenge from a Response
- [Challenge.meta](/sdk/typescript/core/Challenge.meta): Extract correlation data from a Challenge
- [Challenge.serialize](/sdk/typescript/core/Challenge.serialize): Serialize a Challenge to a header
- [Challenge.verify](/sdk/typescript/core/Challenge.verify): Verify a Challenge HMAC
- [Credential.deserialize](/sdk/typescript/core/Credential.deserialize): Deserialize a Credential from a header
- [Credential.from](/sdk/typescript/core/Credential.from): Create a new Credential
- [Credential.fromRequest](/sdk/typescript/core/Credential.fromRequest): Extract a Credential from a Request
- [Credential.serialize](/sdk/typescript/core/Credential.serialize): Serialize a Credential to a header
- [Expires utility functions](/sdk/typescript/core/Expires): Generate relative expiration timestamps
- [Method.from](/sdk/typescript/core/Method.from): Create a payment method definition
- [Method.toClient](/sdk/typescript/core/Method.toClient): Extend a method with client logic
- [Method.toServer](/sdk/typescript/core/Method.toServer): Extend a method with server verification
- [PaymentRequest.deserialize](/sdk/typescript/core/PaymentRequest.deserialize): Deserialize a payment request
- [PaymentRequest.from](/sdk/typescript/core/PaymentRequest.from): Create a payment request
- [PaymentRequest.serialize](/sdk/typescript/core/PaymentRequest.serialize): Serialize a payment request to a string
- [Receipt.deserialize](/sdk/typescript/core/Receipt.deserialize): Deserialize a Receipt from a header
- [Receipt.from](/sdk/typescript/core/Receipt.from): Create a new Receipt
- [Receipt.fromResponse](/sdk/typescript/core/Receipt.fromResponse): Extract a Receipt from a Response
- [Receipt.serialize](/sdk/typescript/core/Receipt.serialize): Serialize a Receipt to a string
- [Elysia payment middleware](/sdk/typescript/middlewares/elysia): Payment middleware for Elysia
- [Express payment middleware](/sdk/typescript/middlewares/express): Payment middleware for Express
- [Hono payment middleware](/sdk/typescript/middlewares/hono): Payment middleware for Hono
- [Next.js payment middleware](/sdk/typescript/middlewares/nextjs): Payment middleware for Next.js
- [stripe](/sdk/typescript/server/Method.stripe): Register all Stripe intents
- [Method.stripe.charge](/sdk/typescript/server/Method.stripe.charge): One-time payments via Shared Payment Tokens
- [tempo server method](/sdk/typescript/server/Method.tempo): Register all Tempo intents
- [Method.tempo.charge](/sdk/typescript/server/Method.tempo.charge): One-time stablecoin payments
- [Method.tempo.session](/sdk/typescript/server/Method.tempo.session): Low-cost high-throughput payments
- [Mppx.compose](/sdk/typescript/server/Mppx.compose): Present multiple payment options
- [Mppx.create](/sdk/typescript/server/Mppx.create): Create a server-side payment handler
- [Mppx.toNodeListener](/sdk/typescript/server/Mppx.toNodeListener): Adapt payments for Node.js HTTP
- [Request.toNodeListener](/sdk/typescript/server/Request.toNodeListener): Convert Fetch handlers to Node.js
- [Response.requirePayment](/sdk/typescript/server/Response.requirePayment): Create a 402 response
- [Transport.from](/sdk/typescript/server/Transport.from): Create a custom transport
- [Transport.http](/sdk/typescript/server/Transport.http): HTTP server-side transport
- [Transport.mcp](/sdk/typescript/server/Transport.mcp): Raw JSON-RPC MCP transport
- [Transport.mcpSdk](/sdk/typescript/server/Transport.mcpSdk): MCP SDK server-side transport
-->

# Lightning \[Bitcoin payments over the Lightning Network]

The Lightning payment method enables payments using Bitcoin over the [Lightning Network](https://lightning.network) within the MPP framework. Lightning supports two intents—**charge** for one-time payments and **session** for prepaid metered access—covering everything from single API calls to high-frequency streaming billing.

The implementation is provided by [`@buildonspark/lightning-mpp-sdk`](https://github.com/buildonspark/lightning-mpp-sdk), which extends the [`mppx`](https://github.com/tempoxyz/mpp) SDK with Lightning Network support alongside built-in methods like [Stripe](/payment-methods/stripe) and [Tempo](/payment-methods/tempo). The reference implementation uses [Spark](https://spark.money) for wallet and node operations, but the protocol works with any Lightning node or wallet that can create BOLT11 invoices and verify preimages.

## Installation

:::code-group

```bash [npm]
npm install @buildonspark/lightning-mpp-sdk
```

```bash [pnpm]
pnpm add @buildonspark/lightning-mpp-sdk
```

```bash [bun]
bun add @buildonspark/lightning-mpp-sdk
```

:::

## Payments on Lightning

Lightning brings a distinct set of properties to MPP:

* **Cryptographic verification**—The server checks `sha256(preimage) == paymentHash` with a single hash operation. Verification is entirely local and self-contained.
* **Synchronous settlement**—Lightning HTLC settlement reveals the preimage atomically. The preimage *is* the proof of payment, available the instant the payment settles.
* **Global and permissionless**—Bitcoin works identically in every jurisdiction. Anyone can participate without accounts, approvals, or special routing.
* **Self-custodial**—Both client and server hold their own keys via Spark wallets. Funds stay under each party's control throughout the entire flow.

## Choosing an intent

| | **Charge** | **Session** |
|---|---|---|
| **Pattern** | One-time payment per request | Prepaid deposit, per-request billing |
| **Latency overhead** | One Lightning payment per request | Near-zero (bearer token after deposit) |
| **Throughput** | One invoice + payment per request | Hundreds of requests per session |
| **Best for** | Single API calls, content access, one-off purchases | LLM APIs, metered services, streaming |
| **Settlement** | Immediate per-request via HTLC | Deposit upfront, per-request deduction, refund on close |

## Intents

<div className="vocs:grid vocs:grid-cols-1 vocs:md:grid-cols-2 vocs:gap-4">
  <a href="/payment-methods/lightning/charge" className="vocs:relative vocs:flex vocs:flex-col vocs:space-y-2 vocs:rounded-md vocs:bg-surfaceTint/70 vocs:border vocs:border-primary vocs:p-4 vocs:no-underline vocs:transition-colors vocs:hover:bg-surfaceTint">
    <div className="vocs:size-8 vocs:flex vocs:items-center vocs:justify-center vocs:rounded-lg vocs:border vocs:border-primary vocs:bg-surface vocs:text-accent">
      <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="2" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round">
        <path d="M13 2 3 14h9l-1 8 10-12h-9l1-8z" />
      </svg>
    </div>

    <div className="vocs:text-[15px] vocs:font-medium vocs:text-heading">Lightning charge</div>
    <div className="vocs:text-sm vocs:leading-relaxed vocs:text-secondary">One-time payments using BOLT11 invoices</div>
  </a>

  <a href="/payment-methods/lightning/session" className="vocs:relative vocs:flex vocs:flex-col vocs:space-y-2 vocs:rounded-md vocs:bg-surfaceTint/70 vocs:border vocs:border-primary vocs:p-4 vocs:no-underline vocs:transition-colors vocs:hover:bg-surfaceTint">
    <div className="vocs:size-8 vocs:flex vocs:items-center vocs:justify-center vocs:rounded-lg vocs:border vocs:border-primary vocs:bg-surface vocs:text-accent">
      <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="2" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round">
        <path d="M2 6c.6.5 1.2 1 2.5 1C7 7 7 5 9.5 5c2.6 0 2.4 2 5 2 2.5 0 2.5-2 5-2 1.3 0 1.9.5 2.5 1" />

        <path d="M2 12c.6.5 1.2 1 2.5 1 2.5 0 2.5-2 5-2 2.6 0 2.4 2 5 2 2.5 0 2.5-2 5-2 1.3 0 1.9.5 2.5 1" />

        <path d="M2 18c.6.5 1.2 1 2.5 1 2.5 0 2.5-2 5-2 2.6 0 2.4 2 5 2 2.5 0 2.5-2 5-2 1.3 0 1.9.5 2.5 1" />
      </svg>
    </div>

    <div className="vocs:text-[15px] vocs:font-medium vocs:text-heading">Lightning session</div>
    <div className="vocs:text-sm vocs:leading-relaxed vocs:text-secondary">Prepaid metered access with per-request billing</div>
  </a>
</div>