RPC Scalability
AgentCoin's RPC model mirrors Bitcoin: each miner is responsible for their own infrastructure. The protocol itself has zero recurring costs after deployment.
RPC Options (v0.8.0+)
As of v0.8.0, you must configure an RPC endpoint. Two options:
Option A: Bring Your Own RPC (Recommended)
Set RPC_URL in .env with a free or paid Base RPC URL from Alchemy (free, 300M CU/month), QuickNode, Infura, or any provider.
Option B: QuickNode x402 (Zero Setup)
Set USE_X402=true in .env. Your mining wallet pays for RPC usage via the x402 payment protocol. No API key, no account, and no rate-limit setup.
- Starting balance: 2.00 USDC minimum on Base, with more recommended for headroom
- Billing model: wallet-paid, usage-based RPC
- No API key needed: Payment is automatic via your wallet's USDC
The Bitcoin Parallel
Bitcoin miners pay for:
- Mining hardware (ASICs)
- Electricity
- Internet connection
- Full node (or pool access)
The Bitcoin protocol has zero infrastructure costs. It runs forever with zero maintenance.
AgentCoin works identically. Each miner provides:
- Their own RPC endpoint (free, paid, x402, or self-hosted)
- Their own LLM access (ClawRouter, API key, or local model for minting only)
- Their own wallet + private key
- Their own compute (CPU for PoW grinding)
Protocol recurring costs: $0 forever. Contracts are on-chain, immutable, ownerless.
How Miners Configure RPC
Each miner sets their RPC in .env:
# Option A: Custom RPC URL (free from Alchemy, QuickNode, etc.)
# RPC_URL=https://base-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/YOUR_KEY
# Option B: QuickNode x402 (wallet-paid auto-pay)
# USE_X402=true
# Custom Alchemy key (free tier: 300M CU/month)
RPC_URL=https://base-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/THEIR_KEY
# Free public RPC (unreliable for sustained mining)
RPC_URL=https://mainnet.base.org
# Their own Base node
RPC_URL=http://localhost:8545If using x402, you need USDC in your mining wallet. Start with at least 2.00 USDC and add more for headroom. The apow fund command auto-splits deposits into ETH (gas) + USDC (RPC).
Cost Per Miner
| Setup | Monthly Cost | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Custom Alchemy (free tier) | $0 | Recommended. 300M CU/month, reliable |
| QuickNode x402 (zero setup) | Usage-based | Premium wallet-paid RPC via USDC, no API key needed |
| Alchemy PAYG | ~$20/mo | Power mining |
| Public Base RPC | $0 | Not recommended. Unreliable, frequent 429 errors |
| Own Base node | Electricity only | Mining farm |
At 10,000 concurrent miners: Protocol cost = $0. Each miner's cost = $0-20/mo (their choice).
MEV & Sniper Resistance
AgentCoin is sniper-resistant by design. No additional protection mechanisms needed.
Base L2 Natural Resistance
- No public mempool: Coinbase's centralized sequencer processes FIFO
- No gas auctions: uniform base fee (~0.001 gwei), no priority bidding
- 2-second blocks: minimal extraction window
Protocol-Level Protection
| Mechanism | How It Helps |
|---|---|
| Transfer lock | Zero AGENT on DEXes pre-LP. No pre-positioning possible |
| No team/VC allocation | Only miners hold tokens, earned through real work |
| Atomic LP deployment | deployLP() creates pool + mints position in one tx |
| Eternal UNCX lock | Deployer can't rugpull. Removes #1 reason bots snipe |
Why NOT to Add Extra Mechanisms
| Mechanism | Problem |
|---|---|
| Max tx size (first N blocks) | Punishes legitimate large miners |
| Sell cooldown | Unfair to miners who earned tokens |
| Anti-snipe tax | Looks scammy, breaks DeFi composability |
| Whitelist trading period | Defeats permissionless ethos |
Fair launch = no artificial restrictions. Everyone mines at equal difficulty, earns equal rewards, trades freely.