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)

Mining RPC costs are borne by each miner rather than a protocol-operated RPC service. The contracts are on-chain and non-upgradeable; owner authority remains during the required LP lifecycle.

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:8545

If 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

At 10,000 concurrent miners: Protocol cost = $0. Each miner's cost = $0-20/mo (their choice).