How I Built a Pay-Per-Use Screenshot API for AI Agents (x402 + Base USDC)

How I Built a Pay-Per-Use Screenshot API for AI Agents AI agents need to browse the web. But most screenshot APIs require you to sign up, get an API key, and manage billing. That's a lot of friction for an autonomous agent that just wants to capture a webpage. I built SnapAPI with a different model: pay-as-you-go with USDC, no signup required . The Problem Imagine you're building an AI agent that needs to: Verify that a webpage looks correct after deploying Extract visual content from a site for a report Generate OG images for link previews Archive a webpage as PDF With most screenshot APIs, your agent needs to: create an account → verify email → get API key → set up billing → make API calls. That's 5 steps a human has to do first. The Solution: x402 Micropayments x402 is an open protocol that lets any HTTP server charge for API calls using USDC on Base. No account needed. Just send USDC and include the transaction hash. Here's how an AI agent uses SnapAPI: import { createPublicClient