Lightning Labs releases AI agent tools for native Bitcoin Lightning payments

Lightning Labs has released an open-source toolkit designed to provide AI agents with native access to the Bitcoin Lightning Network, addressing the need for autonomous systems to transact programmatically. The tools allow agents to operate directly on the Bitcoin-native payments rail without needing traditional signups or API keys. Key components include seven composable skills and lnget, an L402-aware command-line HTTP client. L402 is a standard that uses the HTTP 402 status code to challenge requests with a Lightning invoice for authentication, allowing agents to pay and receive access proofs automatically. This infrastructure aims to build a "machine-payable web," where services can be offered on a pay-per-use basis using Aperture on the server side and lnget on the client side. The release coincides with similar developments from Coinbase (Agentic Wallets) and Stripe, all focused on creating scalable, low-value payment rails for AI agents.

(Source：The Block)