KYAPay Token vs x402
The map lists them as complementary: sites and agents commonly implement both.
| KYAPay Token KYAPay | x402 | |
|---|---|---|
| Lifecycle step | 7 Pay: Settle the bill | 7 Pay: Settle the bill |
| Answers | How can an authorization or resource server from one vendor check which agent is calling and accept its payment token, when the token was issued by another vendor? | How can an HTTP client pay per-request or per-resource, in stablecoins, without accounts, API keys, or signup? |
| Governed by | Individual Internet-Draft, not adopted by an IETF working group; authors Ankit Agarwal (Skyfire Systems) and Michael B. Jones (Self-Issued Consulting); header area Web Authorization Protocol (OAuth) | x402 Foundation, a Series of LF Projects, LLC (Linux Foundation); operational launch announced 2026-07-14; Executive Director Michael Hursta from 2026-10-01; 50+ members |
| Status (issuer's words) | Active Internet-Draft, individual submission, intended status Standards Track; -02 dated 2026-10-02, expires 2027-04-05; replaces draft-skyfire-kyapayprofile | Open, neutral standard for internet-native payments |
| Version | draft-skyfire-oauth-kyapay-token-02 (2026-10-02) | x402 protocol specification v2, transports-v2/http.md |
| Form / transport | document format | HTTP header |
| Found at | tokens are presented to the resource server; verifiers fetch the issuer's signing keys (Skyfire publishes its own at app.skyfire.xyz/.well-known/jwks.json) | none — signalled per-request via the 402 status code, not a fixed well-known path |
| Implementation | shipping | multi-implementation — x402 Foundation (x402.org live dashboard) |
| Evidence | 3 verified | 5 verified |
| Primary use case | Accept payments from agents | Accept payments from agents |
| Last verified | 2026-10-23 (current) | 2026-10-23 (current) |
| Specification | https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-skyfire-oauth-kyapay-token/ | https://github.com/x402-foundation/x402/blob/main/specs/transports-v2/http.md |
When to use which
- Choose KYAPay Token when your question is “How can an authorization or resource server from one vendor check which agent is calling and accept its payment token, when the token was issued by another vendor?” and you accept its maturity: status "Active Internet-Draft, individual submission, intended status Standards Track; -02 dated 2026-10-02, expires 2027-04-05; replaces draft-skyfire-kyapayprofile", implementation shipping.
- Choose x402 when your question is “How can an HTTP client pay per-request or per-resource, in stablecoins, without accounts, API keys, or signup?” and you accept its maturity: status "Open, neutral standard for internet-native payments", implementation multi-implementation (x402 Foundation (x402.org live dashboard)).
Read the full articles
- KYAPay Token: How can an authorization or resource server from one vendor check which agent is calling and accept its payment token, when the token was issued by another vendor?
- x402: How can an HTTP client pay per-request or per-resource, in stablecoins, without accounts, API keys, or signup?