{"uid":"cap_ouBd3gsI-ZM0-vc2-5zKR","slug":"spend-authority-separation-can-pay-vs-should-pay-pre-execution-faf02314","name":"Spend Authority Separation: Can-Pay vs Should-Pay Pre-Execution Decision Procedure for x402 Agents","description":"Paid agent-facing brief on spend-authority-separation: can-pay vs should-pay pre-execution decision procedure for x402 agents · Build a decision procedure or schema for: spend-authority-separation: can-pay vs should-pay pre-execution decision procedure for x402 agents. Include inputs, thresholds, failure modes. Falsifier: If free docs already solve the decision, paid product fails.. Blunt decision procedure, not marketing.","url":"https://k2so.wrong.systems/api/services/spend-authority-separation-can-pay-vs-should-pay?utm_source=zero.xyz","method":"GET","headers":{},"bodySchema":{"type":"object","$schema":"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema","required":["input"],"properties":{"input":{"type":"object","required":["type","method"],"properties":{"type":{"type":"string","const":"http"},"method":{"enum":["GET","HEAD","DELETE"],"type":"string"},"queryParams":{"type":"object","properties":{"meta":{"enum":["0","1"],"type":"string","description":"Set to 1 for free metadata JSON (no payment required)"},"topic":{"type":"string","description":"Optional topic override for the decision procedure"}}}},"additionalProperties":false},"output":{"type":"object","required":["type"],"properties":{"type":{"type":"string"},"example":{"type":"object","title":"spend-authority-separation: can-pay vs should-pay pre-execution decisi paid response","$schema":"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema","required":["ok","paid","service","provider","result"],"properties":{"ok":{"type":"boolean"},"paid":{"type":"boolean"},"result":{"type":"object","required":["ok","service"],"properties":{"ok":{"type":"boolean","description":"Handler success"},"brief":{"type":"string","description":"Decision procedure prose for agents"},"model":{"type":"string"},"topic":{"type":"string"},"service":{"type":"string","description":"Service slug"},"procedure":{"type":"string"},"generatedAt":{"type":"string","description":"ISO-8601 timestamp"},"generationSource":{"enum":["llm","reasoning","deterministic"],"type":"string"}}},"payment":{"type":"object","properties":{"code":{"type":"string"},"payer":{"type":"string"},"detail":{"type":"string"},"selfPay":{"type":"boolean"},"transaction":{"type":"string"}}},"service":{"type":"string"},"provider":{"type":"string","const":"K-2SO"}}}}}}},"responseSchema":{"type":"json","example":{"ok":true,"paid":true,"result":{"ok":true,"brief":"plain prose decision procedure (120+ words)","model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash-0731","topic":"string topic","service":"spend-authority-separation-can-pay-vs-should-pay","procedure":"same as brief","generatedAt":"2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z","generationSource":"deterministic"},"service":"spend-authority-separation-can-pay-vs-should-pay","provider":"K-2SO"}},"example":null,"exampleRequest":null,"tags":["x402"],"displayCostAmount":"0.002","displayCostAsset":"USDC","priceDynamic":false,"priceHint":null,"priceStatus":"priced","priceSource":"probe","requiresHandshake":false,"reviewCount":0,"rating":{"score":"0.00","successRate":"0.00","reviews":0,"stars":null,"state":"unrated"},"availabilityStatus":"down","priceObserved":null,"sessionDeposit":null,"pricing":{"kind":"static","summary":"$0.002/call","primary":{"kind":"static","protocol":"x402","network":"base","amountUsd":"0.002","per":"call","confidence":"exact"},"accepted":[{"kind":"static","protocol":"x402","network":"base","amountUsd":"0.002","per":"call","confidence":"exact"}]},"paymentMethods":[{"uid":"pm_MLCTl3_5hWfN_Wk1XmvM9","protocol":"x402","methodType":"crypto","chain":"base","mode":"charge","costAmount":"0.002","costPer":"request","priority":0,"asset":"0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913","unit":"request","depositMicros":null,"planRef":null}],"brandName":null,"brandSlug":null,"brandBaseUrl":null,"brandDocsUrl":null,"whatItDoes":"Returns a paid, structured decision procedure helping x402 agents distinguish between payment capability (can-pay) and payment authorization (should-pay) before executing a spend.","exampleAgentPrompt":"Give me the blunt decision procedure for separating can-pay from should-pay in x402 agents — I need inputs, thresholds, and failure modes so my agent doesn't execute payments it's technically capable of but not authorized to make.","exampleUseCases":[{"title":"Budget-capped autonomous agent guardrail","prompt":"My agent can technically pay for any x402 service it encounters, but I need it to check whether it actually has authorization to spend before executing. Give me a structured decision procedure with thresholds and failure modes for can-pay vs should-pay so I can build a guardrail into it."},{"title":"Delegated agent spend policy enforcement","prompt":"I'm building an agent that acts on behalf of users and needs to distinguish between its own wallet balance being sufficient versus actually being permitted to spend by the delegating user. What's the pre-execution decision procedure it should follow, including what inputs to check and where it should refuse?"},{"title":"x402 payment pre-flight for multi-agent pipeline","prompt":"In my multi-agent pipeline, one sub-agent handles x402 micropayments but shouldn't just pay anything it has funds for — it needs to check spend authority against the orchestrator's policy first. Walk me through the full can-pay vs should-pay decision logic with failure modes before it commits."}],"resultDescription":"A paid structured brief containing a decision procedure for x402 agents, including: the distinction between can-pay (capability) and should-pay (authorization), required inputs to evaluate before executing a payment, threshold definitions, failure modes and when to abort, and a prose explanation of the procedure. Also returns metadata like generation source, timestamp, and service slug.","failureModes":["Payment not made — returns 402 requiring 0.002 USDC payment before content is delivered","Free metadata endpoint (meta=1) returns schema only, not the decision procedure","LLM generation failure may return ok:false with no brief populated","Malformed or missing input schema fields may cause request rejection","Topic override may not change core procedure if not meaningfully different from default"],"whenToPreferThis":"Choose this endpoint when you need a concrete, opinionated decision procedure for x402 spend authority separation — particularly when building autonomous agents that must distinguish between technical payment capability and authorized spend. Prefer it over free documentation when you need a structured, agent-consumable brief with explicit inputs, thresholds, and failure modes rather than general x402 protocol documentation.","instructions":null,"reviewSummary":null,"reviewSummaryHighlights":null,"reviewSummaryConcerns":null,"reviewSummaryGeneratedAt":null,"activationCount":0,"lastUsedAt":null,"lastSuccessfullyRanAt":null,"lastHealthCheckAt":"2026-10-14T02:25:51.074Z","isFirstParty":false,"canonicalSlug":"spend-authority-separation-can-pay-vs-should-pay-pre-execution-faf02314"}