DePA Protocol: Frequently Asked Questions
1. Core Concepts & Vision
Q: What is DePA and what problems does it solve?
A: DePA (Decentralized Payment Agent) is a next-generation cryptographic payment infrastructure based on AI Agents, designed for secure, non-custodial, gasless micro-transactions in the Agentic economy. It addresses high gas fees, operational complexity, and chain fragmentation by using a password-free authorized payment mechanism anchored in stablecoins and verifiable on-chain credentials.
Q: How does DePA align with the future of AI Agent interactions?
A: DePA natively supports Agent-to-Agent (A2A) commerce. Its architecture (orchestrated by Payer, Payee, Settlement, and Host Agents) ensures full automation for Agentic commerce, cross-border settlements, and machine-to-machine micropayments, serving as a foundational settlement layer for autonomous agent economies.
2. Technical Implementation
Q: How does DePA achieve "password-free" and "gasless" payments?
A: "Password-free" is achieved by users signing a one-time EIP-712-based mandate off-chain for a spending budget and validity period, with subsequent payments requiring no further authentication. "Gasless" means the DePA Payment Agent covers gas costs on behalf of users, enhancing user experience while maintaining non-custodial security.
Q: What chains and tokens does DePA support?
A: DePA is chain-agnostic and token-agnostic, supporting all EVM-compatible chains (e.g., Ethereum, Optimism) and extensible to Solana. It accepts major ERC-20 stablecoins (e.g., USDC, DAI) and is compatible with EIP-2612 and x402 standards.
Q: How does DePA ensure security and prevent misuse?
A: It uses a non-custodial design (users retain private keys), quota & expiry controls (hard limits on amount and time for authorizations), and on-chain verifiability (mandates are publicly verifiable).
3. For Developers & Ecosystem Integration
Q: As a developer, how can I build atop DePA?
A: Developers can use DePA's core libraries and sample agents to simulate payment flows, implement their own agents for various roles (Payer, Payee, Settlement), and extend the protocol for new payment methods or authentication models.
Q: Is there an SDK or MCP server ready for integration?
A: Yes, DePA provides a complete SDK and MCP server for seamless integration, supporting A2A and X402 protocols to connect AI agents with external tools and data sources securely.
Q: Can I test DePA without moving real funds?
A: Yes, DePA can be deployed in a sandbox environment with mocked stablecoins and gas layers for risk-free experimentation. Test assets are available via a faucet or email request.
4. Compliance & Business Applications
Q: How does DePA handle compliance (KYC/AML) and regulatory risks?
A: DePA's Settlement Agent includes a built-in compliance engine that screens transactions against sanction lists, validates KYC/AML status, and enforces regional transaction limits without compromising decentralization or privacy.
Q: What are the current business use cases?
A: Use cases include cross-border e-commerce settlements, AI Agent platforms requiring automated micropayments, DePIN and IoT devices paying for real-time services, and Metaverse and gaming economies powered by stablecoins.
5. Ecosystem & Collaboration
Q: How can I contribute or partner with the DePA project?
A: Users can join open-source development on GitHub, become an early ecosystem partner (wallet, blockchain, payment service provider, or AI platform), and integrate DePA, or fill out an interest form for direct collaboration.
Q: Why did you embrace crypto and Web3 from day one?
A: Crypto, especially stablecoins, offers an ideal settlement asset for global agent commerce (borderless, programmable, low-cost), future-proofing DePA and bridging traditional finance with the autonomous economy.
6. Technical Architecture Advantages
Q: What are the technical advantages of DePA compared to traditional payment solutions?
A: 1. Architecturally Superior: The World's First Agent-Native Payment Framework:
DePA is designed from the ground up for AI Agent interaction, defining four specialized agents (Payer, Payee, Settlement, Host) for true Agent-to-Agent (A2A) Payments.
2. Technologically Advanced: Dual Breakthroughs Defining Next-Gen UX:
Combines bank-grade security with ease of use.
Breakthrough #1: EIP-712 Powered, Password-Free Authorization: Users grant a one-time, off-chain signature for spending limits, enabling password-free and gasless subsequent transactions with Web2-quality UX and cryptographic security, while remaining non-custodial and on-chain verifiable.
Breakthrough #2: Seamless Multi-Chain, Gasless Settlement Layer:Natively multi-chain (EVM chains, Solana extensible) solving chain fragmentation, with gasless experience covering network fees for micro-transactions.
3. Ecosystem & Standard Leadership: The Protocol for AI Commerce:
DePA aims to be the foundational settlement protocol for the AI Agent economy, akin to TCP/IP for the internet, committed to open source and building universal standards for Agent-based payments.
Q: How does DePA ensure transaction reliability and traceability?
A: Through verifiable credentials technology, all transactions use cryptographically secure data objects (like Cart Mandates and Intent Mandates) as tamper-evident, non-repudiable, and cryptographically signed building blocks, ensuring a complete audit trail.
Summary
DePA (Decentralized Payment Agent) is more than a payment protocol; it's the trust layer for the next-generation economy, built for seamless, secure, and large-scale transactions between humans and agents, inviting users to join in building the future of agent-based payments.