> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.docketlayer.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Authentication

> DocketLayer uses the x402 payment protocol. Payment is authentication.

DocketLayer has no API keys, no accounts, and no onboarding. Authentication is handled entirely through the x402 payment protocol — your agent pays \$0.99 in USDC on Solana, and that payment is your authorization to receive the data.

## How x402 works

When your agent calls a DocketLayer endpoint, the flow is:

1. Your agent makes a GET request to `/v2/case` with no payment header
2. DocketLayer responds with **HTTP 402 Payment Required** containing machine-readable payment details — the price, recipient wallet address, and accepted currency
3. Your x402 client library reads this response, constructs a \$0.99 USDC transaction on Solana, signs it with your wallet's private key, and retries the request with cryptographic proof of payment attached
4. DocketLayer verifies the payment on-chain and returns the docket data

From your code's perspective, this is a single function call. The x402 library handles the 402 challenge, payment, and retry automatically.

## What you need

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Solana wallet" icon="wallet">
    A programmatic wallet with a private key stored as an environment variable
  </Card>

  <Card title="USDC balance" icon="dollar-sign">
    Enough USDC on Solana to cover your expected query volume at \$0.99 per query
  </Card>

  <Card title="x402 library" icon="code">
    The x402 client library for Python or JavaScript, configured with your wallet
  </Card>

  <Card title="No API key" icon="ban">
    There are no API keys to request, manage, or rotate
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## x402 client setup

<CodeGroup>
  ```python Python theme={null}
  from x402 import PaymentClient

  client = PaymentClient(
      private_key=os.environ["SOLANA_PRIVATE_KEY"],
      network="solana-mainnet",
      currency="USDC"
  )
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
  import { createPaymentClient } from "x402";
  import { Keypair, Connection } from "@solana/web3.js";

  const connection = new Connection("https://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com");
  const wallet = Keypair.fromSecretKey(
    Buffer.from(process.env.SOLANA_PRIVATE_KEY, "base64")
  );

  const client = createPaymentClient({
    wallet,
    connection,
    network: "solana-mainnet",
    currency: "USDC"
  });
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Security

<Warning>
  Never hardcode your private key in source code or commit it to a repository. Load it exclusively from environment variables or a secrets manager.
</Warning>

* Use a **dedicated wallet** for your agent — not a personal wallet holding significant funds
* Fund it with only what the agent needs to operate
* Monitor your wallet balance — a depleted wallet causes all queries to fail
* If your private key is ever exposed, generate a new wallet immediately and transfer remaining USDC

## Free endpoint

The `/v2/status` endpoint requires no payment and can be used to check coverage and connectivity without consuming any USDC.

```bash theme={null}
curl https://api.docketlayer.ai/v2/status
```

## Sandbox mode

Any endpoint can be called without payment by enabling sandbox mode. Add `?test=1` to the query string or send the `X-DocketLayer-Test: 1` header. Sandbox responses return fixture data and cost nothing.

```bash theme={null}
curl "https://api.docketlayer.ai/v2/case?test=1&case_id=1:24-cv-01234&court_code=nysd"
```

See the [sandbox guide](/guides/sandbox) for details.

## Further reading

* [Wallet setup guide](/guides/wallet-setup) — creating a Solana wallet and funding it with USDC
* [x402 protocol documentation](https://x402.org) — the open payment standard DocketLayer uses