Managing payments and spending
You pay providers directly, from funds you control. Your balance is USDC on Base, at your account's own address: Direct never holds it, and never passes it on. Each request is paid through a payment channel between you and the provider, and the provider claims what it earned on chain.
The quickstart covers getting started. Pricing explains what is charged.
Add funds
Add USDC to your account's address on Base in either of two ways:
- Send USDC on Base from any wallet or exchange. The client shows your account's address, a QR code, and a link your browser wallet can use.
- Buy USDC with a card through an onramp, which delivers it straight to your account's address.
Send only USDC on Base. A transfer shows as pending until it is confirmed on chain, then as available. Nothing you add passes through Direct.
Your balance
| Figure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Available | USDC at your account's address, ready to spend |
| Set aside with providers | What this device has placed in payment channels with the providers it uses |
| Pending | Incoming transfers not yet confirmed |
| Spent today, this month | What this device has paid providers |
Funds set aside in a channel stay yours: what a provider has not earned comes back to your balance when the channel closes. Only your account key can withdraw.
How a request is paid
The first time your client uses a provider, it sets aside a small amount for it in a payment channel on Base. Each request carries a signed voucher for its cost, and the provider serves only what it has been paid for. The provider later claims its earnings from the channel on chain, and the contract deducts Direct's fee at that moment. Payments explains the design.
Devices
Each copy of the client you run is a device of your account, approved by your account key.
Any device of your account can freeze another in one action, for example a lost laptop. Providers then refuse its payments until your account key unfreezes it. For a server, use a server key: it can spend, but cannot withdraw or add devices. See Hosting a local gateway.
The free tier
Before you add funds, the client can use free providers on Ethereum and Base, within limits. Once you have funds, it uses the marketplace.