What is the Machine Payments Protocol (MPP)?
Last verified 2026-06-10The Machine Payments Protocol (MPP) is an open standard for internet-native machine payments, launched on 18 March 2026 and co-authored by Tempo and Stripe. It specifies how agents and services coordinate payments programmatically: the agent requests a resource from any HTTP or MCP addressable endpoint, the service responds with a payment request, the agent authorizes it and the resource is delivered. MPP supports microtransactions, recurring payments and pay-per-request models, in stablecoins as well as fiat (cards, buy now pay later) via Stripe Shared Payment Tokens. Stripe businesses can accept MPP payments through the PaymentIntents API (early access). Early adopters named at launch include Browserbase, PostalForm and Parallel Web Systems.
Key facts
| Author / steward | Tempo and Stripe (co-authors) |
|---|---|
| Announced | 2026-03-18 |
| License | Open standard (specification and license terms at mpp.dev) |
| Governance | Open standard co-authored by Tempo and Stripe; specification published at mpp.dev |
| Scope | Internet-native machine payments: a specification for agents and services to coordinate payments programmatically (microtransactions, recurring payments, pay-per-request) against any HTTP or MCP addressable endpoint |
| Transport | HTTP payment flow: the agent requests a resource, the service responds with a payment request, the agent authorizes and the resource is delivered |
| Payment | Stablecoins as well as fiat (cards, buy now pay later) via Stripe Shared Payment Tokens; Stripe integration through the PaymentIntents API |
| Maturity | beta |
What makes it distinctive
- Launched on 18 March 2026, co-authored by Tempo and Stripe
- Open standard for programmatic agent payments: microtransactions, recurring payments, pay-per-request
- Works against any HTTP or MCP addressable endpoint
- Supports stablecoins and fiat (cards, BNPL) via Stripe Shared Payment Tokens
- Stripe businesses can accept MPP payments in a few lines of code (PaymentIntents API, early access)
- Already powering pay-per-use models (Browserbase per-session browsers, Parallel per-call web access)
How MPP works
MPP makes payment a native part of an HTTP exchange. An agent requests a resource from a service, API, MCP server or any HTTP-addressable endpoint; the service responds with a payment request; the agent authorizes payment from its wallet; settlement happens and the resource is delivered. The flow supports microtransactions, recurring payments and pay-per-request. For businesses on Stripe, MPP payments surface in the standard API and Dashboard, settle into the existing balance in the default currency on the normal payout schedule, and inherit Stripe’s tax, fraud, reporting and refund tooling; integration goes through the PaymentIntents API.
Specification and governance
MPP launched on 18 March 2026, co-authored by Tempo and Stripe, as an open standard with the specification at mpp.dev. It spans stablecoins and fiat (cards, buy now pay later) via Stripe Shared Payment Tokens, the same primitive used by ACP. Stripe positions MPP within its broader agentic stack alongside ACP, MCP integrations and x402 support. Stripe acceptance is in early access.
How MPP fits the stack
MPP competes most directly with x402 on the machine-payments problem: both bind payment to the HTTP request. The practical difference at launch: x402 settles on-chain stablecoins via facilitators, while MPP reaches fiat rails through Shared Payment Tokens, and Stripe supports both. Adopters named at launch (Browserbase, Parallel Web Systems, PostalForm) are pay-per-use infrastructure services, the same niche x402 targets.
Limitations and open questions
MPP is the youngest protocol on this site (March 2026) and is in early access on Stripe. Whether it converges with or diverges from x402, and how quickly non-Stripe processors implement it, are the open questions; the spec is open but its first production rail is Stripe plus the Tempo blockchain.
Who should care
API and infrastructure providers monetizing agent traffic per request, Stripe businesses that want agent payments without new infrastructure, and agent builders funding autonomous agents.