AI Agents — SatsRail Developers

Why Lightning Is Perfect for AI Agents

Credit Cards

Require browser forms & 3D Secure
PCI compliance burden
Card numbers agents can't handle safely
Chargebacks and fraud checks
Banks can freeze accounts anytime

Lightning (SatsRail)

One API call → invoice string
No browser, no forms, no redirects
Instant settlement
No chargebacks — payment is final
Non-custodial — no account freezes

MCP Server

The SatsRail MCP server gives any AI agent with Model Context Protocol support the ability to create orders, generate invoices, and check payment status.

Install via npx (no setup required)

npx satsrail-mcp

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "satsrail": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "satsrail-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SATSRAIL_API_KEY": "sk_test_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor / Windsurf

Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "satsrail": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "satsrail-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SATSRAIL_API_KEY": "sk_test_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

View on GitHub

Available Tools

The MCP server exposes 12 tools covering the full payment lifecycle:

Tool	Description
`create_order`	Create a payment order with optional auto-generated Lightning invoice
`get_order`	Get order details by ID (expandable: invoice, payment, merchant)
`list_orders`	List orders with optional status filter
`cancel_order`	Cancel a pending order
`get_invoice`	Get invoice details including bolt11 Lightning string
`check_invoice_status`	Real-time payment status check against the Lightning node
`generate_invoice`	Generate a new invoice for an existing order
`list_payments`	List confirmed payments with optional date range filter
`get_payment`	Get payment details
`create_checkout_session`	Create a hosted checkout session with redirect URL
`get_merchant`	Get the current merchant's profile and settings
`list_wallets`	List connected wallets

Agent Payment Flow

A complete payment takes 3 steps — no browser involved at any point.

1

Create Order

Agent calls create_order with amount and description. SatsRail returns an order with a bolt11 Lightning invoice string.

2

Customer Pays

Agent presents the bolt11 string or a QR code to the customer. Customer pays with any Lightning wallet.

3

Confirm

Agent calls check_invoice_status to verify payment, or listens for a webhook. Done.

Example Conversation

User "Charge me $25 for the monthly subscription"

Agent → calls create_order(amount_cents: 2500, generate_invoice: true)

Agent "Here's your Lightning invoice. Scan this QR code or copy the payment string:"

lnbc250u1pj...kqq5yxmetu

User "Paid!"

Agent → calls check_invoice_status(invoice_id: "...")

Agent "Payment confirmed! Your subscription is active. ⚡"

Direct REST API

Don't need MCP? Any agent that can make HTTP requests can use SatsRail directly. The entire flow is JSON in, JSON out — no redirects, no HTML.

Create order + invoice in one call

curl -X POST https://satsrail.com/api/v1/m/orders \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "order": {
      "total_amount_cents": 2500,
      "currency": "usd"
    },
    "generate_invoice": true,
    "payment_method": "lightning"
  }'

Check payment status

curl https://satsrail.com/api/v1/m/invoices/{invoice_id}/status \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_..."

Full API Reference →

Use Cases

SaaS & API Billing

Agents that sell access to services and collect payment in the conversation. Per-call, per-session, or per-task billing with no checkout page.

Agent-Generated Invoicing

Agents that create fresh invoices when payment is due — milestone billing, on-demand charges, or periodic collections.

Multi-Merchant Platforms

Build agent-powered marketplaces where AI handles the checkout flow across multiple merchants.

Invoicing Bots

Agents that send invoices, track payments, and follow up — from Slack, Discord, Telegram, or any chat platform.

Configuration

Variable	Required	Description
`SATSRAIL_API_KEY`	Yes	Your API key. Use `sk_test_` for testing, `sk_live_` for production.
`SATSRAIL_BASE_URL`	No	API base URL. Defaults to `https://satsrail.com`

Build the future of AI payments

Get your API key and let your agents start accepting Bitcoin in minutes.

Get Your API Key → MCP Server

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