AI Agent Flow NEW
MCP server + Lightning — AI agents that create invoices and process payments programmatically.
Flow Overview
This diagram shows how AI agents (Claude, GPT, custom agents) use the SatsRail MCP server to programmatically create orders, generate Lightning invoices, and process payments — no browser, no forms, no redirects. The MCP server is hosted inside the SatsRail API at a single remote endpoint and exposes it as tool calls that any MCP-compatible agent can invoke.
Sequence Diagram
Tools Used in This Flow
These are the tools this walkthrough touches, mapped to the phase where they appear. The hosted server exposes 45 tools in total — see the full catalog.
| Tool | Description | Used In |
|---|---|---|
create_order |
Create a payment order with optional auto-generated Lightning invoice | Phase 2 |
get_order |
Get order details by ID (expandable: invoice, payment, merchant) | Phase 2 |
list_orders |
List orders with optional status filter | Phase 4 |
cancel_order |
Cancel a pending order | Error recovery |
get_invoice |
Get invoice details including bolt11 Lightning string | Phase 2 |
check_invoice_status |
Real-time payment status check against the Lightning node | Phase 2, 3 |
generate_invoice |
Generate a new invoice for an existing order (on expiry) | Error recovery |
list_payments |
List confirmed payments with optional date range filter | Phase 4 |
get_payment |
Get payment details | Phase 4 |
create_checkout_session |
Create a hosted checkout session with redirect URL | Phase 3 |
get_merchant |
Get the current merchant's profile and settings | Phase 1 |
list_wallets |
List connected wallets | Phase 1 |
Step-by-Step Detail
Phase 1: Setup
Configure MCP Server
Point your AI agent at the hosted SatsRail MCP endpoint:
{
"mcpServers": {
"satsrail": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://satsrail.com/api/v1/mcp",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer sk_live_your_key_here" }
}
}
}
The client sends the sk_live_ key as a bearer header, and the
hosted server exposes 45 tools to the agent.
Agent Discovers Tools
On connect, the client calls tools/list; the hosted server validates the bearer token and advertises all available tools (create_order, check_invoice_status, etc.) to the agent. The agent can now invoke any tool as part of a conversation.
Phase 2: Agent-Initiated Payment
Create Order + Invoice
The agent determines a payment is needed (based on conversation context or autonomous task) and calls:
create_order({
amount_cents: 2500,
currency: "usd",
description: "Monthly subscription",
generate_invoice: true,
payment_method: "lightning"
})
SatsRail creates an Order, converts USD → sats, generates a BOLT-11 Lightning invoice from the merchant's node (non-custodial), and returns the order with the bolt11 string.
Present Invoice to Payer
The agent now has a BOLT-11 invoice string. Three paths:
- Path A — Human user: Agent presents the bolt11 string (and optionally a QR code) in the conversation. User scans with their Lightning wallet.
- Path B — Another agent: Agent passes the bolt11 string to another AI agent that has Lightning wallet access. The second agent pays programmatically.
- Path C — Auto-pay: If the agent itself has wallet access (via another MCP server or API), it pays the invoice automatically.
Verify Payment
After payment, the agent calls
check_invoice_status
to verify:
- completed: Agent proceeds — confirms to user, activates service, delivers product
- pending: Agent waits and re-polls (e.g., every 5 seconds)
-
expired:
Agent calls
generate_invoiceto create a new invoice for the same order at the current BTC rate
Phase 3: Agent-Managed Product Sales
Checkout Session for Products
For more complex sales, the agent calls
create_checkout_session
to generate a hosted checkout URL. The agent shares this link with the customer (in chat, email, Slack, etc.). The customer completes the payment through the standard SatsRail checkout flow. The agent polls for completion using
check_invoice_status
and confirms when paid.
Phase 4: Monitoring
Transaction Reconciliation
The agent can query transaction history for reporting:
list_payments— retrieve all payments with date range filterslist_orders— check order statusesget_merchant— get merchant profile and settings
All MCP-initiated transactions are also visible in the SatsRail Dashboard, where the merchant can see agent-initiated vs manual transactions side by side.
Error Paths
| Error | Trigger | Agent Behavior | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCP Connection Failure | Endpoint unreachable or network error | Agent detects tool unavailability | Retry the connection or fall back to direct REST API calls |
| Invalid Tool Parameters | Agent passes wrong types or missing required fields | MCP server returns structured error with field details | Agent corrects parameters and retries the tool call |
| 429 Rate Limited | Too many API calls per minute | Agent receives rate limit error | Agent implements exponential backoff before retrying |
| Invoice Expired | BOLT-11 invoice TTL exceeded (typically 1 hour) | check_invoice_status returns "expired" | Agent calls generate_invoice for a new invoice at current rate |
| Lightning Routing Failure | No route found to recipient node | Payer's wallet returns routing error | Retry later (channel liquidity may change) |
| Invalid API Key | sk_live_ key is wrong or revoked | Server returns 401 / JSON-RPC -32001 |
Developer checks the Authorization bearer token |
| Wrong HTTP method | Client sends GET instead of POST | Server returns 405 / JSON-RPC -32000 |
Use POST — the endpoint is POST-only Streamable HTTP |
Example Agent 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: "inv_...")
Agent "Payment confirmed! 25,000 sats received. Your subscription is now active."
User "Show me all payments this month"
Agent → calls list_payments(from_date: "2024-01-01")
Agent "You received 3 payments totaling 75,000 sats ($75.00) this month."
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