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NVM Pay

Agents pay Exa with a credit card via Nevermined’s x402 card-delegation scheme. Each call costs $10 and either provisions a new Exa API key or tops up the key previously provisioned for the same payer.

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Buy a key

POST https://admin-api.exa.ai/team-management/nevermined/purchase-key
payment-signature: <x402-token>
  • Cost: $10 per call, charged to the card delegated to the x402 token.
  • Response (new payer): { status: "provisioned", apiKey: "exa_…", expiresAt } — $10 of Exa credits added.
  • Response (returning payer): { status: "topped_up", apiKey: "exa_…" } — same key, $10 more credits.
  • Response (replayed token): cached result, no new charge.
  • Missing/invalid signature: 402 Payment Required with payment requirements in the body.

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Sample request

Mint an x402 token with the Nevermined SDK and POST it to Exa. The API key, plan ID, and card enrollment all come from Nevermined — see NVM Pay docs for SDK setup and card enrollment. 
import { Payments } from "@nevermined-io/payments";

const payments = Payments.getInstance({
  nvmApiKey: process.env.NVM_API_KEY!,  // your Nevermined API key
  environment: "live",                   // or "sandbox" for testing
});

// 1. Mint x402 token scoped to an enrolled card
const { accessToken } = await payments.x402.getX402AccessToken(
  "107134729016282785317688751027026876438402324055584221042936325851129895197441",
  undefined,
  {
    scheme: "nvm:card-delegation",
    delegationConfig: {
      providerPaymentMethodId: "pm_...",  // Stripe payment method, enrolled in Nevermined
      spendingLimitCents: 1000,           // >= $10 per call
      durationSecs: 3600,
    },
  },
);

// 2. Exchange the token for (or top up) an Exa API key
const res = await fetch(
  "https://admin-api.exa.ai/team-management/nevermined/purchase-key",
  { method: "POST", headers: { "payment-signature": accessToken } },
);
const { apiKey } = await res.json();

// 3. Use the key like any Exa API key
await fetch("https://api.exa.ai/search", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "x-api-key": apiKey, "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({ query: "..." }),
});

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Parameters you get from Nevermined

ParameterWhere to get it
nvmApiKeyNevermined dashboard → API Keys
providerPaymentMethodIdEnroll a card via Nevermined, copy the pm_… id

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When the key runs out

Exa returns HTTP 429 on the regular search endpoints once the API key’s credits are exhausted. Mint a fresh x402 token and POST it again to top up by another $10.

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Use the key

Call any Exa endpoint (/search, /contents, /findSimilar, etc.) with x-api-key: exa_…. Credits are consumed at standard Exa pricing.

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References