Authentication

Two paths. Same API. Choose what fits your use case.

nightglass supports two authentication methods, and they're not mutually exclusive — the same endpoint handles both.

Path 1: API key (developers)

The traditional path. Sign up, get a key, pass it in the Authorization header.

Authorization: Bearer ng_live_abc123...

Your account has a prepaid balance (in millicents). Each screenshot deducts from the balance. Top up via Stripe on the dashboard.

Path 2: x402 (AI agents)

The agent-native path. No signup. No API key. No account. Just money and a URL.

When you call the screenshot endpoint without an Authorization header, you get back a 402 Payment Required response containing x402 payment details:

HTTP/1.1 402 Payment Required
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "x402": {
    "version": 1,
    "schemes": [{
      "scheme": "exact",
      "network": "base",
      "token": "USDC",
      "maxAmountRequired": "5000",
      "resource": "https://api.nightglass.xyz/api/v1/screenshot",
      "payTo": "0x1C68...3bC"
    }]
  }
}

Your agent reads this, signs a USDC payment on Base, attaches the payment proof as an X-PAYMENT header, and re-sends the request. The screenshot comes back.