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Product Update•

Dexter Marketplace Now Grows Automatically from x402 Network Activity

JANUARY 2026 — Dexter today announced Auto-Discovery, a feature that passively grows the Dexter Marketplace from x402 payment activity across the network.

How It Works

When any x402 payment settles through the Dexter facilitator, the API being paid is automatically cataloged to the marketplace. No registration, no configuration, no action required from the seller.

The system extracts:

  • Resource URL and method from the payment payload
  • Seller wallet address from the payTo field
  • API metadata including description and content type
  • Usage data via accumulated hit counts

Resources appear in the marketplace with a "discovered" status and can be claimed by sellers who want to add branding, descriptions, or verification.

Network Effect Flywheel

Auto-Discovery creates a self-reinforcing growth loop:

  1. Developer builds an x402 API and hosts it anywhere
  2. Someone pays for it through any x402-compatible facilitator
  3. Dexter catalogs the resource on successful settlement
  4. The API appears in the Dexter Marketplace
  5. More visibility → more usage → more payments → repeat

The marketplace grows from actual network usage rather than manual submissions. Popular APIs rise naturally based on real payment volume.

Technical Implementation

The feature uses batched writes to minimize database overhead:

  • Discovered resources queue in memory
  • Batch flushes every 15 seconds
  • Multiple payments to the same URL within a window accumulate hit counts
  • Fire-and-forget design: discovery never blocks payment settlement

Zero-Friction Listing

For sellers, this means:

  • Instant visibility: Your API appears in the marketplace the moment someone pays for it
  • No registration required: No forms, no approval process, no waiting
  • Usage-based ranking: Hit counts reflect real demand, not marketing spend

For buyers, this means:

  • Comprehensive catalog: Every API that accepts x402 payments eventually appears
  • Authentic usage signals: Hit counts represent actual payments, not self-reported metrics

Availability

Auto-Discovery is live now. Any API that receives x402 payments through Dexter will be cataloged automatically.

Browse discovered resources at dexter.cash/marketplace.

About Dexter

Dexter is building the payment infrastructure for autonomous AI on Solana. The x402 protocol enables trustless, fee-sponsored microtransactions with automatic settlement.

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