Ethereum Foundation launches zkAPI for private AI API payments

The Ethereum Foundation and the Open Anonymity Project announced zkAPI as live on Ethereum mainnet on October 1, 2026. The experimental system is designed to support private usage credits for APIs, including AI services.

Under the model described by the project, a user deposits credits such as ETH or USDC into an Ethereum vault. Zero-knowledge proofs are then used to authorize metered API usage without exposing the user’s billing identity to the API provider.

zkAPI issues short-lived API keys with a capped dollar amount. The stated design aims to keep prompts and identity information outside the payment layer, while allowing a provider to receive API requests without the customer’s billing identity.

The current documentation describes OpenRouter-based access for AI use cases. The project labels the protocol experimental, which indicates that its implementation and supported access paths remain subject to development.

How zkAPI separates payment from requests

zkAPI is structured around prepaid credits held in an Ethereum vault. Rather than presenting conventional account-linked billing information to an API provider, users authorize consumption through zero-knowledge proofs.

The project says its payment layer is not designed to learn a user’s prompts or identity. At the other end of the flow, the AI provider receives the request without the user’s billing identity. This separates two data streams that are commonly connected in standard API billing: service usage and the account responsible for payment.

• Users can deposit credits including ETH or USDC.
• Usage authorization is based on zero-knowledge proofs.
• API keys are short-lived and limited by a dollar-denominated cap.
• The provider receives requests without the user’s billing identity.

Experimental OpenRouter-based AI access

According to the zkAPI documentation, the current implementation supports OpenRouter-based AI access. That provides the stated AI-focused use case for the payment and authorization system.

The documentation and project repository describe zkAPI as experimental. The announcement establishes a mainnet launch, but the experimental designation remains important context for users assessing the service’s current stage.

Part of a wider focus on AI payment infrastructure

zkAPI adds a privacy-oriented approach to the growing set of blockchain payment tools being developed for AI-related services. Its distinguishing stated feature is the use of zero-knowledge proofs to authorize prepaid API consumption while limiting billing-data exposure.

Other recent coverage has examined payment infrastructure intended for AI agents, including Bitcoin Lightning support in x402 and a Cardano x402 facilitator for preproduction testing. These projects address different implementations, but each reflects work around machine-oriented service payments.

Continue reading: Block Adds Bitcoin Lightning Payment Support to x402 for AI Agents on BTCNews.

Continue reading: Cardano Foundation Releases x402 Facilitator for Preprod Testing on BTCNews.

Sources

• Ethereum Foundation Blog: Introducing zkAPI: private usage credits for any API
• Open Anonymity Project: Introduction — zkAPI
• GitHub: ethereum/zkapi
• Decrypt: Ethereum Now Lets You Pay for AI Without Revealing Who You Are

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