Author：Cold Wind Meta

Author: Haotian; Source: X, @tmel0211

The infrastructure for the x402 track is currently largely undeveloped. Although the booming market has temporarily silenced application-level technologies like Launchpad and middleware like Facilitator, it has...This gives the underlying infrastructure layer more build time.;

Switchboard is an oracle project that emerged from the Solana ecosystem.Recently, it was proposed to provide a data service layer for the x402 protocol. How exactly should this be done?

1) In terms of technical architecture, Switchboard adopts a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), which is different from traditional consensus models such as Chainlink and Pyth that rely on network verification. Data is directly transmitted to the chain based on a secure enclave.

2) In terms of protocol compatibility, Switchboard is compatible with the x402 protocol standard, allowing the AI Agent to directly initiate data requests via HTTP 402, complete authorization using on-chain micro-payments, and receive data instantly. The entire process requires no additional adaptation layer or intermediate contract;

3) In terms of billing model, it breaks the traditional subscription model of oracles and supports pay-per-call—the agent pays according to the number of calls and data points, and pays only for what is used, which is completely consistent with the pay-as-you-go design concept of the x402 protocol;

4) Even more radically, Switchboard has completely removed the API Key mechanism. In the traditional model, accessing data services required registration, applying for a key, and managing permissions—a process that created significant friction for the agent. Now, a user's 402 transaction request, carrying sufficient API keys, can instantly access any data source without registration or approval.

The question is,Does the x402 protocol require a dedicated oracle service layer?

First, let's clarify a concept: in the x402 protocol architecture, the Facilitator is responsible for payment facilitation—payment on behalf of others, broadcasting transactions, and state verification—solving the question of "how the money flows." The API services that the Agent actually calls, whether it's obtaining prices, performing calculations, or invoking LLM inference, are provided by the Provider layer.

Switchboard aims to be a special kind of provider.Provider: A provider that specializes in providing trusted on-chain data services, constructing the core information layer for Agent value transfer.

Imagine if the Provider were a centralized API; what if the data were tampered with or the service went down? In a Web2 scenario, these risks are mitigated by channel branding and legal contracts, but...Executing on-chain environments, especially those involving complex DeFi operations, requires verifiable data that is stored on the blockchain.

If ERC-8004 solves the problem of buyer agent identity trustworthiness and reputation, then this type of oracle-guided provider provides a layer of trust assurance in seller (API) data trustworthiness verification.

Essentially, the x402 protocol builds the payment layer for the agent service market, while Switchboard builds the data service layer. If the payment layer allows money to flow, the data service layer allows trusted data to flow.

Only when both are combined can an Agentic Economy have a complete infrastructure.