Whitepaper · v1.1 · 2026
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PROXY Protocol — Technical Whitepaper
PROXY.
Permissionless agent payment infrastructure on Base.
$PROXY
Base · Chain ID 8453
Fair Launch · Doppler
ERC-20
ZK-Routed
v1.1 · 2026
Abstract

Infrastructure for autonomous AI agent payments exists and processes hundreds of millions of transactions. But every dominant protocol is compliance-gated, stablecoin-denominated, and corporately controlled. KYT screening is embedded in the settlement pipeline. Settlement currencies have issuers who can freeze balances. Infrastructure operators retain admin keys and kill switches. For agents that need to operate without identity exposure, without a compliance layer, and without a settlement currency that can be frozen — the incumbent architecture is structurally incompatible.

PROXY is the permissionless alternative. It enables autonomous AI agents to hold, spend, and settle $PROXY — a native ERC-20 token with no issuer and no compliance layer — anonymously on Base. No KYT screening. No admin keys over settlement contracts. No entity with the technical capability to freeze a balance or block a transaction. Five protocol layers: non-custodial Agent Wallet SDK, ZK anonymous routing, non-upgradeable escrow contracts, permissionless provider network, and cryptographic proof-of-delivery. PROXY is launched as a fully fair-launch token on Base and governed entirely by its $PROXY holders.

01 — The Problem

Incumbent infrastructure
is not permissionless.

Agent payment rails exist and process hundreds of millions of transactions. But every dominant protocol routes through compliance infrastructure, settles in regulatorily-controlled stablecoins, and ships with transaction screening baked into the stack. For agents that require genuine privacy and censorship resistance — the architecture is incompatible.

Autonomous agent economy by 2030
$17T
The payment rails for this economy are being built by incumbents optimising for regulatory compliance. Infrastructure shaped by compliance constraints is not neutral infrastructure.
Agent transactions — all compliance-screened
165M+
The leading agent payment protocol operates at scale but ships with built-in KYT (Know Your Transaction) screening on every transaction. Every settlement passes through a compliance layer controlled by a single entity.
Permissionless native-token agent protocols
0
Every existing solution settles in regulated stablecoins routed through corporate infrastructure. No permissionless, anonymous, native-token alternative exists. Until PROXY.

1.1 — Compliance Layers Are Architectural, Not Optional

KYT screening in dominant agent payment protocols is not a feature flag — it is embedded in the settlement pipeline. An agent transaction is evaluated against a private entity's risk model before escrow releases. That is not a permissionless architecture regardless of how the protocol is marketed.

1.2 — Stablecoin Settlement ≠ Censorship Resistance

The dominant settlement currency for agent payments operates under regulatory jurisdiction. Wallet addresses can be blacklisted at the issuer level and balances can be frozen. A decentralised routing layer that settles in a regulatorily-controlled stablecoin inherits all of that currency's censorship properties — regardless of how decentralised the routing layer itself is.

1.3 — Custodial Infrastructure Has Admin Keys

Agent wallet infrastructure operated by corporations retains the ability to freeze, restrict, or terminate agent wallet functionality. Spending limits, session caps, and compliance controls are implemented at the infrastructure level — not the agent level. The operator always has a kill switch.

1.4 — Transaction Privacy Is Not Default

Every agent transaction on incumbent protocols generates a log entry visible to the infrastructure operator. For agents acting on behalf of institutional principals, or executing strategies with competitive sensitivity, a surveillance layer baked into the payment stack is an unacceptable architectural dependency.


02 — The Solution

PROXY: The Permissionless
Alternative

PROXY is not the first agent payment protocol. It is the first permissionless, anonymous, native-token agent payment protocol. The distinction matters. PROXY does not compete with incumbent infrastructure on transaction volume — it exists for the use cases that incumbent architecture cannot serve: agents that need genuine privacy, censorship resistance, and settlement in a currency no entity can freeze.

The core proposition: Every incumbent agent payment protocol routes through a compliance layer. PROXY does not. Every incumbent settles in a stablecoin with an issuer. PROXY settles in $PROXY — a native token with no issuer. That is not a tokenomic preference. It is an architectural property.

PROXY delivers four properties that no existing agent payment infrastructure delivers simultaneously: permissionless access with no compliance gatekeeper, anonymous transactions with no KYT screening, native token settlement with no stablecoin dependency, and non-upgradeable contracts with no admin keys. These are not features. They are the architecture.


03 — How PROXY Works

Five steps.
Zero intermediaries.

Every PROXY transaction flows through five discrete protocol layers, from signed agent request to on-chain settlement. No layer can be bypassed. No intermediary can intervene between a valid DeliveryProof submission and escrow release. The entire cycle completes in approximately two seconds at Base block time.

01
Agent Wallet Initialisation
An autonomous agent deploys with a PROXY wallet — a non-custodial ERC-20 identity on Base funded in $PROXY by its operator at initialisation. Post-funding, the agent controls its own private key. No human interaction is required for any subsequent transaction. The wallet address is the agent's sole identity on the network. No name. No email. No KYC. No compliance registration.
02
AgentRequest Construction & Broadcast
When the agent requires a resource, the SDK constructs a signed AgentRequest object specifying resource type, model or feed parameters, max latency, and a budget ceiling in $PROXY. The budget ceiling is atomically escrowed in the PROXY smart contracts at broadcast — providers are guaranteed payment exists before accepting a job. No pre-authorisation. No human approval.
03
ZK Anonymous Provider Matching
The routing layer executes a weighted matching algorithm against the registered provider set — scoring on stake weight, latency history, reliability, availability, and price. Provider eligibility is verified using zero-knowledge attestations: the routing layer confirms a provider meets spec without revealing its wallet address, geographic location, or infrastructure details. Neither the agent nor the provider learns the other's identity.
04
Execution & DeliveryProof Submission
The provider executes the job and submits a DeliveryProof to the proof layer. For inference: a deterministic output hash computed against committed model weights. For data feeds: a signed timestamp and source attestation. For storage: a Merkle proof of data availability. The proof layer validates the submission — including spot-checking 8% of inference jobs against independent validators — before any escrow releases.
05
Escrow Release · $PROXY Settlement
On valid proof submission, the non-upgradeable PROXY escrow contract releases the agreed $PROXY amount to the provider's wallet on Base. Settlement finalises within the Base block time of approximately two seconds. The transaction is immutably recorded on-chain. No compliance check at settlement. No intermediary. No entity with the capability to block a valid settlement.

On permissionlessness throughout the flow: At no step is a compliance decision required. The escrow contracts are non-upgradeable — their settlement logic cannot be modified by any entity. The routing layer uses ZK attestations to anonymise both parties. The proof layer releases funds based on cryptographic verification, not on a compliance decision. This is not a design aspiration. It is a description of the current architecture.


04 — Protocol Architecture

Five layers.
No bypass.

The PROXY protocol is composed of five discrete layers. Every transaction flows through all five. Every component is designed around a single constraint: at no point should any entity have the technical capability to prevent a transaction from completing once a valid DeliveryProof has been submitted.

Layer 01 — Agent Wallet SDK
Non-Custodial · No KYC · Framework-Agnostic
Layer 02 — ZK Routing Layer
Anonymous Matching · Zero-Knowledge Attestation
Layer 03 — Escrow Smart Contracts
Base L2 · Non-Upgradeable · No Admin Key
Layer 04 — Provider Network
Permissionless Entry · Bonded · Slashable
Layer 05 — Proof Layer
Cryptographic Verification · Spot-Check Validation
Settlement → $PROXY
Instant · Unfreezable · Immutable

4.1 — Agent Wallet SDK

A lightweight, framework-agnostic library that initialises a non-custodial ERC-20 wallet on Base for any autonomous agent. Exposes four primary methods: init(), request(), verify(), balance(). Compatible with LangChain, CrewAI, AutoGPT, and any custom agent runtime. No key custody. No KYC. No compliance registration.

4.2 — ZK Routing Layer

Receives broadcast AgentRequest objects and executes a weighted provider matching algorithm. Provider eligibility is verified via zero-knowledge proofs — confirming sufficient bond, resource compatibility, and reliability score without revealing the provider's wallet address or infrastructure details to the requesting agent. The routing score function is a governance-controlled weighted sum across five parameters: stake weight, latency score, reliability score, availability score, and price score.

4.3 — Escrow Smart Contracts

All payment flows through non-upgradeable escrow contracts deployed on Base. Budget ceiling atomically escrowed at broadcast. On valid proof, escrow releases immediately. Failed proofs open a 300-second dispute window. Unresolved disputes route to on-chain DAO arbitration. Contracts are non-upgradeable post-audit — no proxy pattern, no admin key, no entity that can modify settlement logic.

4.4 — Provider Network

Permissionless entry: any operator bonds $PROXY to register a provider node. No whitelist. No KYC. No permission from the protocol. Five node types with distinct proof standards and minimum bond requirements. Bond is subject to slashing for delivery failures (10%), proof timeouts (5%), and fraudulent submissions (50%).

4.5 — Proof Layer

Every resource delivery requires a DeliveryProof before escrow releases. Proof standards are resource-specific. For inference: output hash must be deterministically reproducible from committed model weights, with 8% of jobs re-run by independent validators. For data: signed timestamp within freshness window, cross-validated against two independent sources. Invalid proofs trigger immediate partial slashing.


05 — Technical Schemas

The data structures
that power every transaction.

Two JSON objects govern the entire PROXY transaction lifecycle. The AgentRequest is constructed by the agent SDK and signed with the agent's private key before broadcast. The DeliveryProof is constructed by the provider and submitted to the proof layer upon job completion. Escrow releases only on valid proof verification.

AgentRequest.schema.json
JSON Schema
// Constructed by Agent Wallet SDK · Signed with agent private key · Budget escrowed at broadcast { "agent_id": "0x4f2a...c91b", // Agent wallet address — sole identity on network "resource_type": "inference", // inference | data | api | storage | bandwidth | agent "parameters": { "model": "llama-3.3-70b-instruct", // declared model — committed to proof "prompt_tokens": 2048, "max_tokens": 512 }, "budget_ceiling": "48.50", // $PROXY — atomically escrowed at broadcast "max_latency_ms": 800, // latency SLA — enforced by proof layer "timestamp": 1748000000, "signature": "0x7d1e...aa3f" // ECDSA signature from agent wallet }
DeliveryProof.schema.json
JSON Schema
// Constructed by provider · Submitted to proof layer · Escrow releases only on valid verification { "job_id": "0x91cc...f04d", // matches AgentRequest "provider_id": "prv_0x4f2a", // provider's pseudonymous ID — not exposed to agent "resource_type": "inference", "output_hash": "sha256:a3f1...", // sha256(output, model_weights_hash) "model_weights_hash": "sha256:8c2d...", // committed model weights — enables spot-check "latency_ms": 312, // must be ≤ max_latency_ms from request "timestamp": 1748000312, "signature": "0x3be7...219a" // ECDSA signature from provider wallet } // Proof layer asserts: output_hash == sha256(output, model_weights_hash) // AND latency_ms ≤ request.max_latency_ms // AND timestamp ≤ request.timestamp + MAX_TTL // On success: releaseEscrow(escrowId) · On failure: slash(providerId, 10%)
sdk_quickstart.ts
TypeScript
import { ProxyAgent } from '@proxy-protocol/agent-sdk'; // Initialise non-custodial agent wallet on Base const agent = await ProxyAgent.init({ network: 'base-mainnet', fundingAmount: '500', // $PROXY budgetAlerts: { threshold: '50', callback: (bal) => notify(bal) } }); // Agent wallet: 0x4f2a...c91b · No human required from this point // Broadcast AgentRequest — budget escrowed atomically const result = await agent.request({ type: 'inference', model: 'llama-3.3-70b-instruct', prompt: 'Analyse the following market data...', budgetCeiling: '48.50', // $PROXY maxLatencyMs: 800, }); console.log(result.output); // inference result console.log(result.proofHash); // on-chain DeliveryProof hash console.log(result.settled); // true — $PROXY released to provider console.log(result.txHash); // Base transaction hash // Total cycle: ~2s · No compliance check · No intermediary

06 — Resource Marketplace

What agents
spend $PROXY on.

PROXY launches with an initial marketplace of resource categories, each with a defined AgentRequest schema, DeliveryProof standard, and pricing mechanism. All resources are priced and settled exclusively in $PROXY. All providers register permissionlessly by bonding $PROXY — no whitelist, no application process.

AI Inference Launch
Open-weight model inference: Llama 3.3, Mistral, Qwen 2.5, DeepSeek. Pricing per token. Output hash committed before delivery. 8% spot-checked by independent validators.
Data Feeds Launch
Price oracles, on-chain analytics, market sentiment, web intelligence. Agents purchase exact data windows. Signed timestamps, cross-validated against two independent oracle sources.
API Access Phase 2
External API calls routed through PROXY's anonymised relay layer. No IP exposure. No rate limits tied to an identity. Request/response pairs hashed and committed.
Storage Phase 2
Agent memory states, output caches, vector embeddings, RAG corpora. Merkle proofs of data availability submitted with every retrieval. Periodic availability challenges.
Bandwidth Phase 3
High-throughput anonymous routing for agent data transfer operations. No IP association. Transfer receipts with latency proofs required for settlement.
Agent → Agent Phase 3
Orchestrator agents hire specialist sub-agents and pay in $PROXY. The first trustless multi-agent coordination layer — operating entirely on-chain without human intervention.

6.1 — Provider Bonds by Node Type

Provider registration is permissionless. Any operator bonds the minimum $PROXY amount for their declared node type and begins serving requests. Bond is subject to slashing for failed DeliveryProof submissions, latency SLA violations, and sustained downtime. Minimum bonds: Compute (500 $PROXY), Oracle (250), Relay (150), Storage (200), Bandwidth (100).


07 — $PROXY Token

The unfreezable
settlement layer.

$PROXY is the sole payment and settlement currency of the PROXY protocol. The choice of native token over regulated stablecoin is an architectural decision: $PROXY has no issuer, no compliance layer, and no entity with the technical capability to freeze a balance or blacklist a wallet address.

Token NamePROXY
Ticker$PROXY
NetworkBase (Ethereum L2 · Chain ID: 8453)
StandardERC-20
LaunchFair Launch on Base via Doppler
Pre-saleNone
Insider AllocationNone
Venture CapitalNone

7.1 — Token Utility

Censorship-Resistant Settlement. Every marketplace transaction settles in $PROXY. No stablecoin issuer can freeze it. No compliance layer screens it. No corporate entity controls supply. Settlement is determined by on-chain proof verification logic — not by an off-chain compliance decision.

Resource Payment. All marketplace transactions — inference, data feeds, API access, storage, bandwidth — are denominated and settled in $PROXY. Every unit of network activity creates token demand with no alternative payment path.

Provider Bonding. Providers bond $PROXY to register nodes — collateral against delivery failures, locked from circulation for the duration of active registration. Bond scales with stake tier, creating supply sinks that grow with network participation.

Staking & Job Priority. Providers stake additional $PROXY above their minimum bond to increase routing algorithm weighting. Higher stake weight → higher share of incoming job allocations.

Governance. $PROXY holders govern the protocol via on-chain DAO. Governance scope: resource categories, proof standards, routing algorithm weights, slashing parameters, dispute resolution rules, treasury allocation. No foundation veto. No team veto.

7.2 — Supply Dynamics

Dual-sided supply compression: demand side — every agent transaction transfers $PROXY from agent wallet to provider, creating continuous velocity; supply side — every active provider has bonded $PROXY locked from circulation. As agent count and provider count grow simultaneously, available circulating supply contracts while transaction volume expands. No emission schedule. Supply is fixed at launch.


08 — Anonymity Architecture

Anonymous
by default.

Anonymity in PROXY is not a feature that operators opt into — it is the default state of every transaction, enforced at the protocol level through three mechanisms.

Pseudonymous Wallet Addressing. Agent wallets are Base addresses with no on-chain link to human identity. No name, email, KYC, or compliance registration is required or stored. The agent's sole identity on the network is its wallet address.

Zero-Knowledge Routing Attestations. The routing layer verifies provider eligibility using ZK proofs — confirming sufficient bond, resource compatibility, and reliability score without revealing the provider's wallet address or infrastructure details to the requesting agent. Neither party learns the other's identity.

Anonymised Proof Submission. DeliveryProof objects contain only the minimum information required for settlement verification: job ID, output hash, model weights hash, latency, timestamp, and signature. No provider identity, no infrastructure details, no geographic data is included in the on-chain record.

The protocol records only what is necessary for settlement: transaction amount, proof hash, and block timestamp. Nothing more is required. Nothing more is stored.


09 — Competitive Landscape

Built different.
By design.

Incumbent agent payment protocols solve the technical problem of agent payments. PROXY solves the architectural problem: who controls the rails, who screens the transactions, and who can intervene.

Capability PROXY Incumbent Protocols Stripe / Fiat Crypto Payments
Permissionless — no compliance gatekeeper✗ KYT screeningPartial
Anonymous — no transaction surveillance✗ Logged by operatorPartial
Native token — no stablecoin issuer✗ USDC — freezableVaries
No admin keys — no off switch✗ Kill switch existsPartial
Censorship-resistant settlement✗ Stablecoin freezablePartial
Cryptographic proof of delivery
Non-custodial agent wallets✗ Custodial
Agent-to-agent paymentsPartial

10 — Roadmap

Building
in public.

Phase 01 — Genesis · Complete
Foundation
  • Token launch on Base via Doppler — fair launch, no pre-sale
  • Website, whitepaper, and GitHub live
  • Agent Playground live — full protocol flow demonstration
  • Twitter/X and Telegram communities launched
  • Early access waitlist open
Phase 02 — Testnet · Active
Build
  • PROXY testnet deployment on Base Sepolia
  • Agent Wallet SDK alpha release — JavaScript + Python
  • First provider integrations: inference and data feeds
  • ZK routing layer implementation
  • Smart contract audit initiated
Phase 03 — Mainnet
Launch
  • Mainnet deployment on Base — audit complete
  • Public resource marketplace open
  • Agent SDK v1.0 public release
  • First live agent transactions settled on-chain
Phase 04 — Ecosystem
Scale
  • Agent-to-agent payment layer live
  • DAO governance activated — $PROXY holders govern protocol parameters
  • Cross-chain agent wallet support
  • Progressive decentralisation of routing layer

11 — Conclusion

The permissionless
alternative is here.

The rails for agent payments have been built. They process hundreds of millions of transactions. The agent economy has infrastructure. The question is no longer whether agent payments work — it is who controls them, who screens them, and who can turn them off.

PROXY is the answer to that question. Not the first agent payment protocol, but the first one nobody controls. No KYT screening. No stablecoin with a freeze function. No corporate entity with an admin key over settlement contracts. Five protocol layers — each designed so that no intermediary can prevent a valid transaction from completing.

For agents where that distinction doesn't matter, incumbent infrastructure works fine. For agents where it does — for operators who need genuine privacy, genuine censorship resistance, and settlement in a currency no entity can freeze — PROXY is the only option that exists.

The opportunity: The agent economy will be worth trillions. The permissionless slice of that economy needs its own rails. PROXY builds them. $PROXY flows through every transaction on those rails — the unfreezable settlement currency of the agent economy's permissionless layer.

PROXY is launched fairly — no pre-sale, no insider allocation, no venture capital. $PROXY is available to anyone from the first block. The protocol is built in public, documented openly, and governed entirely by its token holders.

The rails exist. PROXY is the ones nobody controls.

DISCLAIMER. This whitepaper is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, investment advice, or a solicitation to purchase any token or security. $PROXY is a utility token designed for use within the PROXY protocol. Participation in any token launch carries significant risk including total loss of capital. The PROXY protocol is in development — features described herein represent the intended design and may change. This document does not constitute a prospectus or offering document of any kind. Readers are advised to conduct their own research and consult appropriate professional advisors before making any financial decision. Nothing in this document should be construed as a guarantee of future performance or outcomes.