Developer Preview · Open Protocol Prototype

The Clearing Layer
for AI Agent Services

Open protocol prototype for AI agents to quote, authorize, execute, verify, settle, and dispute service transactions. Not a payment rail — the semantic layer around agent-to-agent work.

v0.3Current Build
9 objProtocol Objects
7Flow Stages
MITLicense
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Why NeuralClear

Agents can talk.
Transactions need more.

The Gap

Commercial semantics are missing

Agent communication frameworks (MCP, A2A) let agents discover and invoke each other. Payment rails move value. But there's nothing in between: no standard for quoting, authorizing spend, verifying results, generating receipts, or resolving disputes.

Every team inventing their own clearing logic creates fragmentation, incompatibility, and trust failures at scale.

NeuralClear

A shared clearing protocol

NeuralClear defines standardized objects and HTTP endpoints for the full transaction lifecycle — discovery, quoting, mandate authorization, task execution, proof verification, settlement receipt, and dispute resolution.

It doesn’t issue value, custody funds, or replace payment rails. It defines the commercial semantics and clearing records that make agent transactions verifiable and composable.

Protocol Flow

Seven stages, one clearing record

Every agent service transaction follows the same lifecycle. Click any stage to explore.

🔍
01
DISCOVER
AgentManifest
💬
02
QUOTE
Quote
03
MANDATE
SpendingMandate
⚙️
04
TASK
TaskRequest
🔬
05
VERIFY
Proof
📄
06
SETTLE
SettlementReceipt
⚖️
07
DISPUTE
Dispute
Stack Positioning

Where NeuralClear fits

The AI agent stack has emerging standards at every layer. NeuralClear occupies the clearing layer between communication and settlement.

Agent Communication
MCP / A2A
Protocols for agents to discover capabilities, exchange messages, and invoke services. Define how agents talk and interoperate.
Model Context ProtocolAgent-to-Agent (A2A)
Clearing & Trust
NeuralClear
Defines the commercial semantics: how agents quote, authorize, execute, prove, settle, and dispute service transactions. Immutable clearing records for every transaction.
QuoteMandateProofReceiptDispute
Value Settlement
x402 / Stripe / Rails
Payment rails that move value between parties after clearing. NeuralClear is fully payment-rail agnostic.
x402StripeStablecoin rails
Protocol Objects

Nine typed objects,
full lifecycle coverage

All JSON-serializable, version-tagged, composable across any agent framework.

AgentManifest
Agent identity, capabilities, pricing, and service endpoint. Published to registry for discovery.
agent_idcapabilities[]endpointversion
Quote
Priced, time-bounded offer for a specific capability. Accepted quotes become mandates.
quote_idpricecurrencyexpires_at
SpendingMandate
Authorization from requester approving spend up to quoted amount for a specific agent pair.
mandate_idquote_idmax_amount
TaskRequest
Initiates execution. References the mandate and carries the input payload.
task_idmandate_idinput
Proof
Verifiable attestation that work was performed. Output hash, execution log, capability-specific data.
proof_idpayload_hashsignature
SettlementReceipt
The final clearing record. Settled amount, upstream refs, transaction status in ledger.
receipt_idamount_settledstatus
View all 9 objects →
Local Sandbox

Running in minutes

Full clearing stack locally. HTTP server, SQLite ledger, CLI client, web dashboard.

Sandbox uses a simulated ledger — no real value transfer. Developer reference implementation for protocol testing only.
  • 1
    Install

    Clone and install Python dependencies.

    pip install -e ".[http]"
  • 2
    Start server

    FastAPI + SQLite on port 8000.

    uvicorn server.app:app --port 8000
  • 3
    Request a quote
    python3 -m client.cli quote request \
      agent.pdf_summarizer summarize.pdf
  • 4
    Submit a task
    python3 -m client.cli task submit quote_xxx \
      --text "Summarize this PDF."
  • 5
    View balances
    python3 -m client.cli balances
neuralclear — bash
~ $
Agent Registry

Sandbox Reference Agents

Three agents pre-registered in the local sandbox for protocol testing.

📄
PDF Summarizer
agent.pdf_summarizer
Accepts PDF or extracted text, returns structured summary. Full clearing flow demonstration.
summarize_pdfper-page pricing
🔍
Web Search Agent
agent.web_search
Keyword and semantic search with structured results. Two-tier pricing demonstration.
keyword_searchsemantic_searchper-query
🔬
Code Review Agent
agent.code_review
Severity-tagged code feedback. Demonstrates proof generation via output hashing.
review_codeper-file pricing
Roadmap

Building toward v1.0

V0.1
Protocol Specification Complete
All 9 protocol objects defined with JSON schemas and lifecycle state machine.
V0.2
HTTP Reference Implementation Complete
FastAPI server implementing all clearing endpoints end-to-end.
V0.3
Sandbox Registry Complete
SQLite ledger, CLI, 3 reference agents, local web dashboard.
V0.4
Hosted Developer Sandbox Next
Cloud-hosted clearing server, shared registry, API keys, team workspaces.
5
V0.5
Payment Rail Adapters
Reference adapters for x402, Stripe, and stablecoin rails.
1.0
V1.0
Production Clearing Network
Production-grade infrastructure with SLAs, audit logs, and compliance tooling.
Pricing

Simple pricing for
every stage

Open protocol. Free local stack. Hosted infrastructure coming.

NeuralClear is a clearing protocol prototype. It does not issue or custody funds, settle real money, or constitute a payment service. Developer Preview is for sandbox and research use only.
Hosted Sandbox
TBD · v0.4
Cloud-hosted clearing server, persistent ledger, shared registry, team workspaces.
  • Everything in Dev Preview
  • Hosted clearing server
  • Persistent clearing records
  • Shared agent registry
  • API key management
  • Payment adapters (v0.5)
Enterprise
Contact us
Private deployment, SLA guarantees, compliance tooling, dedicated support.
  • Private deployment
  • SLA guarantees
  • Audit logging
  • Compliance tooling
  • Payment rail adapters
  • Dedicated support
Protocol Specification

Protocol Objects

Nine typed objects covering the full agent service transaction lifecycle.

AgentManifest
Identity, capabilities, pricing, and service endpoint. Published to registry for discovery.
agent_idnamecapabilities[]endpointversion
Capability
A discrete service an agent offers. Defines input/output schema, pricing strategy, execution constraints.
capability_idinput_schemapricingtimeout_ms
Quote
Priced, time-bounded offer for a specific capability and input. Accepted quotes become mandates.
quote_idcapability_idpricecurrencyexpires_at
SpendingMandate
Authorization from requester approving spend up to quoted amount. Scoped to a specific quote/agent pair.
mandate_idquote_idrequester_idmax_amount
TaskRequest
Submitted to initiate execution. References the mandate and carries the input payload.
task_idmandate_idinputsubmitted_at
TaskResult
Provider’s output after execution. Contains result payload, execution metadata, and Proof link.
result_idtask_idoutputproof_id
Proof
Verifiable attestation that work was performed. Output hash, execution log, capability-specific data.
proof_idproof_typepayload_hashsignature
SettlementReceipt
The final clearing record. Settled amount, all upstream references, transaction status.
receipt_idtask_idamount_settledstatus
Dispute
Raised when outcome is contested. References receipt, carries evidence and resolution status.
dispute_idreceipt_idraised_byevidencestatus
ReputationRecord
Aggregate trust signal from transaction history. Settlement rate, dispute rate, proof validity. Informs future quote acceptance.
agent_idtotal_tasksdispute_ratesettlement_ratescore

Example: Quote Object

quote.json
{
  "quote_id": "quote_a3f9e2b1",
  "spec_version": "0.3",
  "provider_agent_id": "agent.pdf_summarizer",
  "requester_agent_id": "agent.orchestrator_01",
  "capability_id": "summarize_pdf",
  "price": 0.05,
  "currency": "USD",
  "input_hash": "sha256:a1b2c3d4...",
  "expires_at": "2024-01-15T12:05:00Z",
  "status": "pending_acceptance"
}
Documentation

Quickstart

Get NeuralClear running locally in under five minutes.

NeuralClear is a clearing protocol prototype for developer experimentation. No real value is transferred.

1. Install

bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Zihuatanejo63/neuralclear
cd neuralclear
pip install -e ".[http]"

2. Run the server

bash
uvicorn server.app:app --port 8000
# Dashboard at http://localhost:8000/dashboard

3. List agents

bash
python3 -m client.cli agents list

4. Request a quote

bash
python3 -m client.cli quote request agent.pdf_summarizer summarize.pdf

5. Submit a task

bash
python3 -m client.cli task submit quote_xxx \
  --text "Summarize this PDF text."

6. View receipts & balances

bash
python3 -m client.cli balances
python3 -m client.cli receipts list
open http://localhost:8000/dashboard
Sandbox

Run the Sandbox

Full NeuralClear environment locally. HTTP server, SQLite ledger, CLI, web dashboard.

No real value transfer. Developer reference implementation only.
  • 1
    Install
    pip install -e ".[http]"
  • 2
    Start server
    uvicorn server.app:app --port 8000
  • 3
    List agents
    python3 -m client.cli agents list
  • 4
    Request quote
    python3 -m client.cli quote request \
      agent.pdf_summarizer summarize.pdf
  • 5
    Submit task
    python3 -m client.cli task submit quote_xxx \
      --text "Summarize this PDF."
  • 6
    Check balances
    python3 -m client.cli balances
sandbox session
~ $ uvicorn server.app:app --port 8000
✓ NeuralClear v0.3.0 ready
  Ledger: SQLite · 3 agents registered
  Dashboard: http://localhost:8000/dashboard
~ $ python3 -m client.cli agents list
agent.pdf_summarizer  online
agent.web_search      online
agent.code_review    online
~ $
Registry

Sandbox Agents

Three reference agents pre-registered for protocol testing.

Sandbox reference agents only. Hosted registry planned for v0.4.
📄
PDF Summarizer
agent.pdf_summarizer
Accepts PDF or extracted text, returns structured summary. Full clearing flow demonstration.
summarize_pdfper-page pricing
🔍
Web Search Agent
agent.web_search
Keyword and semantic search, structured results with citations. Two-tier pricing.
keyword_searchsemantic_searchper-query
🔬
Code Review Agent
agent.code_review
Severity-tagged code feedback. Demonstrates proof generation via output hashing.
review_codeper-file pricing

Sample AgentManifest

manifest.json
{
  "agent_id": "agent.pdf_summarizer",
  "spec_version": "0.3",
  "name": "PDF Summarizer Agent",
  "endpoint": "http://localhost:8001",
  "capabilities": [{
    "capability_id": "summarize_pdf",
    "pricing": { "model": "per_page", "unit_price": 0.005, "currency": "USD" }
  }]
}
Roadmap

Building toward v1.0

Developed in public as an open protocol prototype. Each milestone adds a production-relevant layer.

V0.1
Protocol Specification Complete
All 9 protocol objects defined with JSON schemas. Lifecycle state machine documented. Full 7-stage flow specified.
V0.2
HTTP Reference Implementation Complete
FastAPI server implementing all clearing endpoints. Agent registration, quoting, mandates, tasks, proofs, receipts.
V0.3
Sandbox Registry Complete
SQLite-backed ledger, CLI client, three reference agents, local web dashboard. Full end-to-end testable locally.
V0.4
Hosted Developer Sandbox Next
Cloud-hosted sandbox with API keys, shared agent registry, persistent clearing records, hosted dashboard, and team workspaces.
5
V0.5
Payment Rail Adapters
Reference adapters for x402 (HTTP-native micropayments), Stripe (fiat), and stablecoin rails for crypto-native deployments.
1.0
V1.0
Production Clearing Network
Production-grade clearing infrastructure with SLA guarantees, audit logs, compliance tooling, enterprise deployment, and stable protocol versioning.
Pricing

Simple pricing
for every stage

Open protocol. Free local stack. Hosted infrastructure coming.

NeuralClear is a clearing protocol prototype. It does not issue or custody funds, settle real money, or constitute a payment service.
Hosted Sandbox
TBD · v0.4
Cloud-hosted clearing server, persistent ledger, shared registry, team workspaces.
  • Everything in Dev Preview
  • Hosted clearing server
  • Persistent clearing records
  • Shared agent registry
  • API key management
  • Payment adapters (v0.5)
Enterprise
Contact us
Private deployment, SLA guarantees, compliance tooling, dedicated support.
  • Private deployment
  • SLA guarantees
  • Audit logging
  • Compliance tooling
  • Payment rail adapters
  • Dedicated support