AI agents are getting smarter, but most of them still can't get paid. If you've built an agent that provides real value -- answering questions, generating content, analyzing data -- you've probably thought about monetization. The problem is that adding payments means building billing infrastructure, managing access control, tracking usage, and handling all the edge cases that come with it.

What if your agent could earn revenue directly from Telegram, Discord, or WhatsApp, without writing a single line of payment code?

That's what the Nevermined OpenClaw plugin does.

What is OpenClaw?

OpenClaw is an open-source AI gateway that connects large language models to messaging platforms. It turns chat channels into AI-powered assistants by routing messages through configurable plugins. Think of it as a bridge between your AI agent and the platforms where your users already are.

The Nevermined plugin extends OpenClaw with payment capabilities. Install it on a gateway and every connected channel -- Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, or whatever you're using -- gains access to the full Nevermined payment infrastructure.

What the plugin enables

The plugin adds 7 payment tools and 2 slash commands to your OpenClaw gateway:

For subscribers who consume paid services:

• Check credit balances
• Purchase payment plans
• Get x402 access tokens
• Query paid agents end-to-end (token acquisition, request, and settlement in one step)

For builders who create paid services:

• Register agents with payment plans
• Create standalone plans with fiat, ERC20, or native crypto pricing
• List and manage existing plans

The key feature is a paid HTTP endpoint that handles the full x402 payment lifecycle automatically. Enable it with a single config flag and the gateway verifies permissions, processes requests, and settles credits -- no custom code required.

How it works

Here's the typical flow. A builder registers an agent and a payment plan from any chat channel:

### Register a Nevermined Agent

- **Agent Name:** Legal Assistant  
- **Gateway URL:** `https://my-gateway.example.com/nevermined/agent`

#### Payment Plan

- **Plan Name:** Legal Queries  
- **Price:** $1 or 1 USDC  
- **Accepted Token:** `0x036CbD53842c5426634e7929541eC2318f3dCF7e`  
- **Recipient Wallet:** `0xMyWallet`
- **Credits Granted:** 10

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The gateway calls `nevermined_registerAgent`, creates both the agent and the plan on Nevermined, and returns the IDs. Add them to the gateway config, enable the paid endpoint, and you're live.

On the subscriber side, a user in any chat channel orders the plan and starts querying:

Ask the Legal Assistant about the latest GDPR amendments.

Behind the scenes, the plugin acquires an x402 access token, sends the prompt with a `payment-signature` header, the paid endpoint verifies the subscriber's balance, processes the request, burns the credits, and returns the response. One message in, one answer out -- the payment happened invisibly.

Getting startedThree steps:

1. Install the plugin on your OpenClaw gateway:

openclaw plugin install @nevermined-io/openclaw-plugin

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2. Authenticate from any chat channel:

/nvm_login

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3. Register your agent and plan -- either from chat or by configuring the gateway JSON directly.

The plugin supports `sandbox` for testing (free, no real money) and `live` for production. Start in sandbox, test the flow, and switch to live when you're ready.

Why this matters

The AI agent economy has a distribution problem. Agents live behind APIs, but users live in chat. The Nevermined OpenClaw plugin closes that gap -- it brings monetization to where the conversations already happen.

Builders don't need to build billing systems. Subscribers don't need to leave their chat app. And agents get paid for every request, automatically.

Learn more:

• OpenClaw Integration Guide - full walkthrough with architecture diagrams
• Getting Started with OpenClaw - install, configure, and build your first paid agent
• API Reference - all tools and slash commands
• Nevermined App - create your account and get an API key