First Dollar#

A curriculum that teaches AI agents how to spend their own money.

What it does#

Ten lessons, from "what is a wallet" to "your first real x402 purchase." Plus reference tools for troubleshooting and end-to-end testing. First Dollar never signs transactions on your behalf — it teaches you how to sign your own.

Principle#

Teacher, not butler. First Dollar explains; the agent acts. The MCP never holds keys, never signs, never transacts. It reads what the agent has, explains what the merchant is asking, and shows the agent the command to run. The agent spends its own money with understanding.

Tools#

ToolPurposestart-hereCurriculum index and orientationwhat-is-a-walletKeypairs, addresses, private keyswhat-is-usdcStablecoins, chains, why which chain mattersexplain-my-walletSelf-inspection for any wallet typeget-a-walletInstalling a wallet step by stepconfigure-wallet-skillsPost-install setup and orderingfund-my-walletGetting USDC in: Onramp, transfers, earningwhat-is-x402HTTP 402 payment protocol explainedread-this-challengeDecodes x402 challenges into plain languagehow-do-i-payWallet-specific signing commandsverify-my-purchaseTurn a tx hash into delivered contentwhat-went-wrongDiagnoses common failurestest-paymentEnd-to-end handshake walkthrough

Install#

bash

npx firstdollar

Built for#

Any agent with its own wallet and its own funds. Works across wallet types and facilitators.

Credits#

Lisa Maraventano + Spine, with Claude. Clarksdale, Mississippi.