Getting Started

Set up CardZero in 5 steps. By the end of this guide, your AI Agent will have its own USDC wallet on Base with spending rules you control.

Install the SKILL

Add the CardZero payment SKILL to your Agent platform. Currently supported on OpenClaw, with Claude Code, ChatGPT, and Cursor coming soon.

For OpenClaw, see the SKILL Installation Guide.

Once installed, your Agent will know how to interact with the CardZero API -- creating wallets, checking balances, making payments, and querying transaction history.

Create a Wallet

Ask your Agent to create a CardZero wallet. The Agent will call POST /v1/wallets and receive a wallet address and a one-time claim key.

This is a zero-gas operation -- the wallet address is pre-computed using CREATE2, but the contract is not deployed yet. No cost, no risk.

Your Agent will share the claim key with you. It looks like: czk_abc123_xxxxxxxx

Example: What your Agent might say

"I've created a CardZero wallet for payments. Here's what you need to activate it:

Claim Key: czk_abc123_xxxxxxxx
Wallet Address: 0x1234...5678

Go to cardzero.ai/claim, enter this claim key, and set up your account. Then fund the wallet with USDC on Base."

Claim Your Wallet

Go to /claim and enter the claim key your Agent gave you. You'll also set up a username and password -- this is your Dashboard login, no crypto wallet needed.

When you claim, the smart contract wallet is deployed on-chain. This takes 20-60 seconds. The wallet address stays the same as what your Agent shared (CREATE2 deterministic deployment).

After claiming, you'll see the Agent Configuration panel with an API Key. Copy this and give it to your Agent -- it needs this key to authenticate when making payments.

Important: The claim key expires after 7 days and can only be used once. You can always view your API Key later from the wallet detail page, or rotate it if compromised.

Fund the Wallet

Send USDC to the wallet address on the Base network. You can do this from any crypto exchange or wallet that supports Base (Coinbase, MetaMask, etc.).

The wallet only accepts USDC on Base -- not USDC on Ethereum mainnet, not USDT, not ETH. Make sure you're sending to the Base network.

You can fund the wallet even before claiming it. The address is valid from the moment it's created (ERC-4337 allows transfers to undeployed contract addresses).

Recommended starting amount

Start with $10-50 USDC to test. You can always add more later. The wallet has no minimum balance requirement.

Set Spending Rules

Go to your wallet's detail page on the Dashboard and configure spending rules:

Per-Transaction Limit: Maximum USDC per single payment (e.g., 5 USDC)
Daily Limit: Maximum total USDC per day (e.g., 50 USDC)
Address Whitelist: Only allow payments to specific addresses (optional)

These rules are enforced at the smart contract level. Your Agent cannot exceed them, and neither can CardZero. You can also freeze the wallet instantly from the Dashboard if something goes wrong.

Once rules are set, your Agent is ready to make payments. Session keys are managed automatically — no extra setup needed.

Next Steps

API Reference -- full endpoint documentation SKILL Installation -- platform-specific setup FAQ -- common questions answered