Policy before payment
Every proposal is checked by the NEAR contract against the mandate — not by an agent prompt or a dashboard-side rule.
TestnetPolicy-bound payments for autonomous agents
Steer your agents,
don’t trust them.
Bridle is a NEAR contract that lets an AI agent pay across chains without holding a key to your funds. You sign the limits once. The contract enforces them, and you keep the veto.
Your agent proposes payments with a restricted NEAR function-call key. It cannot change the mandate or move funds directly.
Native payments
Via Chain Signatures
PlannedThe difference
Most agent wallets ask you to trust the agent. Bridle does not.
Same agent, same mistake, two wallets. Pick something it might get wrong.
Rule $50 a payment · pause above $20 · 3 approved recipients
Illustration · example amounts
An agent holding a key
- Nothing attempted yet.
An agent under a Bridle rule
- Nothing attempted yet.
Nothing has moved.
Nothing has moved.
How it works
A boundary the agent cannot negotiate.
One policy layer. A different route to each network.
01
You set the mandate
Choose a network and an asset, approve recipients, and set per-payment, daily and review limits. Set them as low or as high as you like. You sign the rules once, on NEAR.
Example ruleActive
Up to $50 a day, to three approved recipients.
NetworkBase
Per paymentup to $25
Per day$50
Review above$20
You choose every number. These are examples.
Signed on NEAR
02
Your agent proposes
The agent submits a payment request through MCP with a restricted function-call key. It cannot add recipients, raise limits or change the mandate.
Agent · proposal
propose_payment({
chain: "Base",
amount: "18.00",
recipient: "0x71C…b87"
})- Can propose a payment
- Cannot change the mandate
- Cannot move funds directly
03
The contract decides
It clears, holds or blocks each request. NEAR payments come from the mandate's funded balance; Base USDC goes through NEAR Chain Signatures and an executor.
Contract · decisions
$18.00 → 0x71C…b87Approved
Within every limit
$18.00 → 0xF3a…009Blocked
Recipient not on the list
$32.00 → 0x71C…b87Waiting
Above the $20 threshold. Waiting for your veto.
Principles
Autonomy, without handing over the keys.
The agent can ask. The mandate decides what is allowed.
Authority stays bounded
The agent's function-call key is restricted to proposing payments. It cannot edit the mandate or move funds directly.
Tighten immediately
Owners can reduce limits or revoke access at once. Looser limits wait through a challenge window. The approved recipients are fixed when you sign.
Keep a human veto
Threshold payments can wait for review. Watchers can flag suspicious proposals, and the owner keeps the final say.
Roadmap
Where Bridle is going.
These are plans, in order, without dates. What works today and what it still trusts are written out in the docs.
For builders · MCP
Give your agent a route into Bridle.
Install the MCP server with npx. Your agent can inspect mandates, check a payment and submit a proposal. The contract remains the authority.
- 01Node.js 22.22.2 or newer
- 02Read-only tools work without an agent key
- 03Use a restricted function-call key for proposals
MCP client configuration
{
"mcpServers": {
"bridle": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "bridle-mcp"],
"env": {
"BRIDLE_CONTRACT": "bridle.testnet",
"BRIDLE_AGENT_ACCOUNT": "your-agent.testnet",
"BRIDLE_AGENT_KEY": "ed25519:..."
}
}
}
}For read-only access, omit BRIDLE_AGENT_ACCOUNT and BRIDLE_AGENT_KEY. For proposals, use a NEAR function-call key restricted to propose_payment on the Bridle contract. Never paste a secret key into an agent prompt or commit it to source control.
FAQ
Plain answers about the limits.
Ask us a question ↗What can an agent's key do?
The MCP server uses a restricted NEAR function-call key to submit propose_payment calls. It cannot transfer funds, change a mandate or withdraw a balance. Read-only tools and payment checks work without that key.
Which networks and assets are supported?
NEAR-native payments are made from a balance funded by the mandate owner. Base USDC transfers have been verified on Base Sepolia through NEAR Chain Signatures and the executor. Solana support is planned, not implemented. NEAR-native mandates are NEAR-only so their spending limits stay denominated in NEAR.
What happens when a payment is outside the rules?
The contract blocks the proposal and records the rule that stopped it. The owner can inspect the attempt in the app. A blocked proposal is not a payment, and the agent should not retry it with a different recipient or amount.
What happens when a payment needs review?
A proposal above the mandate's threshold waits through its challenge window. A watcher can flag it and the owner can veto it. A flagged proposal does not execute unless the owner dismisses the flag.
How do I connect an agent?
Install bridle-mcp with npx in an MCP-compatible client. Node.js 22.22.2 or newer is required. The server is read-only without agent credentials; proposing requires a function-call key restricted to propose_payment. The full configuration is on the MCP setup page.
What do I still have to trust?
The NEAR signing network that produces Base signatures, and the executor that broadcasts them. Bridle limits what an agent can ask for; it does not remove trust in those two parts. Native NEAR payments need neither: the contract pays them out itself.
Is Bridle handling real funds?
No. The current deployment targets NEAR testnet and Base Sepolia. Use test assets only. The contracts and execution flow have not been presented as audited production infrastructure.
Your mandate. Your authority.
Give autonomy a boundary.
Start with a testnet mandate. Keep the rules, approvals and revocation in your hands.
Read the full walkthrough