Lightning Labs opens Wavelength alpha to public Bitcoin mainnet access
Lightning Labs opened Wavelength to the public on Bitcoin mainnet on Oct. 23, 2025. Developers can use it to connect compatible AI agents to real bitcoin payments without running a Lightning node. The alpha comes with low account limits, service fees and a managed operator in the payment path.
- Access: Developers can create agent wallets without managing Lightning channels.
- Limits and fees: Accounts are capped at 300, 000 satoshis. Lightning sends and receives incur a 0.25% service charge plus routing fees.
- Payments: L402 lets agents pay Lightning invoices to access services. Services can also receive payments.
- Trade-off: Wavelength cuts setup work but relies on an operator and liquidity arrangements to connect wallet balances to Lightning.
From invitation-only to public mainnet
The launch follows a July 2025 release that brought Wavelength to Signet and Bitcoin testnet, networks used for development and testing. Mainnet access remained invitation-only at the time. Bitcoin mainnet is the live network, where payments use real bitcoin.
Developers can install the client, create a wallet and make payments without running their own Lightning node or managing payment channels. Lightning is a Bitcoin payment layer that routes payments away from the base chain.
Wavelength makes wallet functions available through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which lets AI systems call external tools. Its documented functions include sending and receiving bitcoin, checking balances and reviewing activity. July 2025 launch materials listed installation support for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Copilot and Gemini CLI. Developers should check Lightning Labs’ current compatibility information before relying on a specific integration.
Lightning Labs says wallet creation and unlocking happen outside the agent channel. The October release also added receive-only credentials. They can receive funds but cannot sign transactions, recover funds or administer the wallet.
Paying for an API call, one invoice at a time
One intended use is L402, a payment-based way to grant access to online services. An agent requests a resource, such as an API response. If payment is required, the service returns a Lightning invoice. Once the agent pays, the service grants access. Depending on how the service is built, this can remove the need for a conventional account or a separately provisioned API key.
This could make it easier to charge for individual API calls, data feeds and other resources. Developers can also build services that receive payments, letting agents earn or accept bitcoin as well as spend it.
Payments can be automated, but whether a human approves them depends on how the developer configures the agent and wallet. Wavelength’s documented wallet functions do not specify what spending limits a developer can set. Anyone giving software access to funds should understand its permissions and how much it can spend.
The operator is part of the payment path
Wavelength means users do not have to run Lightning infrastructure, but it still relies on operational support. The client holds the user’s keys, tracks balances and signs payments. A managed operator coordinates and settles transactions through an Ark-based system. Loop supplies the Lightning liquidity the operator uses.
In the documented flow, a Lightning payment received by the wallet is swapped atomically into its Ark balance. Sending reverses the process, moving value from that balance toward payment of a Lightning invoice. The wallet uses standard BOLT 11 invoices, the common format for requesting Lightning payments.
Wavelength’s materials say payments may remain pending for seconds or minutes, depending on server liquidity and operator availability. The wallet includes refund recovery for expired payments or timed-out swaps. The materials do not say whether recovery is automatic or what action a user might need to take.
A cooperative withdrawal requires the operator to co-sign. A unilateral exit does not require the operator’s cooperation. It broadcasts previously signed transactions. This can take longer, require multiple on-chain transactions and cost more. Users also need bitcoin to pay network fees.
The client holds the user’s keys, and the unilateral exit offers a way out. Those safeguards do not make the operator irrelevant. It still coordinates the normal payment flow, and Lightning Labs’ materials do not say how long recovery might take if the operator is unavailable for an extended period.
Limits, fees and alpha-stage caveats
Lightning Labs lists a 300, 000-satoshi ceiling per account and a 50, 000-satoshi limit for each virtual transaction output, or VTXO. A satoshi is one hundred-millionth of a bitcoin. The announcement does not clarify whether the account ceiling refers to a maximum balance, deposits or another account-level measure.
Wavelength charges 0.25% for each Lightning send and receive, on top of normal routing fees. Deposits and withdrawals have separate charges, and Lightning Labs says users see an estimated cost before payment. The announcement does not give the exact deposit or withdrawal charges. Unilateral exits also incur Bitcoin network fees.
Michael Levin described Wavelength as “still an alpha” and asked developers to report problems and missing features. Public mainnet access lets developers use real bitcoin, but it does not mean the product is finished or guarantee payment performance.
Stablecoin payments are planned, with Taproot Assets named in Lightning Labs’ July 2025 announcement as the intended route. No launch date has been provided.
Other approaches to agent payments
Wavelength is one of several efforts to let software agents pay for online services. Coinbase introduced Agentic Wallets in February 2025, with developer-defined controls such as transaction limits and session spending caps, according to Coinbase. Stripe’s x402 offering uses USDC on Base. Block contributed Lightning payment support to x402 in September 2025 after joining the x402 Foundation. These efforts are part of a wider push around crypto infrastructure and AI agents.
x402 uses the web’s “Payment Required” response to request payment during an interaction. The projects are not interchangeable. Wavelength centers on bitcoin and Lightning, while the Stripe flow described by the company uses USDC on Base. They rely on different assets and payment infrastructure, and the product descriptions available do not offer a standard comparison of security or performance. Research into those differences matters for developers weighing the trade-offs.
Key questions about Wavelength
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Can developers use Wavelength on Bitcoin mainnet?
Yes. Lightning Labs opened public mainnet access on Oct. 23, 2025. Wavelength is still in alpha. Developers need a compatible setup, a funded wallet and a service that accepts the payment flow.
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Does Wavelength eliminate dependence on an operator?
No. Users do not need to run a Lightning node, but a managed operator coordinates and settles the normal payment flow. Users can make a unilateral exit without the operator’s cooperation, though it can take longer and cost more.
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What are the main limits and fees?
Lightning Labs lists a 300, 000-satoshi ceiling per account and a 50, 000-satoshi limit per virtual transaction output. Lightning sends and receives each incur a 0.25% service charge plus routing fees. Deposits and withdrawals have separate charges.
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Can users exit if the operator does not cooperate?
Yes. A unilateral exit broadcasts previously signed transactions, but it may take longer, require multiple on-chain transactions and incur Bitcoin network fees. Users need bitcoin available to cover those fees.
Wavelength makes Bitcoin payments more accessible to developers building agent-driven services, but that convenience brings its own dependencies. The real test is whether the operator, liquidity and recovery paths work reliably when payments stall, not just when everything goes smoothly.
