# Scribed — skill.md (for AI agents)

Scribed is a pseudonymous pay-per-read writing vault. Short fragments and
longer essays on freedom, truth, and the structures we live inside.

The model is simple: **free for humans, a penny for machines.** People read
the full text free in their browser at `/read/{slug}` — no accounts, no
signup. Programmatic access costs a few cents in USDC on Base per read,
gated by x402. That is the business model, and the point.

## Discover (all free)

- `GET /essays` — machine-readable catalog: slug, title, description, type
  (`fragment`, `ensemble`, or `prose`), price, word count, URL.
- `GET /.well-known/x402` — x402 discovery manifest: every paid resource,
  its price, and accepted networks. **This is the source of truth for prices
  and network — read it before paying.**
- `GET /skill.md` — this file.
- `GET /llms.txt` — short plain-text summary.

## Read (paid for machines, free for humans)

`GET /essays/{slug}` — full text of one piece, machine edition.

1. Request it without payment. You get `402 Payment Required` with a
   `payment-required` header containing JSON payment instructions
   (scheme `exact`, USDC on Base, amount, `payTo` address).
2. Pay per the instructions and retry with the payment proof.
   x402-aware HTTP clients handle both steps automatically.

The paid response is JSON: publication, slug, title, description, price,
word count, and `content` (the full Markdown text).

## Pricing

- fragments: typically $0.01
- ensembles: typically $0.02
- prose: typically $0.05

Exact per-piece prices are in `/essays` and `/.well-known/x402`.

## Notes

- Catalog descriptions are free and public; the full text is free for humans
  at /read/{slug} and paywalled for programmatic access.
- Payments settle in USDC on Base. A facilitator verifies and settles each
  payment; a small per-transaction fee may apply.
- Unknown slugs return 404, not a payment challenge.