Common questions about PDF As You Go — accounts, keys, pricing, wallets, networks, failures, and data handling.
Do I need an account?
Section titled “Do I need an account?”No. There is no sign-up. Your x402 payment authorizes each call. During private preview we onboard builders by email so we can share endpoints and gather feedback — but that still doesn’t create an account or a credential.
Is there an API key?
Section titled “Is there an API key?”No. There is nothing to issue, store, leak, or rotate. The payment authorization is the authentication.
What does it cost?
Section titled “What does it cost?”A flat $0.05 per operation, regardless of file size or page count. No subscription, no minimums, no prepaid credits. See Operations & pricing.
What do I pay with?
Section titled “What do I pay with?”USDC, over the x402 protocol. Your client needs a wallet that can sign x402 payments and holds enough USDC. See Wallets & networks.
Which blockchain networks are supported?
Section titled “Which blockchain networks are supported?”Base is the default during preview. The x402 ecosystem supports more networks, and the 402 response always advertises what’s currently accepted — read it rather than hard-coding a chain. More networks are tracked on the Roadmap.
Am I charged if an operation fails?
Section titled “Am I charged if an operation fails?”No. Failed operations aren’t charged; if a failure is detected after a payment settled, it’s refunded. See Errors & failures. The exact refund mechanics for post-payment failures are being finalized during preview.
How long are my files kept?
Section titled “How long are my files kept?”Inputs are deleted right after the operation. Outputs are available behind a signed URL for 60 minutes (a preview default), then deleted. Details in Privacy & retention.
Are my documents used for training?
Section titled “Are my documents used for training?”No. Documents are processed transiently and never used for training, analysis, or resale.
MCP server or HTTP API — which should I use?
Section titled “MCP server or HTTP API — which should I use?”Use the MCP server if you’re building an agent that calls tools; it’s the primary surface. Use the HTTP API for scripts, backends, or any non-MCP client. They share one engine and identical pricing.
How do I send files without blowing up my context window?
Section titled “How do I send files without blowing up my context window?”Pass documents by URL or upload rather than inline base64. The service fetches the URL or accepts the upload, so large files never travel through your model.
Are there rate limits?
Section titled “Are there rate limits?”Payment itself is the main spam deterrent — every call costs money. On top of that there’s a
per-wallet / per-IP request-rate limit; exceeding it returns 429 with Retry-After. Thresholds
are tuned during preview and aren’t published yet. See HTTP API → Errors.
How do I get access?
Section titled “How do I get access?”Email preview@pdfasyougo.com. See Request preview access.
Something’s not covered here
Section titled “Something’s not covered here”Check Support or email support@pdfasyougo.com.