Learn SettleGrid
Guides, tutorials, and protocol references to help you monetize your AI tools.
MCP Monetization Handbook
The definitive guide to monetizing MCP servers and AI tools. Pricing models, code examples, revenue benchmarks from 1,017 servers, and growth strategies. Everything you need to turn AI tools into revenue.
Protocol Guides
Deep dives into all 10 AI payment protocols SettleGrid supports — MCP, MPP, x402, AP2, Visa TAP, UCP, ACP, Mastercard Agent Pay, Circle Nanopayments, REST, L402, Alipay Trust, KYAPay, EMVCo, and DRAIN. Learn how each protocol works and how SettleGrid integrates with it.
Getting Started
Install the SDK, set your pricing, wrap your handler, and go live in under 5 minutes. Step-by-step quickstart for MCP tools, REST APIs, and AI agents.
Pricing Your Tool
Learn how to price your AI tool for maximum revenue. Benchmarks by tool type, pricing models (per-call, per-token, outcome-based), and strategies for free trials and tier upgrades.
AI Payments Landscape
Understand the emerging ecosystem of AI billing infrastructure — protocols, platforms, and approaches for monetizing AI services.
Templates & Starters
Open-source MCP server and REST API templates you can fork and customize. 13 MCP templates (web search, document analysis, database query, and more) plus 4 REST templates (Next.js, Express, AI proxy, dual protocol) — each with billing already wired in.
Discovery & Distribution
How to maximize your tool visibility on SettleGrid. Public profiles, README badges, the Discovery API, MCP Discovery Server, reputation tiers, and strategies for getting found by consumers and AI agents.
CLI Tools
Three command-line tools to scaffold, discover, and integrate. npx create-settlegrid-tool scaffolds a complete project with billing pre-wired. npx @settlegrid/discovery lets AI agents find your tools. npm install @settlegrid/mcp is the core SDK.
GitHub App Integration
Install the SettleGrid GitHub App to auto-discover MCP tools in your repositories. Push code, get listed, start earning. Zero configuration required.
Framework Integrations
Use paid SettleGrid tools natively in popular AI agent frameworks. Step-by-step integration guides for smolagents (Hugging Face), LangChain, CrewAI, and n8n with code examples in TypeScript and Python.
Explore Tools by Category
Browse all monetized AI services across 21+ categories covering MCP tools, LLM inference, browser automation, media generation, code execution, data APIs, agent-to-agent workflows, communication services, and more. Each category has its own landing page with tools, pricing, and a monetization guide.
How-To Guides
Step-by-step tutorials that walk you from zero to revenue. Build your first MCP tool, deploy with billing, set pricing, maximize discovery, and scale your AI tool business.
Monetization Guides
Category-specific guides on pricing, market sizing, revenue benchmarks, and competitive positioning for every tool category on SettleGrid.
Curated Collections
Hand-picked collections of the best AI tools for specific use cases — weather APIs, code analysis, data enrichment, security toolkits, and financial data feeds. Editorially curated for AI agents.
State of MCP Monetization 2026
Data-driven report on the MCP monetization landscape. 12,770+ servers, 97M+ SDK downloads, less than 5% monetized. Protocol landscape, revenue benchmarks, and the $385B opportunity.
The MCP Ecosystem's $0 Problem
12,000+ MCP servers exist. Less than 5% earn a single dollar. Why free is unsustainable, what other ecosystems learned, and the case for charging for your AI tools.
Blog
In-depth articles on MCP monetization, billing comparisons, per-call pricing strategies, AI payment protocol analysis, and getting started guides. Written for developers building AI tools.