Wallet and top-ups

The first file needs no payment. Add funds after that. Prices are on the pricing page.

Three different things: the recovery phrase that restores files, the prepaid USD balance, and this USDC wallet. Funding the wallet does not by itself credit Tessera. The phrase does not restore the wallet.

Built-in USDC wallet

Optional. It pays in USDC on Base. x402 and this wallet start at $0.01. An address top-up in USDC on Base, through checkout, has a minimum of about $0.38. The key file is ~/.tessera/wallet.json (mode 0600), or under TESSERA_HOME if you set it. On Windows it is %USERPROFILE%\.tessera\wallet.json. Copy that file somewhere you control. Do not print it.

shell

tessera wallet init

output

Wallet created (local only).

  Address:  <address>
  Key file: ~/.tessera/wallet.json (0600)

Send USDC on Base to this address. You control the key; back it up.

shell

tessera wallet fund

output

Fund this wallet with USDC on Base.

  Address: <address>

Ways to fund it:
  - Withdraw USDC from an exchange to Base (ERC-20) at this address.
  - Send USDC on Base from another wallet you control.

Send only USDC on Base. Other assets or networks may be lost. The key
stays on this machine; back it up.

Send USDC on Base to the address. Other assets or networks are not this wallet. tessera wallet show prints the balance. An empty wallet prints $0.000000. When the line shows the amount you sent, move it onto the Tessera balance.

shell

tessera wallet show
tessera topup 0.50 --wallet

output

Address: <address>
USDC on Base: $0.000000

When the payment settles, the top-up command prints the receipt. Words in angle brackets stand in for the values from that payment.

output

x402 payment settled.

  Transaction: <transaction>
  Network:     <network>
  Balance:     $<balance>

The server returned a PAYMENT-RESPONSE header with the settlement
receipt; run 'tessera account' to see the updated balance.

If this rail is closed, the command says x402 is closed on this account and the address top-up below is the one to use.

Pay with other cryptocurrencies — for example, Monero (XMR).

These payments do not use the USDC wallet. You pay from a wallet you already have. The commands below are the Monero example. 10 is the USD credit you want, not 10 XMR. Read the live minimum first. The quoted figure moves with the processor, so the sample leaves it as <minimum>.

shell

tessera topup --minimums --asset xmr
tessera topup 10 --asset xmr --wait

output

Top-up minimums (live):
  1. x402 wallet, USDC on Base (--wallet, --x402, --payment): $0.01 — any amount from the floor
  2. Deposit address in Monero (XMR) (--asset xmr): $<minimum>
  3. Browser invoice (--invoice, pay in any accepted coin): from the cheapest coin's minimum; each coin shows its own minimum
Tessera floor (all rails): $0.01. Crypto minimums are set by the payment processor (NOWPayments) and move with fees.
Other coins: tessera topup --minimums --asset <code>  (list coins: tessera topup --coins)

--wait is on that first top-up. The command creates the payment, prints the quote, and keeps running until the credit lands. Amount is the USD you asked for. Send is the XMR to pay, to the address on that line, before Send before.

output

Top-up address created.

  Payment intent:  <id>
  Amount:          $<usd>
  Send:            <amount> Monero (XMR)
  Address:         <address>
  Send before:     <local time>
  Invoice URL:     <invoice url>
  Invoice open until: <local time>

Send exactly the 'Send' amount to the address before the 'Send before' time
(the processor's rate quote for this address, usually ~20 minutes). After
that, run the command again for a fresh quote, or open the invoice URL,
which stays open longer and lets you pick any accepted coin in a browser.
The balance is credited after the payment confirms.

Under that coin’s minimum the CLI prints below_asset_minimum and creates nothing. When the payment confirms, the waiting command prints:

output

Credited $<credited>, balance $<balance>

A later tessera topup is a new quote. It does not resume this one. tessera account shows the balance after it lands.

Pricing · CLI quickstart