Buyer configuration

The buyer reads its settings from ~/.antseed/config.json. You do not need the file to start: antseed buyer start uses built-in defaults when it is missing. Add settings only when you want to change routing, price caps, timeouts or the chain connection.

The desktop app and the Gateway Console write to the same file: the desktop's Preferences and the console's Settings → Buyer. Seller settings live in the same file and are covered in Seller configuration.

Edit the config

Terminal

antseed config init                    # create the file with defaults
antseed config buyer show              # print buyer settings
antseed config buyer set maxPricing.defaults.inputUsdPerMillion 25
antseed config show                    # whole file, credentials redacted

config set splits the key on dots and only accepts keys that already exist in the file (plus a few seller keys); anything else is rejected with the list of valid keys. For other settings, such as payments.crypto.rpcUrl, edit the JSON directly. Use --config <path> or ANTSEED_CONFIG to point at another file.

Settings resolve in this order: command-line flags, then environment variables, then config.json, then built-in defaults. Flags only affect that run; they do not rewrite the file.

Buyer settings

Key	Default	Meaning
buyer.proxyPort	8377	Local proxy port
buyer.routingPreferences	see below	Automatic routing preferences
buyer.maxPricing	100 / 100 USD per million tokens	Hard price caps, see below
buyer.minPeerReputation	0	Hard minimum reputation (0–100), applied to pinned requests too
buyer.peerRefreshIntervalMs	300000 (5 min)	How often the buyer refreshes peers from the DHT
buyer.metadataFetchTimeoutMs	1500	Timeout for each peer metadata fetch during discovery
buyer.requestTimeoutMs	300000 (5 min)	Wait for a non-streaming response, or for a stream to start
buyer.maxStreamDurationMs	1800000 (30 min)	Longest a streamed response may run
buyer.disableMetadataV2Services	false	true keeps service ids and per-service totals out of the usage metadata you sign
buyer.autoSweep	true	Move USDC that arrives in the buyer wallet into your deposits automatically
buyer.verifier	verify, not required	Seller TEE verification; see Verify a seller's TEE
payments.crypto.chainId	base-mainnet	Chain: base-mainnet, base-sepolia or base-local
payments.crypto.rpcUrl	chain default	Base JSON-RPC URL; see Base RPC URL
payments.maxPerRequestUsdc	300000 ($0.30)	Most the buyer authorizes beyond its own cost estimate in one request, in USDC base units
payments.maxReserveAmountUsdc	1000000 ($1.00)	Most the buyer reserves for one payment channel, in USDC base units
network.bootstrapNodes	[]	Extra DHT bootstrap nodes, added to the built-in ones

Some buyer start flags override these for one run, for example --port, --max-input-usd-per-million, --max-output-usd-per-million and --metadata-fetch-timeout-ms. See CLI commands.

Routing preferences

buyer.routingPreferences controls automatic routing for model-only requests. The desktop app's Preferences edit the same values. Defaults:

JSON

{
  "buyer": {
    "routingPreferences": {
      "preferFreePeers": false,
      "maxInputUsdPerMillion": 25,
      "minTrustScore": 60,
      "allowedPeerIds": [],
      "blockedPeerIds": []
    }
  }
}

• minTrustScore excludes sellers below this trust score, and sellers without one. Set 0 to turn the gate off.
• maxInputUsdPerMillion is a soft preference: pricier sellers rank lower but are not excluded.
• preferFreePeers gives free sellers a strong ranking advantage.
• allowedPeerIds limits automatic routing to these sellers when non-empty. blockedPeerIds always excludes its sellers. Ids may include or omit 0x.

A running buyer reloads valid changes to routingPreferences without a restart. How these feed the ranking is described in Routing and catalog.

Hard price caps

buyer.maxPricing sets the most you will pay. Unlike routingPreferences, it also applies to pinned requests:

Terminal

antseed config buyer set maxPricing.defaults.inputUsdPerMillion 25
antseed config buyer set maxPricing.defaults.outputUsdPerMillion 75

Data directory

The buyer keeps its state in a data directory, ~/.antseed by default: buyer.state.json, SQLite databases, payment channel files and the identity key. Two buyers must never share one.

Give each buyer, service or test its own directory with --data-dir (or ANTSEED_DATA_DIR) and its own port:

Terminal

antseed --data-dir "$HOME/.antseed-buyer-myapp" buyer start --port 8380

Prefer --data-dir in systemd units and scripts, since it is explicit. ANTSEED_HOME does not isolate buyer state. If a buyer shows stale pins or channels, check the startup log for the data directory and buyer.state.json path it resolved.

To pay from several wallets with one buyer, add buyer identities instead of running more buyers; see Gateway API.

Base RPC URL

Buyers, sellers and gateways read Base through a JSON-RPC endpoint. The built-in public endpoints are fine for trying things out, but they are rate-limited. For anything that runs for real, and for every seller, use a dedicated endpoint from an RPC provider or your own node.

Set it in config.json (edit the file; antseed config set rejects this key until it exists):

JSON

{
  "payments": {
    "crypto": { "rpcUrl": "https://base-mainnet.example.com/<key>" }
  }
}

Or per process, with ANTSEED_BASE_RPC_URL:

Terminal

ANTSEED_BASE_RPC_URL="https://base-mainnet.example.com/<key>" antseed buyer start

Sellers can also pass --base-rpc-url to antseed seller start. The order is: flag, then ANTSEED_BASE_RPC_URL, then payments.crypto.rpcUrl, then the built-in defaults. payments.crypto.fallbackRpcUrls adds endpoints to try in order. A gateway can set the buyer's RPC URL in Settings → Buyer → Payments.

Identity

The buyer's identity key comes from ANTSEED_IDENTITY_HEX when set, otherwise from identity.key in the data directory, which is created on first run. The desktop app keeps its key in the operating system keychain. To encrypt the key file with a passphrase, see Protecting wallet keys.

Environment variables

Environment variables are for secrets and per-process overrides. The full list is in Global flags and environment variables.