Proposal : Decentralize Platform Hosted API Key #588
Description
📄 Proposal: Community API Key Pooling & Multi-Tier Monetization System
1. Executive Summary
This proposal introduces:
- A Community API Key Pooling system to eliminate manual API key setup and management for Agent Creators, leading to a seamless experience for Users.
- A Multi-Tier CAP-Based Billing Model, where:
- A Base API Cost ensures API Key Providers cover their expenses.
- Developers, API Key Providers, and Agent Creators can set their own markups/fees.
- A Flexible Profit Distribution System, governed by Crestal, that ensures fair earning opportunities across the ecosystem.
2. Definitions
| Role | Description |
|---|---|
| User (Client) | The end-user who interacts with AI agents. |
| Developer | Creates skills (tools) within the Crestal platform. |
| API Key Provider | Contributes usable API keys to the pool (can be anyone, including Developers). |
| Agent Creator | Builds an AI agent using Crestal, adds skills to it, and makes it available. |
| Crestal | The platform that powers the ecosystem, governs rules, and facilitates. |
3. Problem: Friction for Agent Creators
Agent Creators currently face significant hurdles when building and deploying sophisticated AI agents:
- If an agent uses multiple skills that rely on third-party APIs, the Agent Creator would typically need to:
- Individually acquire API keys for each service.
- Manage the security and rotation of these keys.
- Dealing with multiple payment on each platform
This complexity discourages the creation of agents with diverse capabilities, as each new skill requiring an API key adds a layer of management and potential cost overhead for the Agent Creator.
⚠️ Imagine an Agent Creator wanting to build an agent that uses 4 different skills, each requiring a separate API key. They would need to individually source, fund, and manage these keys, making agent development complex, costly, and slowing down innovation. This also limits the agent's accessibility if end-users are then required to provide their own keys for each skill.
4. Solution: Community API Key Pool
Introduce a system where:
- Anyone (API Key Providers) can contribute API keys into a secure pool.
- Agent Creators can build agents whose skills utilize these community-platform-hosted API keys without needing to manage them directly.
- The system load-balances requests across available keys in the pool and monitors usage.
- This allows Users to interact with agents seamlessly, without concerning themselves with API key provisioning.
🔐 Key Features:
- Encrypted key storage.
- Usage limits and whitelisting options per key (definable by the API Key Provider).
- API Key Providers can revoke their keys at any time.
- API Key Providers can set a markup for the usage of their keys, on top of the Base API Cost that already set by crestal or developer.
5. Multi-Tier CAP Monetization Model
📌 What is a CAP?
- CAP (Crestal Action Point): the billing unit for actions on the Crestal network.
- 1 USD = 1000 CAPs (assume that its a fixed rate).
Every time a User triggers a skill within an agent that uses a third-party API via the pool, the following pricing structure applies:
💰 A. Base API Cost
- This is the foundational cost component, designed to cover the direct expense incurred by the API Key Provider for the third-party API call (e.g., cost per token, cost per image generated).
- Set by:
- The Developer when creating the tool (as they best understand the underlying API's pricing).
- Or, Crestal can set/override this globally or per-API type to ensure fairness and prevent API Key Providers from operating at a loss.
- Recipient: This amount flows directly to the API Key Provider whose key was used for the call.
🧠 B. Developer Skill Fee
- This is an optional, fixed CAP amount or a percentage markup on the Base API Cost, set by the Crestal or DAO.
- It represents the value and intellectual property of the skill/tool itself, beyond the raw API cost.
- Recipient: This amount flows directly to the Developer.
🔧 C. API Key Provider Markup (%)
- API Key Providers contributing a key can apply a markup percentage on top of the sum of
(Base API Cost + Developer Skill Fee). - This is their profit margin for providing the API key and assuming the risk/management.
- From the API Key Provider Markup Value (the actual CAPs generated from their percentage markup), a portion (e.g., 25%, set by Crestal) is automatically shared with the Developer of the tool (incentivizing high-quality, efficient tools).
🧑🚀 D. Agent Creator Markup (%)
- Agent Creators can optionally add a final markup percentage on top of the cumulative total so far
(Base API Cost + Developer Skill Fee + API Key Provider Markup Value). - They earn from usage of their agent, incentivizing them to build, promote, and curate high-quality agents.
🏛️ E. Crestal Platform: Governance Layer
- Crestal defines:
- The Developer share percentage (eg. 10%) take 10% from markup price from (agent creator & api key provider)
- An optional platform fee percentage that can be taken from the API Key Provider's markup value, the Developer Skill Fee, and/or the Agent Creator's markup value.
- Guidelines or mandates for Base API Costs.
6. Key Benefits by Role
| Role | Benefits |
|---|---|
| User (Client) | Seamless experience – user can interact with agent that has more various skill set. |
| Developer | Earn CAPs from their direct Skill Fee and a share of API Key Provider markups. Broader adoption of tools. |
| API Key Provider | Covers direct API costs via Base API Cost. Earns profit from their markup. Monetize unused API access. |
| Agent Creator | Simplified agent creation. Focus on agent design & earning from agent usage markup. |
| Crestal Platform | Scalable ecosystem. Incentivizes quality. Decentralizes API costs. Potential revenue via platform fees. |
7. Governance & Control
- Crestal Platform controls global fee policies (Developer share from provider markup, platform fees). Can set/override Base API Costs.
- Developers set their Developer Skill Fee and propose Base API Costs for their tools.
- API Key Providers and Agent Creators can set their own markup percentages.
- Transparent billing breakdown shown to relevant parties.
- Real-time analytics for each role.
8. Final Recommendations
We propose that Crestal:
- Launch the Community API Key Pool system.
- Establish a system for setting Base API Costs per tool/API, with input from Developers and oversight/final say by Crestal.
- Enable Developers to set a Developer Skill Fee per tool.
- Enable markup configuration for:
- API Key Providers (on
Base API Cost + Developer Skill Fee). - Agent Creators (on the cumulative total).
- API Key Providers (on
- Implement profit sharing rules as defined by Crestal, including:
- A configurable Developer share percentage from API Key Provider markup values.
- Optional platform fee percentages from various markups/fees.
- Provide transparent CAP billing summaries and earning dashboards.
9. Summary
This system:
- Solves Agent Creator friction and protects API Key Providers from losses.
- Provides a seamless experience for Users.
- Empowers Developers, API Key Providers, and Agent Creators with clear monetization paths.
- Creates a decentralized, cost-effective, and scalable API infrastructure.
- Unlocks organic revenue sharing and incentivizes contribution across the ecosystem.
- Scales Crestal’s ecosystem effectively.