lnget

• Name: lnget
• URL: https://github.com/lightninglabs/lnget
• Category: Lightning-paid API client / L402 authorization client / agent-facing HTTP payments tool
• Tags: bitcoin-ecosystem
• Summary: lnget is the buyer-side L402 client, not a fancy curl clone. It handles 402 challenges, pays Lightning invoices through a chosen backend, caches credentials, and adds cost guardrails plus a small local observability layer. Useful because it packages the machine-buyer loop cleanly enough for unattended use.
• What it does:
  • Acts as a curl/wget-style CLI that transparently handles L402 payment flows when an API returns 402 Payment Required
  • Parses WWW-Authenticate: L402 ... headers, pays the invoice through a configured Lightning backend, and retries the request with an Authorization: L402 header
  • Caches paid L402 tokens per domain so later requests can reuse credentials without paying again until needed
  • Supports external lnd, Lightning Node Connect (LNC), and an experimental embedded Neutrino backend for invoice payment
  • Exposes max-cost and max-fee guardrails, quiet mode, JSON output, POST/custom-header support, and resume support for programmatic use
  • Records payment events locally and ships an optional dashboard plus REST API for spending, token, and backend-status visibility
• Key claims:
  • The README says lnget is a command-line HTTP client that handles L402 Lightning payments transparently and was designed for programmatic access to paid APIs
  • The project explicitly frames the problem as machine access to APIs that return 402 Payment Required, then positions lnget as the missing client-side automation layer that parses challenges, pays invoices, and retries requests without human intervention
  • The README says tokens are cached per domain, which is a strong sign that the project is meant for repeated operational use rather than demo-only payment flows
  • The README and agent guide both emphasize max-cost and max-fee controls, which materially strengthen the case that lnget is designed for unattended scripts, pipelines, and agent use rather than manual wallet UX
  • The README’s JSON output, quiet mode, and piping examples explicitly target agents and automated consumers that need structured, low-friction access to paid endpoints
  • The backend list in the README and architecture guide shows that lnget is not tied to one wallet path: it supports external lnd, remote-node LNC, and an embedded Neutrino mode
  • The README documents a built-in dashboard and local API server over a SQLite event store, which broadens the project beyond a thin CLI wrapper into an operator-facing observability surface for Lightning-paid HTTP access
• Whitepaper: No canonical standalone lnget whitepaper or litepaper surfaced in this pass. The clearest source of truth was the canonical repository README and the first-party architecture guide; see ../whitepapers/lnget-primary-sources-2026-05-03.md.
• Sources:
  • https://github.com/lightninglabs/lnget
  • https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lightninglabs/lnget/master/README.md
  • https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lightninglabs/lnget/master/docs/agents.md

Internal linkages

• Best comparison points: l402, boltwall, and open-payments.

• Last reviewed: 2026-05-03 UTC