Conduit – Self-hosted Bitcoin Lightning payments for AI agents (github.com)

Conduit has announced a self-hosted Bitcoin Lightning payment infrastructure designed for autonomous AI agents. This innovative software enables users to operate their own Bitcoin Lightning nodes while maintaining complete control over their funds. By offering a virtual Lightning wallet, customized spending policies, and a secure API, Conduit allows AI agents to programmatically manage Bitcoin transactions without the risk of overriding guardrails set by the operator. Notably, Conduit does not function as a service holding users' funds, ensuring that operators maintain custody of their keys and assets at all times. This development is significant for the AI and cryptocurrency communities as it introduces a secure method for facilitating financial transactions within AI systems. The current version, v0.8.4, includes a complete operator console and has successfully processed its first real Bitcoin payment on the mainnet, though it remains in an early testing phase. Conduit provides monetization options through a configurable per-transaction platform fee, aligning with the interests of users seeking profitable implementations of AI agents in financial contexts. The ability to run Conduit on individual infrastructure with no external dependency empowers operators while enhancing the overall security of transactions in the burgeoning intersection of AI and blockchain technology.