Paid MCP is still an overlay, not a core MCP feature

The protocol gives tools/list and tools/call. Payment is someone else’s 402.

MCP specifies how tools are described and invoked. It does not specify settlement. Cloudflare’s gateway, x402 challenge-handoff and MPP all propose to hang payment on the same tool call. Until the MCP spec itself names a payment profile, “paid MCP” remains a market category, not a single standard.

Why it matters

This is a high-intent buyer-hand-raise cluster: developers asking how to monetize MCP. Proven demand requires payments, not questions.

Source: Cloudflare Blog

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