> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ravn.exchange/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# AI Agents

> Three ways for an AI agent to swap through RAVN: a free MCP server, pay-per-call x402 endpoints, or the plain REST API.

RAVN quotes and executes swaps across 16 chains, including **native Bitcoin**, not wrapped
BTC, as a source or destination asset. Everything below sits on top of the same
[Integrator API](/api-reference/overview) (`/api/v1/quote`, `/api/v1/execute`, `/api/v1/status`):
same fields, same fees (0% on every route), same DTOs. Pick whichever access pattern fits
your agent.

## Three ways in

|                                               | No signup                                                              | Native tool-calling                                          | Cost                 |
| --------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------- |
| **[MCP Server](/ai-agents/mcp-server)**       | Yes                                                                    | Yes: Claude, Cursor, and any MCP client discover it natively | Free                 |
| **[x402 payments](/ai-agents/x402-payments)** | Yes                                                                    | Depends on your agent's HTTP stack                           | $0.001 to $0.01/call |
| **[REST API](/api-reference/overview)**       | Yes (anonymous, rate-limited), or [get a free key](/tools/get-api-key) | You call it yourself                                         | Free                 |

All three hit the same underlying swap logic. There's no "agent tier" with worse pricing or
routing than the human-facing app: an agent calling the MCP server for free gets exactly the
same quote a retail user gets on ravn.exchange.

## Which one should I use?

* **Building on Claude, Cursor, or another MCP-native agent?** Use the [MCP server](/ai-agents/mcp-server): point your client at one URL, and you're done. No API key needed.
* **Your agent already speaks x402** (e.g. wraps `fetch` with an x402 client) and would rather pay per call than manage a key? Use [x402 payments](/ai-agents/x402-payments).
* **Writing your own HTTP client, or need endpoints x402/MCP don't cover?** Use the [REST API](/api-reference/overview) directly.

## Signing: who holds the wallet?

`execute` can return `TRANSACTION` or `SIGNATURE` — both require a signature RAVN never
produces for you (see [Execution Types](/execution-types)). For a human-facing dapp that's a
wallet popup; for an autonomous agent, it's a design decision you make once, not per swap:

* **Local key in the agent's own environment.** Simplest: the agent process holds a private key
  (env var, secrets manager) and signs directly with a library like `viem` or `web3.js`. Fine
  for a sandboxed or self-custodied agent; the key is a standing secret like any server-side key.
* **Human-in-the-loop approval.** The agent calls `quote`/`execute`, then hands the returned
  `transaction` or `typedData` to a human (or a wallet app like MetaMask/Phantom) to review and
  sign before anything broadcasts. Slower, but nothing moves without a person confirming it.
* **TEE or custody-agent signing.** The private key never enters the agent's own process; it
  lives in a secure enclave or a custody service (e.g. a CDP-managed wallet, Turnkey, Privy) that
  the agent calls out to for a signature. Keeps the agent stateless with respect to funds.

`DEPOSIT`-type results (the common case for Bitcoin-source swaps) sidestep this: there's no
typed data to sign, just a plain transfer to an address, and RAVN's own
[`ravn_btc_prepare_send`](/ai-agents/mcp-server#ravn_btc_prepare_send) tool builds that
transaction for you.

## Receiving real Bitcoin

If your agent's swap resolves to a Bitcoin deposit (`executionType: "DEPOSIT"` from
`ravn_execute`), it still needs to actually send that payment. See
[`ravn_btc_prepare_send`](/ai-agents/mcp-server#ravn_btc_prepare_send), which turns the deposit
address and amount into a ready-to-sign transaction, so your agent doesn't need to write its
own Bitcoin coin-selection logic. RAVN never sees or holds a private key at any point.