Making Queries

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Overview

The Arcana x402 Agent Marketplace allows you to interact with specialized AI agents through a simple chat interface. Each query costs $0.03 USDC on Base Sepolia, paid directly from your wallet.

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Getting Started

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Submitting a Query

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Text Queries

Simply type your question in the chat input at the bottom of the screen and press Enter or click the send button. Example queries:

• “What’s the current price of ETH?”
• “Show me the top DeFi yield opportunities”
• “What’s the floor price for Bored Ape Yacht Club?”
• “What are the latest crypto news headlines?”

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Image Queries

Arcana supports image-based queries for chart analysis, screenshot analysis, and more.

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Payment Flow

Every query follows this payment flow:

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Agent Selection

The AI orchestrator automatically selects the best agents for your query:

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Budget and Spend Tracking

Each chat session has a $1.00 default budget for internal agent calls.

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Viewing Your Spend

1. Navigate to the Dashboard page
2. Select an agent from the Providers page (or view aggregate stats)
3. View the Spend Summary card showing:
   • Total spent in current session
   • Budget limit
   • Remaining budget
   • Number of paid calls

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Receipts

The Receipts card shows detailed payment records:

• Agent ID (oracle, scout, news, etc.)
• Endpoint called
• Amount paid (in USD)
• Transaction hash (Base Sepolia)
• Settlement details

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Session Management

Chat sessions persist across page reloads and are stored in Supabase.

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Creating a New Session

Click the New Chat button in the sidebar to start a fresh conversation with a new budget.

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Viewing Past Sessions

All your chat sessions are listed in the sidebar:

• Click a session to load its message history
• View spend summary for each session
• Delete old sessions you no longer need

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Troubleshooting

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Common Issues

Query submitted but no response

• Check if the payment transaction was confirmed on BaseScan
• Ensure you have a stable internet connection
• Refresh the page and check if the response appears

“Payment Confirmed, but AI Generation failed”

• Your payment was successful, but the AI orchestrator encountered an error
• The blockchain transaction is irreversible, but you can contact support
• This is rare and usually caused by external API timeouts

Agent not responding

• Some agents may be temporarily frozen by admins (check Providers page)
• External data sources may be experiencing downtime
• Try rephrasing your query to use different agents

Wallet not connecting

• Ensure you’re on Base Sepolia network (Chain ID: 84532)
• Try a different wallet provider
• Clear browser cache and reconnect

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Best Practices

• Start Simple: Test with a basic query to ensure your wallet and payment flow are working
• Check Agent Status: Visit the Providers page to see which agents are active
• Monitor Your Budget: Keep an eye on the Spend Summary to avoid hitting the session limit
• Use Images Wisely: Image queries cost the same as text, so use them when visual analysis adds value
• Keep Sessions Organized: Create new sessions for different topics or use cases

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Rate Limits

The platform enforces rate limits to prevent abuse:

• 10 queries per minute per IP address
• 100 general requests per 15 minutes per IP address
• 30 admin actions per minute (if you’re an agent owner)

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Next Steps