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# Stellar \[SEP-41 token payments on the Stellar network]

The [Stellar](https://stellar.org) payment method enables payments using SEP-41-compliant tokens on the Stellar network. Stellar supports two intents – **charge** for one-time on-chain transfers and **channel** for high-frequency off-chain payment channels – covering everything from single API calls to metered billing at token-level granularity.

The reference implementation is provided by [`@stellar/mpp`](https://github.com/stellar/stellar-mpp-sdk), which extends [`mppx`](https://github.com/wevm/mppx) with Stellar-native client and server handlers.

## Installation

:::code-group
```bash [npm]
$ npm install @stellar/mpp mppx @stellar/stellar-sdk
```

```bash [pnpm]
$ pnpm add @stellar/mpp mppx @stellar/stellar-sdk
```

```bash [bun]
$ bun add @stellar/mpp mppx @stellar/stellar-sdk
```
:::

## Why Stellar

Stellar enables several useful capabilities for MPP:

* **5-second finality**: Transactions settle with deterministic confirmation, no probabilistic waiting
* **Sub-cent fees**: Transaction costs low enough for micropayments and per-request billing
* **Fee sponsorship**: Servers can pay transaction fees on behalf of clients, removing wallet friction entirely
* **Stellar smart contracts**: Payment channels run as auditable on-chain contracts for secure reserve and settlement
* **Flexible token support**: Any SEP-41 compliant token is supported, which includes smart contract transfers and classic assets (via SAC).
* **Payment channels**: Off-chain cumulative commitments enable high-frequency metered billing without per-request on-chain cost

## Choosing an intent

| | **Charge** | **Channel** |
|---|---|---|
| **Pattern** | One-time payment per request | Deposit once, pay incrementally with commitments |
| **Latency overhead** | ~5s (on-chain confirmation) | Near-zero after channel open |
| **Throughput** | One transaction per request | Many commitments per second per channel |
| **Best for** | Single API calls, content access, one-off purchases | LLM APIs, metered services, usage-based billing |
| **On-chain cost** | Per request | Amortized across many requests |
| **Settlement** | Immediate on-chain token transfer | Off-chain commitments, on-chain close |

## Intents

<div className="vocs:grid vocs:grid-cols-1 vocs:md:grid-cols-2 vocs:gap-4">
  <a href="/payment-methods/stellar/charge" className="vocs:relative vocs:flex vocs:flex-col vocs:space-y-2 vocs:rounded-md vocs:bg-surfaceTint/70 vocs:border vocs:border-primary vocs:p-4 vocs:no-underline vocs:transition-colors vocs:hover:bg-surfaceTint">
    <div className="vocs:size-8 vocs:flex vocs:items-center vocs:justify-center vocs:rounded-lg vocs:border vocs:border-primary vocs:bg-surface vocs:text-accent">
      <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor">
        <path d="M12.003 1.716c-1.37 0-2.7.27-3.948.78A10.18 10.18 0 0 0 2.66 7.901a10.136 10.136 0 0 0-.797 3.954c0 .258.01.516.027.775a1.942 1.942 0 0 1-1.055 1.88L0 14.934v1.902l2.463-1.26.072-.032v.005l.77-.39.758-.385.066-.039 14.807-7.56 1.666-.847 3.392-1.732V2.694L17.792 5.86 3.744 13.025l-.104.055-.017-.115a8.286 8.286 0 0 1-.071-1.105c0-2.255.88-4.377 2.474-5.977a8.462 8.462 0 0 1 2.71-1.82 8.513 8.513 0 0 1 3.2-.654h.067a8.41 8.41 0 0 1 4.09 1.055l1.628-.83.126-.066a10.11 10.11 0 0 0-5.845-1.853zM24 7.143 5.047 16.808l-1.666.847L0 19.382v1.902l3.282-1.671 2.91-1.485 14.058-7.153.105-.055.016.115c.05.369.072.743.072 1.11 0 2.255-.88 4.383-2.475 5.978a8.461 8.461 0 0 1-2.71 1.82 8.305 8.305 0 0 1-3.2.654h-.06c-1.441 0-2.86-.369-4.102-1.061l-.066.033-1.683.857c.594.418 1.232.776 1.903 1.062a10.11 10.11 0 0 0 3.947.797 10.09 10.09 0 0 0 7.17-2.975 10.136 10.136 0 0 0 2.969-7.18c0-.259-.005-.523-.027-.781a1.942 1.942 0 0 1 1.055-1.88L24 9.044z" />
      </svg>
    </div>

    <div className="vocs:text-[15px] vocs:font-medium vocs:text-heading">Stellar charge</div>
    <div className="vocs:text-sm vocs:leading-relaxed vocs:text-secondary">One-time smart contract token transfers settled on-chain</div>
  </a>

  <a href="/payment-methods/stellar/session" className="vocs:relative vocs:flex vocs:flex-col vocs:space-y-2 vocs:rounded-md vocs:bg-surfaceTint/70 vocs:border vocs:border-primary vocs:p-4 vocs:no-underline vocs:transition-colors vocs:hover:bg-surfaceTint">
    <div className="vocs:size-8 vocs:flex vocs:items-center vocs:justify-center vocs:rounded-lg vocs:border vocs:border-primary vocs:bg-surface vocs:text-accent">
      <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor">
        <path d="M12.003 1.716c-1.37 0-2.7.27-3.948.78A10.18 10.18 0 0 0 2.66 7.901a10.136 10.136 0 0 0-.797 3.954c0 .258.01.516.027.775a1.942 1.942 0 0 1-1.055 1.88L0 14.934v1.902l2.463-1.26.072-.032v.005l.77-.39.758-.385.066-.039 14.807-7.56 1.666-.847 3.392-1.732V2.694L17.792 5.86 3.744 13.025l-.104.055-.017-.115a8.286 8.286 0 0 1-.071-1.105c0-2.255.88-4.377 2.474-5.977a8.462 8.462 0 0 1 2.71-1.82 8.513 8.513 0 0 1 3.2-.654h.067a8.41 8.41 0 0 1 4.09 1.055l1.628-.83.126-.066a10.11 10.11 0 0 0-5.845-1.853zM24 7.143 5.047 16.808l-1.666.847L0 19.382v1.902l3.282-1.671 2.91-1.485 14.058-7.153.105-.055.016.115c.05.369.072.743.072 1.11 0 2.255-.88 4.383-2.475 5.978a8.461 8.461 0 0 1-2.71 1.82 8.305 8.305 0 0 1-3.2.654h-.06c-1.441 0-2.86-.369-4.102-1.061l-.066.033-1.683.857c.594.418 1.232.776 1.903 1.062a10.11 10.11 0 0 0 3.947.797 10.09 10.09 0 0 0 7.17-2.975 10.136 10.136 0 0 0 2.969-7.18c0-.259-.005-.523-.027-.781a1.942 1.942 0 0 1 1.055-1.88L24 9.044z" />
      </svg>
    </div>

    <div className="vocs:text-[15px] vocs:font-medium vocs:text-heading">Stellar channel</div>
    <div className="vocs:text-sm vocs:leading-relaxed vocs:text-secondary">Pay-as-you-go payments over one-way payment channels</div>
  </a>
</div>

## Fee sponsorship

Stellar supports server-paid transaction fees for charge intents. When enabled, the server rebuilds the transaction with its own source account and optionally wraps it in a fee bump. The client signs only the Stellar auth entries – no need to hold XLM for gas.

Pass a `feePayer` configuration to `stellar.charge()` to enable this:

```ts
import { Mppx } from 'mppx/server'
import { stellar } from '@stellar/mpp/charge/server'
import { USDC_SAC_TESTNET } from '@stellar/mpp'
import { Keypair } from '@stellar/stellar-sdk'

const mppx = Mppx.create({
  secretKey: process.env.MPP_SECRET_KEY,
  methods: [
    stellar.charge({
      recipient: process.env.STELLAR_RECIPIENT,
      currency: USDC_SAC_TESTNET,
      network: 'stellar:testnet',
      // [!code hl:start]
      feePayer: {
        envelopeSigner: Keypair.fromSecret('S...'),
      },
      // [!code hl:end]
    }),
  ],
})
```

## Supported assets

Any [SEP-41](https://stellar.org/protocol/sep-41) compliant token is supported. This includes classic Stellar assets wrapped via SAC, as well as custom smart contract tokens that implement the SEP-41 interface. A few common examples:

* **USDC** – Circle's USD stablecoin on Stellar
* **XLM** – Stellar's native asset, wrapped as a SEP-41 token via SAC
* **Any custom SEP-41 token** – smart contracts implementing the SEP-41 token interface

The `@stellar/mpp` package exports constants for commonly used token addresses (`USDC_SAC_MAINNET`, `USDC_SAC_TESTNET`, `XLM_SAC_MAINNET`, `XLM_SAC_TESTNET`).