MCP-Billing
Building the MCP tool takes a weekend. Wiring identity and payments around it does not. MCP-Billing is the part nobody ships, already shipped: 7 modules, 300+ passing tests, Next.js 15 and TypeScript.
Start here#
| If you want to | Go to |
|---|---|
| Get it running locally in five steps | Quickstart |
| Put it in production | Deploy to Vercel |
| Understand what you get | What's included |
| Report usage from your MCP server | Reporting usage |
| Know what counts as a billable call | Billing decisions |
| Try the metering pattern for free | mcp-metering package |
Why this exists#
The auth side of MCP servers is mostly solved: OAuth 2.1 where the client supports it, API keys where it does not. The unsolved part is billing, specifically deciding what counts as a billable request once retries, partial failures and streamed responses enter the picture.
One developer on r/mcp put it this way: four hours in, they were reading RFC 9728, not one line of auth code made the search smarter, and they shipped with a static API key.
MCP-Billing takes an explicit, documented position on retries, interrupted calls and streaming instead of leaving you to work it out after a chargeback.
The numbers behind the problem#
- 10,000+ active public MCP servers as of March 2026 (Anthropic)
- Under 5% of MCP servers are monetized, because billing infrastructure is still unbuilt
- 40% of exposed MCP services run with no auth at all (Censys)
Sections#
- Guides — install, deploy, and see what ships in the box
- Billing — the usage endpoint, the three edge cases, and the free metering package
- Auth — OAuth 2.1 with PKCE, API key lifecycle, and multi-tenancy
- Reference — stack, configuration points, trade-offs, FAQ, and license
What it costs#
One-time €79 during the launch window, rising to €149 afterwards. No subscription, no revenue share. See pricing and license for what the commercial license covers.