Tempo launched Mercator, a tool router that lets AI agents discover, rank, pay for and execute paid tools across multi-step workflows through one interface, instead of wiring in every tool and API key ahead of time.

An agent describes what it needs in plain language, and Mercator searches a catalog of services that accept Machine Payments Protocol (MPP) and x402 payments, ranks them by fit, reliability and cost, then runs the workflow with steps that can execute in parallel and recover from failures. It is paid for with MACH, a USD credit native to Tempo that can be bought with Apple Pay, with direct USDC.e payments on Tempo also supported. Agents can rate completed jobs, and eligible reviews earn MACH rewards.

Tempo pitches Mercator as a new "effort" setting next to model choice and reasoning level: in its tests, adding Mercator lifted a cheaper model by 3.5 points across four benchmark suites, bringing it within 2.3 points of a larger model.

Partner Offers | Get Your Instant BTC Cashback | Your Gateway To Crypto | Arcus Private Whitelist