litellm-ucash

Bill LiteLLM LLM proxy calls via U.CASH pay-per-token. Non-custodial.

litellm-ucash is a LiteLLM custom logger/callback that, after every successful completion, computes the token cost in USD and mints a U.CASH checkout for that amount. Payers settle in crypto (or fiat cards via the merchant's own Stripe) directly to your U.CASH store. Funds never touch this package: it only mints payment links, so the integration is non-custodial end to end.

• Per-request billing keyed on a stable external_reference, so retries never double-mint (idempotent checkout creation).
• Two modes:
  • link (default, browser/app-safe): builds a hosted pay.u.cash/embed.php link for the cost and attaches it to the response. No server secret needed.
  • server (server route): calls pay.u.cash/payment/ajax.php to create a tracked, idempotent checkout and attaches the payment URL + transaction id.
• The store Cloud Token is publishable: it can mint checkouts that pay your store but cannot move funds. Safe to ship in proxy config and frontends.
• Falls back to a tiny rate card when LiteLLM's own cost calculation is unavailable, so there is always a number to bill.

Install

pip install litellm-ucash

From source (editable):

git clone https://github.com/UdotCASH/litellm-ucash
cd litellm-ucash
pip install -e .

Quick start (Python)

import litellm
from ucash_litellm import UCashPayLogger

# Register the U.CASH pay-per-token logger as a global LiteLLM callback.
litellm.callbacks = [UCashPayLogger(cloud_token="st_YOUR_STORE_CLOUD_TOKEN")]

resp = litellm.completion(
    model="gpt-4o-mini",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Say hello."}],
)

# The payment link + billed USD are attached to the response metadata.
meta = getattr(resp, "_hidden_params", {}) or {}
print("billed_usd:", meta.get("ucash_billed_usd"))
print("pay_link:  ", meta.get("ucash_payment_url"))

In server mode the callback also returns a tracked checkout:

from ucash_litellm import UCashPayLogger

logger = UCashPayLogger(cloud_token="st_YOUR_STORE_CLOUD_TOKEN", mode="server")

The checkout is attached to the response as meta["ucash_checkout"] (a Checkout with payment_url, transaction_id, external_reference).

LiteLLM proxy usage (config.yaml)

The LiteLLM proxy reads callbacks from litellm_settings.callbacks. Point it at the env-driven factory so no code edit is needed:

# config.yaml
model_list:
  - model_name: gpt-4o
    litellm_params:
      model: openai/gpt-4o
      api_key: os.environ/OPENAI_API_KEY

litellm_settings:
  callbacks: ucash_litellm.config.logger_from_env

general_settings:
  master_key: sk-litellm-master

Then set environment variables and run the proxy:

export UCASH_CLOUD_TOKEN="st_YOUR_STORE_CLOUD_TOKEN"
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

# optional:
# UCASH_MODE=server            # mint tracked checkouts server-side (default: link)
# UCASH_MARKUP_PCT=10          # add a 10% margin on top of cost
# UCASH_MIN_USD=0.05           # skip minting checkouts below 5 cents
# UCASH_CURRENCY=USD
# UCASH_TITLE_PREFIX="My App"

litellm --config config.yaml

A full example config lives in examples/config.yaml.

How the cost is computed

1. If LiteLLM already computed a cost (response.cost or the hidden response_cost), that value is used as-is. This is the recommended path: it honors LiteLLM's provider pricing, caching discounts, and any litellm_params cost overrides.
2. Otherwise the package estimates from usage tokens using a small fallback rate card (ucash_litellm.pricing.DEFAULT_RATES_PER_M). This is a safety net, not authoritative pricing. Override it with UCashPayLogger(..., rates={...}) if you want your own card.

A configurable markup_pct lets you add margin on top of cost (e.g. markup_pct=10 for a 10% surcharge). Checkouts below min_usd (default $0.01) are skipped to avoid dust.

How U.CASH settlement works

This package only mints checkouts. It never holds or moves funds.

• Client-side hosted pay link (link mode, default): builds GET https://pay.u.cash/embed.php with cloud, amount, currency, title, external_reference, redirect. The payer is sent to the hosted U.CASH checkout and picks a coin there.
• Server-side tracked checkout (server mode): posts to POST https://pay.u.cash/payment/ajax.php with function=create-transaction, amount, currency_code, cryptocurrency_code (empty string, so the payer chooses the coin at the hosted checkout), external_reference, title, redirect, cloud, idempotent=1. The response is { "success": true, "response": [paymentUrl, transactionId, ...] }; the payment URL is the array element that starts with http(s)://. Creation is idempotent per external_reference, so retries return the same checkout rather than minting a duplicate.

Payers can settle in crypto, or by fiat card if the store connects its own Stripe processor in the U.CASH dashboard.

What this package does NOT do (honest limitations)

• It does not gate or block the LLM call. It records a payable checkout after the call succeeds. Use it where you surface the payment link to the end user (your app, your agent UI, your API response), or reconcile it server-side via external_reference.
• It does not automatically verify that a given request was paid before serving it. LiteLLM + U.CASH is a billing surface; gating access is your app's job (for example, by checking payment status against external_reference on your own backend before returning the response).
• U.CASH checkouts are one-time, pay-per-call. There is no automatic recurring crypto subscription; per-call billing is the natural fit and that is what this package implements.
• The fallback rate card is a convenience. For production accuracy, rely on LiteLLM's cost calculation (default) or pass your own rates.

Configuration reference

Tests

pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest -q

Tests use respx to mock the U.CASH HTTP endpoints; no network is required.

Set up your pay.u.cash account

1. Sign up at pay.u.cash, then click the verification link in the email.
2. Set receive addresses under Settings -> Addresses (raw address, ENS, Unstoppable Domains, or FIO).
3. Create a store under Account -> Stores and copy its Store Cloud Token (use the store-level token, not the account-wide one).
4. For fiat cards, connect your own Stripe under Settings -> Payment processors.

Publish (maintainers only)

This repo ships packaging files but does not auto-publish. To release to PyPI:

pip install build twine
python -m build
twine upload dist/*

The first publish requires a PyPI API token scoped to the litellm-ucash project (or "All projects" for a brand-new project name).

License

MIT. See LICENSE.