# Scribed — Confidence Game Essay

> Scribed — Confidence Game Essay is a paid API for AI agents from pennypress.org, paid per call via x402, $0.01/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-10-14).

Fetches the full markdown-formatted essay 'Confidence Game' from the Scribed pay-per-read platform for $0.01 USDC per access

## Facts

- Endpoint: GET https://pennypress.org/essays/confidence-game?utm_source=zero.xyz
- Price: $0.01/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-10-14
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/scribed-confidence-game-essay-f7ab47c6
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_dZZWqbdH2WHqNCptMtj73

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability scribed-confidence-game-essay-f7ab47c6
```

Example prompt: Can you grab the 'Confidence Game' essay from Scribed for me — it's on PennyPress and costs a penny to access — I want the full markdown content about playing life like you've already won.

## When to prefer this

Use this endpoint when you specifically want to access the 'Confidence Game' essay from Scribed/PennyPress in machine-readable markdown format and are willing to pay $0.01 USDC per retrieval. Ideal for AI agents that need to ingest, summarize, or relay premium essay content gated by micropayments via the x402 protocol.

## Known failure modes

- Payment failure: USDC transaction not completed or insufficient funds returns 402 Payment Required
- Invalid slug: requesting a non-existent essay path returns 404 Not Found
- Network timeout: server unreachable returns 503 or connection error
- Malformed response: incomplete JSON if content delivery is interrupted

## How this service works

A repository of essays on freedom, truth, and the structures around us, in machine-readable form. Free for humans. Pennies for machines.

## Output

Returns a JSON object with the essay slug ('confidence-game'), content type ('fragment'), price ('$0.01'), title ('Confidence Game'), format ('markdown'), full markdown essay content, a short description of the piece, and the publication name ('Scribed').

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "properties": {
  "properties": {
   "type": "string"
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "json",
 "example": {
  "slug": "confidence-game",
  "type": "fragment",
  "price": "$0.01",
  "title": "Confidence Game",
  "format": "markdown",
  "content": "Life is a game of confidence; you must play it like you've already won. As if physics is on your side, and leverage is in your hands. Be deliberate despite uncertainty, and…",
  "description": "A fragment about playing against the odds.",
  "publication": "Scribed"
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/scribed-confidence-game-essay-f7ab47c6/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from pennypress.org](https://www.zero.xyz/host/pennypress.org/llms.txt)