If-This-Then-AT Blueprint: Payment-Proof Access Gates

Another if-this-then-at blueprint I've been exploring:

IF an identity has a cryptographically-signed payment proof

THEN unlock access to confidential data services

The Blueprint Pattern

This blueprint combines two powerful ATProtocol patterns:

Signed attestations (proof of payment/ticket purchase)

Confidential record hydration (privacy-aware data serving)

The result: trustless payment gates for protected information.

Real Implementation

Here's how this works with smokesignal.events infrastructure for the OAuth Masterclass .

When someone purchases a ticket through Acudo , they get a signed RSVP that serves as cryptographic proof of payment:

{
"$type": "community.lexicon.calendar.rsvp",
"createdAt": "2025-08-20T20:50:14.152Z",
"signatures": [
{
"$type": "community.lexicon.attestation.signature",
"issuedAt": "2025-08-20T20:50:14.152Z",
"issuer": "did:web:oauth-masterclass.atproto.camp",
"signature": {
"$bytes": "aGVsbG8gTW9uIFNlcCAgMSAxNDoxODozNiBFRFQgMjAyNQo"
}
}
],
"status": "community.lexicon.calendar.rsvp#going",
"subject": {
"cid": "bafyreiad2w4nabfqf6hs2vjsju64qhjjtr7yyfqig6szkij2cyfnuzkoi4",
"uri": "at://did:plc:cbkjy5n7bk3ax2wplmtjofq2/community.lexicon.calendar.event/3luzkrwivzm2a"
}
}

This signed RSVP becomes the authorization token. When requesting confidential event details, the service can verify:

The signature is valid

The issuer is trusted

The payment proof matches the requested resource

Confidential Data Unlock

Event records can reference confidential data sources:

{
"locations": [{
"locality": "Dayton",
"region": "OH",
"source": {
"service": "did:web:locations.smokesignal.events#EventLocationProvider"
}
}]
}

IF you have a valid signed RSVP

THEN locations.smokesignal.events serves the full venue details

Blueprint Applications

This pattern enables:

Premium content access: Blog posts, videos, documents behind payment gates

Exclusive community features: Private chat rooms, special badges, member directories

Tiered information disclosure: Basic/premium/VIP content levels based on payment amount

Time-bound access: Content that unlocks based on payment date or event proximity

Why This Blueprint Works

The key here is composability. The signed payment proof works across any service that understands the attestation format. Your ticket for one event could potentially unlock related content, community access, or partner benefits—all without centralized auth systems.

if-this-then-at makes the decentralized social web more economically viable by creating verifiable, portable payment relationships between identities and services.