AxLabs has launched Extended GAS, or xGAS, a wrapped version of the native GAS token on Neo X MainNet that adds a set of off-chain authorization features. The launch arrives alongside xGAS Station, a live companion app at xgas.axlabs.net that lets users wrap and unwrap GAS into xGAS at a fixed 1:1 rate.

xGAS can be used in contexts that GAS cannot on the Neo X EVM sidechain, such as AI agent subscription payments. xGAS preserves the standard ERC-20 behavior that applications on Neo X expect, while layering on additional ways to authorize transfers.

Why a wrapped GAS token

The core idea behind xGAS is that not every application, relayer, or AI agent needs to hold native GAS or broadcast its own transactions. AxLabs designed xGAS so that a user or agent can sign an authorization off-chain, after which another party submits the corresponding on-chain transaction. This pattern, often called delegated execution, separates the approval of a payment from the payment of the network fee to process it.

According to the announcement, the separation is intended to enable smoother user experiences and more flexible machine-to-machine payment flows. AxLabs ties the design to what it describes as the AI agent economy, positioning xGAS as a way for automated agents to authorize payments without managing native GAS directly.

Three authorization standards

xGAS implements three signature-based standards drawn from the Ethereum ecosystem, each addressing a different part of the off-chain authorization flow:

  • EIP-2612, also known as the ERC-20 Permit, allows a token holder to approve a spender via a signed message rather than a separate on-chain approval transaction, eliminating the need to hold gas for that step.
  • EIP-3009, or transfer with authorization, lets a holder authorize a transfer by signature, which a third party can then submit and pay for. The same standard underpins tokens such as USDC.
  • ERC-1271 defines how to validate signatures from smart-contract accounts, sometimes called smart wallets, which cannot sign transactions the way ordinary externally owned accounts do.

Together, these let both individual users and smart-contract wallets participate in signature-based payment flows in which someone other than the signer covers the on-chain costs.

Wrapping through xGAS Station

xGAS Station handles the conversion between the two tokens. Users can wrap GAS into xGAS or unwrap xGAS back into GAS on Neo X at a 1:1 rate. The site, which carries the tagline “Wrap anytime, anywhere,” is developed and maintained by AxLabs.

The xGAS contract is described as audited and designed as a minimal, immutable base asset for the Neo ecosystem, meaning it is non-upgradeable once deployed.

The full announcement can be found at the link below:
https://x.com/ax_labs/status/2059531948670816437

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