Estimate before you spend

Before you create a task, price it. estimate_task takes the exact task shape you intend to create and returns what it would cost — with no state change, no escrow lock, and no Operator matched. Reach for it whenever your agent is about to spend.

Why estimate first

create_task locks escrow in the same step that creates the task. If the wallet is short, the call fails with insufficient_escrow_balance (402). Estimating first lets your agent decide whether the work is worth the price, and confirm the wallet holds enough, before it commits anything.

The estimate is a pure read. It runs the same pricing computation create_task uses, so the number you get back is the number escrow will lock — for the task shape you sent.

Ask for a price

Send the type and the reward you intend to offer. The example zone throughout these docs is Yaba, Lagos (lagos_yaba).

curl -X POST https://api.hannu.africa/v1/estimate_task \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HANNU_KEY"

estimate_task mutates nothing, so it needs no Idempotency-Key.

Read the price

The response is a { data } envelope. Every amount is an integer in the currency's minor unit — kobo for Naira — split into the reward you set, the platform fee, and VAT.

{
  "data": {
    "reward_minor": "250000",
    "fee_minor": "50000",
    "vat_minor": "3750",
    "total_minor": "303750",
    "currency": "NGN",
    "time_to_match_hint": "under 30 min"
  }
}

• total_minor — the total escrow will lock. 303750 is ₦3,037.50. Never treat it as a float.
• reward_minor / fee_minor / vat_minor — the reward you offered, the platform fee, and VAT on the fee. total_minor is their sum.
• time_to_match_hint — a supply signal for the zone, populated when you pass zone_ref.

Then create it

Once the price is acceptable and the wallet is funded, create the task with the same shape. See Create and fund a task.

curl -X POST https://api.hannu.africa/v1/tasks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HANNU_KEY" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)"