For human users, the UX gap is real. Self-custody Lightning is getting better (Phoenix, Mutiny, Zeus) but there is work to do.

For machine-to-machine payments though? Custody is less of a concern. An AI agent's wallet is operator-controlled by design. The operator funds it, sets budgets, monitors spend.

This is where we see Lightning thriving without the custody debate: APIs paying APIs, agents buying data, MCP tools monetizing per-request. No humans in the loop, no custody dilemma.