Stripe MCP Server: Connect Claude to Payments, Subscriptions & Invoices

What is the Stripe MCP server?

The Stripe MCP server is a Model Context Protocol integration that gives Claude direct, structured access to your Stripe account. Instead of copying data between Stripe's dashboard and your AI tools, Claude can query your payment data, look up customer records, and take actions on your behalf through a secure, authenticated connection.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard created by Anthropic that lets AI assistants connect to external tools and data sources. Think of it as a USB port for AI. The Stripe MCP server plugs into that port and gives Claude read and write access to your payment infrastructure.

This means you can ask Claude questions like "show me all failed payments from last week" or "create an invoice for this customer" and get results pulled directly from your live Stripe data. No code required on your end.

What it can do

■Read transactions and charges - Pull recent payments, filter by status, amount, or date range, and get details on individual charges.
■Manage subscriptions - View active subscriptions, check renewal dates, see plan breakdowns, and update subscription details.
■Create and send invoices - Generate invoices for customers, add line items, and send them directly through Stripe.
■Check account balances - View your current Stripe balance, pending payouts, and available funds across currencies.
■Handle refunds - Process full or partial refunds on charges, with reason codes and metadata attached.
■Look up customers - Search customer records by email, name, or ID. View payment history, saved cards, and metadata.
■Query dispute and chargeback data - See open disputes, their status, and relevant evidence deadlines.

Setup guide

1. Get your Stripe API key

Go to your Stripe Dashboard, navigate to Developers > API Keys, and copy your restricted or secret key. For read-only access, create a restricted key with only the permissions you need.

2. Install the Stripe MCP server

Run the following command to install the server globally:

npm install -g @stripe/mcp

3. Configure Claude Desktop

Open your Claude Desktop config file and add the Stripe server to the mcpServers section:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stripe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@stripe/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STRIPE_SECRET_KEY": "sk_live_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

On macOS, the config file is at: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

On Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

4. Restart Claude Desktop

Close and reopen Claude Desktop. You should see the Stripe tools appear in the tools menu (the hammer icon). Try asking: "What were my last 10 Stripe charges?"

Use cases

Revenue reporting on demand

Ask Claude to pull your MRR, break it down by plan tier, or compare this month's revenue to last month. No need to build a custom dashboard or export CSVs. Just ask the question and get the numbers from live Stripe data.

Customer support triage

When a customer emails about a billing issue, paste their email into Claude and ask it to look up their Stripe record. Claude can find the customer, check their payment history, identify failed charges, and draft a response with the relevant details.

Failed payment recovery

Ask Claude to find all failed payments in the last 30 days, group them by failure reason, and suggest which customers to reach out to first. You can then have Claude draft personalized recovery emails based on each customer's payment history.

Invoice generation for services

For agencies or service businesses, tell Claude what work was completed and for which client. It can create the invoice in Stripe with the right line items, tax rates, and payment terms, then send it directly to the customer.

Limitations

■Cannot process payments or charge cards directly. It works with existing charges and records, not payment collection.
■No access to Stripe Connect sub-accounts unless specifically configured with platform-level keys.
■Rate limits apply. Stripe's API has per-second request limits, so bulk operations on thousands of records may need pagination.
■Webhook configuration and Stripe Radar rules cannot be managed through MCP.
■The MCP server runs locally on your machine. Your API key never leaves your device.

Frequently asked questions

Is my Stripe API key safe?

Yes. The MCP server runs locally on your computer. Your API key is stored in your local config file and is used to make direct calls to Stripe's API from your machine. It is never sent to Anthropic or any third party.

Can I use a restricted API key?

Absolutely, and you should. Create a restricted key in your Stripe Dashboard with only the permissions you want Claude to have. For example, give it read access to charges and customers but no write access to anything else.

Does this work with Stripe test mode?

Yes. Use a test mode API key (starting with sk_test_) to connect Claude to your Stripe test environment. This is a good way to try things out before connecting to live data.

Can Claude accidentally delete my data or charge customers?

Claude will always ask for your confirmation before taking write actions like creating invoices or processing refunds. You stay in control. Combined with a restricted API key, you can limit what actions are even possible.

Stripe MCP Server