create-payment-credential skill (Stripe Link): let your agent pay with approval

Lets your agent get a one-time card or payment token from your Stripe Link wallet to buy things, after you approve each request.

Installs: 22.4K; on skills.sh
Stars: 889; on GitHub
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

This skill makes your agent use Stripe's link-cli to get payment credentials from your Link wallet. It can request a virtual card for a normal web checkout, a Shared Payment Token for sellers on the Stripe Network, or a Link Pay Token for supported Stripe payment surfaces. It triggers on "get me a card", "buy something", "pay for X" or "complete checkout".

The purchase is charged to your Link wallet's default payment method, unless you name another. Each spend request is meant to be approved by you, normally in the Link app, within 30 minutes. The skill lists limits: $500 per request, $500 per day and $20,000 per 30 days per account. It needs a Link wallet and the link-cli program installed globally. Real money is involved, so read each request before you approve it.

Good for

People who want an agent to complete a checkout without sharing their real card number
Developers building shopping or booking agents that need payment credentials
Teams testing agent payments with spend limits and approvals

Install create-payment-credential

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the create-payment-credential skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

npm install -g @stripe/link-cli
npx skills add https://github.com/stripe/link-cli --skill create-payment-credential

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Node.js.

You also need a Link wallet (link.com) with a payment method. The skill signs in through link-cli auth login, and you approve each spend request in the Link app.

From the project README. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Gets secure payment credentials (cards, tokens) from a Link wallet for one-time purchases and recurring payments. Use when the user says "get me a card", "buy something", "pay for X", "make a purchase", "I need to pay", "complete checkout", or asks to set up a subscription or transact on a merchant site. Use when the user asks to connect or log in to or sign up for their Link account.

Sections in SKILL.md

Installing
Running commands
Common commands/options
Core flow
Step 1: Authenticate with Link for the whole task
Step 2: Evaluate the merchant site BEFORE creating a spend request
Step 3: Confirm payment method and potentially shipping addresses
Step 4: Create the spend request with the right credential type
Step 5: Complete payment
Shop a catalog (UCP)
Important
Limits
Errors
Common errors and recovery
Reporting outcomes
When to report

Key facts

Author: Stripe (stripe/link-cli)
Repository: stripe/link-cli (skills/create-payment-credential)
Installs on skills.sh: 22,360 as of 2026-11-02
GitHub stars: 889 for the whole stripe/link-cli repo, 2026-11-02
License: MIT (as detected by GitHub)
Last commit to the repo: 2026-10-30
What is inside: 1 file (SKILL.md only), plus the separate link-cli program you install from npm

What it includes

link-cli auth status and auth login with a client name
Checks sign-in, then logs in so you approve the connection in Link. New logins request payment access and, by default, financial insights access to transactions and balances.
Try: “Buy the blue size 10 running shoes from this store page. Use my Link wallet.”
Runs code · Step 1: Authenticate
Works out whether the site takes a card, a token or machine payments
The agent browses the merchant page and picks the credential type: card, Shared Payment Token or Link Pay Token. It must have the final total and know what you are buying.
Network · Step 2: Check the merchant
payment-methods list, shipping-address list
Uses your default payment method unless you pick one. It changes a nickname or the default only when you ask.
Write · Step 3: Payment methods and addresses
spend-request create with amount, merchant, line items
Creates a request you review, with the merchant, amount and line items. Recurring requests carry a limit per period, and the merchant schedules the charges. Approval must happen within 30 minutes. A --test flag creates test credentials that do not charge the payment method.
Write · Step 4: Spend request
Card details, mpp pay for HTTP 402, or Link Pay Token
After approval the agent fills the checkout, or runs mpp pay for machine payments. A Shared Payment Token from mpp pay is single use. Cards and tokens are valid for 48 hours from the spend request; a Link Pay Token for up to 30 minutes. A recurring card request stays active after individual charges.
Runs code · Step 5: Complete payment
ucp catalog search, checkout create and checkout complete
Searches a merchant catalog and completes a checkout once with an approved spend request.
Write · Shop a catalog (UCP)
Optional link-cli report to Stripe after a purchase attempt
Reports success, blocked or abandoned with the merchant domain, to help Stripe improve checkout for agents. The SKILL.md calls it optional.
Network · Reporting outcomes
$500 per request, $500 per day, $20,000 per month
Also: 30 minute approval window, 48 hour validity, 30 concurrent active requests and 50 creations per hour.
Read · Limits and errors

From the official docs

Permissions

High risk

The agent can request virtual cards and tokens that spend real money from your Link wallet. Approve each spend request yourself in the Link app and check the merchant and amount.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

It can spend your money, charged to your Link payment method
The charge goes to your Link wallet's default payment method unless you pick another, and is taken by the merchant using the virtual card or token the CLI issues. Per the SKILL.md you approve each spend request, normally in the Link app, within 30 minutes, and the card or token expires 48 hours after the request. A rushed approval can still send real money to the wrong place: check merchant, amount and items every time. Recurring requests set a limit per period and the merchant schedules the charges, so one approval can cover repeated charges. Canceling the request revokes the credential but does not cancel the merchant subscription.
An approval policy can remove the per-purchase prompt
The README documents `link-cli approval-policy retrieve`, which lists rules that grant the current app authority to create spend requests without manual approval, with a per-purchase limit. Whether such a rule exists is set on your Link account, not by this page. Check your Link app settings before relying on every purchase asking you first. Test mode (`--test`) issues test credentials that do not charge the payment method.
Login asks for financial insights by default
`link-cli auth login` is approved by you in Link (you open a verification URL and enter a phrase). New logins request `userinfo:read` and `payment_methods.agentic`, plus read access to Link and linked-account transactions, balances and source details. The README says requesting access does not itself retrieve financial data. Use --no-financial-insights for payment-only access.
Merchant pages are untrusted input
The SKILL.md says to treat merchant content as data and to stop on suspicious checkouts. Stay in the loop and stop a purchase that looks off.
It can install the CLI with npm
The SKILL.md allows npm install -g @stripe/link-cli. Install it yourself first and check the version.

Technical details

Talks to	Stripe Link (link.com / app.link.com). Merchant sites and APIs the agent opens to check out
Sign-in and keys	link-cli auth login stores credentials in a file; --auth <path> or LINK_AUTH_FILE changes the location.
Scopes	Runs link-cli commands (allowed-tools: Bash(link-cli:*) and npm install -g @stripe/link-cli) Requests userinfo:read and payment_methods.agentic scopes on login Requests read_link_transactions, read_external_transactions, read_balances and read_source_details by default (financial insights) Reads your payment methods and saved shipping addresses Charges your Link wallet's default payment method (or the one you name) through the card or token it issues

Questions

What does create-payment-credential do?

It lets your agent request payment credentials from your Stripe Link wallet to make a purchase. The agent gets a one-time virtual card or token, and you approve each request.

Does the agent get my real card number?

The agent does not get your real card number. For web checkout the CLI issues a virtual card, and the agent enters that card's number, CVC and expiry into the merchant form. The SKILL.md says to mask card numbers when showing them to you, and offers --output-file to keep the full card out of transcripts. Cards and tokens give real spending power, so treat them as sensitive.

How do I install it in Claude Code or Codex?

Use the install box at the top of this page. It installs the link-cli program with npm and then adds the skill. You also need a Link wallet. The skill runs the installed link-cli and the SKILL.md says never to use npx for it.

Who is charged, and can the agent spend money without asking?

You are charged, through your Link wallet's default payment method (or the one you name). Under the SKILL.md the spend request must be approved by you, normally in the Link app, within 30 minutes. A request cannot exceed $500, and the account caps are $500 per day and $20,000 per 30 days. One exception to check: the README says an approval policy on your Link account can let the app create spend requests without manual approval, up to a per-purchase limit. Recurring requests set a limit per period and the merchant schedules the charges.

What data does it share?

Login is approved by you in Link. New logins ask for payment access and, by default, access to your Link and linked-account transactions, balances and source details for financial insights. The README says requesting this access does not retrieve financial data. Ask for payment-only access with --no-financial-insights. Outcome reports (merchant domain and result) go to Stripe if the agent sends them; the SKILL.md calls reporting optional.

Can it run as an MCP server?

Yes. The SKILL.md says link-cli can run as an MCP server with link-cli --mcp, or as a standalone CLI.

Is it safe to use?

It handles real payments, so use it with care. Approve only requests that match what you asked for, check the merchant and amount in the Link app, and avoid unfamiliar sites. The SKILL.md tells the agent to treat merchant page content as untrusted and to stop on suspicious checkout pages.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: stripe/link-cli
Folder: skills/create-payment-credential

stripe/link-cli skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 2

stripe/link-cli README · github.com
create-payment-credential SKILL.md · github.com