Hidetaka Okamoto

This article focuses on how to process Stripe's data in your AWS account with minimal code. You'll learn how to query your business and customer data using SQL, assisted by an LLM (Large Language Model) for query generation. Additionally, it demonstrates how to enhance the security of your data integration by using the native Stripe-AWS integration, specifically the Stripe Event Destination to Amazon EventBridge feature.

Importing sales data from Stripe into AWS

In this article, we will guide you on how to set up usage threshold alerts based on consumption for customers with pay-as-you-go plans. By integrating AWS's serverless tools with Stripe, you can create a streamlined and easy-to-manage notification system with minimal coding.

Building serverless usage notification with AWS

This article highlights development tips for efficiently developing and operating Stripe at a lower cost, as presented by the Japanese Stripe user community JP_Stripes. We'll focus on content from two events held in September 2024 in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, and Sapporo, Hokkaido.

Japan community highlights: Effective testing and security

This article shows you how to use Stripe's sandbox to simplify your development process. You'll learn to create isolated test environments, simulate real-world scenarios, and debug your subscription logic efficiently. 

Developing and investigating subscription data flow

This post introduces how to manage SaaS feature entitlements efficiently using the Stripe API. It explains why it's important to provide multiple plans to your customers and how to differentiate each plan through entitlement management. With the Stripe API, managing entitlements can become more straightforward, allowing you to focus on building and improving your core services.

Managing SaaS access control with Stripe’s Entitlements API

This post explores how to leverage Stripe's A/B testing, its benefits, and how you can use it to boost online sales. You can learn how to improve the conversion rate by optimizing payment options without adding further code.

Optimize payment flow while reducing code complexity with Stripe's A/B Testing

In this article, you'll learn how to investigate the payment process with just a few clicks on the Stripe dashboard. You'll also see how to obtain event data for testing code related to the 3DS authentication flow.

Easily debug your 3DS authentication with Stripe Workbench

Subscribe to Stripe Developers on YouTube.

Follow us at @Stripedev on twitter for updates and answers to your developer questions.

Join a local Stripe Meetup.

Join the Stripe Discord server to chat live with other developers.

Join a local Stripe Developer Meetup to learn about the latest features and network with your community.


In this article, we'll explore how to use Stripe's MCP server to achieve efficient development and design workflows. Using generative AI, you can interact with Stripe's APIs and search documentation as naturally as having a conversation. Through practical examples using Cursor, let's explore this new development paradigm that's emerging in our industry.

## Eliminating development inefficiencies with generative AI

In software development, maximizing time spent on actual coding and design has always been a challenge. Developers often find themselves spending significant time searching through documentation for necessary information and code samples, generating test data, or evaluating products and APIs that meet specific requirements. These preparatory tasks can consume valuable development hours that could be better spent on core functionality.

The [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/), introduced in late 2024, has the potential to transform this landscape. MCP is an open standard protocol proposed by Anthropic that standardizes connections between AI assistants and external tools or data sources. Like a USB-C port that connects various devices, MCP enables easier integration between generative AI and different services. This allows AI to perform design and research tasks based on service APIs, documentation, and knowledge bases.

By using generative AI for research and preparation tasks, developers can streamline the groundwork needed to jump straight into design and development.

## Integrating Stripe MCP server into your development workflow

Stripe has released an MCP server that enables documentation search and creation/retrieval of resources like customers, products, and prices. It's an application that runs with Node.js, allowing generative AI to execute commands like this to integrate Stripe functionality:

```bash
npx -y @stripe/mcp --tools=all --api-key=YOUR_STRIPE_SECRET_KEY
```

If you prefer JSON configuration, add the following code to your [Cursor](https://docs.cursor.com/context/mcp) or [Claude](https://docs.anthropic.com/docs/claude-code/mcp) configuration files:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stripe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@stripe/mcp", "--tools=all"],
      "env": {
        "STRIPE_SECRET_KEY": "YOUR_STRIPE_SECRET_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

To reduce the risk of unintended modifications, you can control which actions are available. Use the `--tools` flag with comma-separated values to specify only the actions you want to enable:

```bash
npx -y @stripe/mcp --tools=customers.create,customers.read,products.create --api-key=YOUR_STRIPE_SECRET_KEY
```

## Setting up Stripe MCP server in Cursor

Let's dive into MCP-powered development. The Stripe documentation provides IDE-specific instructions for adding the Stripe MCP server. For Cursor users, click the "Click here" link, and Cursor's MCP registration screen will open automatically.

![image7](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image7.png)

[https://docs.stripe.com/mcp](https://docs.stripe.com/mcp)

The Cursor MCP registration screen appears. You'll need to add your Stripe API key to the environment variables. Retrieve either a secret API key or restricted API key from your Stripe dashboard and insert it here. Finally, click Install to complete the setup.

![image12](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image12.png)

The stripe server now appears on the MCP tools page. The badge in the bottom-right corner of the icon indicates the MCP server's connection status. Green means it's connected successfully, while red indicates an error. Common issues include Node.js not being installed, incorrect API key format, or no internet connection. Refer to Cursor's documentation for troubleshooting guidance.

![image6](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image6.png)

If you want to restrict which APIs the MCP can use, click on the "21 tools enabled" text. This displays the available tools as shown below. Click on any tool you want to disable, and it will be grayed out and deactivated.

![image3](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image3.png)

Cursor has a limit of 40 MCP tools that can be used simultaneously. Therefore, we recommend actively disabling tools you rarely use.

## Vibe coding: creating product data and payment pages

With MCP connected, let's start AI-powered coding. For this example, I've pre-configured a Node.js application using [Hono](https://hono.dev/). Starting from an initial setup with just one GET API implemented, let's have AI build a software license sales landing page and a payment page for subscription sign-ups.

![image1](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image1.png)

In Cursor, the AI chat window appears on the right side of the IDE. Enter the following prompt:

I want to sell my awesome software license key. I need to build a new landing page to promote this product and accept their subscription. Please build the following resource with Stripe MCP:  
- Product: My Awesome software license  
- Price 1: Monthly subscription: 10 USD / month  
- Price 2: Annual subscription: 110 USD / year

Make sure the AI mode is set to Agent rather than Ask, then send the chat.

![image14](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image14.png)

Cursor's selected generative AI model proceeds with the task according to your instructions. Since you instructed it to start by creating product and pricing data, the AI begins by using the registered Stripe MCP to create products and prices.

![image10](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image10.png)

The AI also autonomously designs and implements the subscription sign-up form. Given the simple product and pricing structure specified, it has chosen [Payment Links](https://stripe.com/payments/payment-links) for the sign-up form implementation.

![image11](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image11.png)

Finally, it modifies the Hono app code, creating a landing page that directs users to the Payment Links.

![image4](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image4.png)

Run `npm run dev` to test the website. With just five lines of instructions, you have a complete landing page.

![image5](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image5.png)

The pricing table is also created, and clicking the buttons takes users to the Payment Links.

![image2](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image2.png)

This demonstrates how Stripe MCP server enables conversational instruction and execution of payment and subscription sign-up flow implementations, as well as creation of pricing and product data. 

This AI-powered coding with Stripe MCP can be valuable for rapidly prototyping new business ideas to gather early users, creating demonstrations for internal stakeholders or venture capitalists, or implementing temporary solutions that allow internal development resources to focus on core product development.

## AI-powered design and implementation for more complex business cases

Stripe MCP extends beyond the development phase. The `search_stripe_documentation` tool enables text generation based on developer knowledge from Stripe Docs and other resources. 

For example, imagine implementing the following business model with Stripe:

* Online learning service  
* $100 USD per month  
* 6-month contract period with no automatic renewal

Even for more complex billing and business models, you can receive advice based on Stripe's documentation and knowledge base. Try asking Cursor:

  I am currently planning the following business:

  * Online learning service  
  * 100 USD per month  
  * Contract period is 6 months, no automatic renewal  
  * Accept credit card payment

  What kind of design and product selection should I make to achieve this with Stripe? Search for Stripe documentation on MCP and make a suggestion.

Cursor uses Stripe MCP to explore knowledge bases with various search keywords. With some generative AI chat services like Claude, excessive searches may hit character generation limits, so consider pausing searches with the escape key if necessary.

![image9](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image9.png)

Once the search completes, it proposes designs based on the retrieved data. In this case, it suggested two approaches: processing as a one-time payment and using the [Subscription Schedules API](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/subscription-schedules). The actual chat also generates simple code snippets along with the architectural proposals. After you select which implementation approach to adopt, Cursor proceeds with code implementation based on your chosen design.

![image15](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image15.png)

The ability to consult on design and implementation based on documentation and knowledge makes this valuable not only for designing new integrations and defining requirements but also as a consultation resource when facing operational or maintenance challenges.

## Efficient testing with Stripe Testing MCP

One of the challenging aspects of online payment development and operations is dealing with time-dependent scenarios. Various situations require time progression for investigation, testing, and verification: confirming subscriptions are correctly charged on their configured cycles and billing dates, verifying proration calculations during plan changes, and ensuring webhook workflows properly trigger in response to billing events.

Stripe provides [Test Clock](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/testing/test-clocks/simulate-subscriptions) functionality to simulate these time progressions. It supports operations through the dashboard, Stripe API, and CLI, making automation and tooling straightforward. Imagine how convenient it would be if these could be easily operated from AI-powered IDEs like Cursor. My open-source MCP server, [Stripe Testing MCP](https://revtrona.hidetaka.dev/en/tools/stripe-testing-mcp?ref=producthunt), released in May 2025, enables generative AI to operate test clocks. If you're using Cursor, you can [click this link to go directly to the installation screen](https://cursor.com/install-mcp?name=stripe-test-mcp&config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoibnB4IHN0cmlwZS10ZXN0LW1jcCIsImVudiI6eyJTVFJJUEVfQVBJX0tFWSI6InNrX3Rlc3RfeW91cl90ZXN0X2tleV9oZXJlIn19).

Consider a scenario where you need to add custom fields to invoices issued by Stripe during monthly subscription billing. This requires setting up a test clock with associated customers and subscriptions, then advancing the test clock by one month. You then need to verify that the correct events are sent to your Stripe webhook-integrated API and that your implementation correctly customizes the invoices.

By combining Stripe Testing MCP with Stripe MCP, you can instruct generative AI to handle the work required for event transmission. First, let's create pricing data for monthly subscriptions - this can also be done using Stripe MCP. Get the created price ID (`price_XXXX`), then replace `price_XXXX` in the following prompt with your actual price ID and execute:

  I want to test the subscription updating behavior.  
  Please create two test customers with a test clock. Please use the pm_card_visa to the customer's payment method. And create a new subscription with this price id `price_XXXX`. The quantity should be a random number between 1 to 4. Then please advance the time to next month.

This prompt creates two customers with credit card payment methods associated with a test clock. It then creates monthly subscriptions with random quantities and advances time by one month, allowing you to test time-based invoice customizations.

![image8](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image8.png)

When instructing generative AI, running the same test again is as simple as saying "run it one more time." Previously, this would have required preparing commands or scripts for the task, but generative AI and MCP servers now make implementation and re-execution straightforward.

This demonstrates how you can create custom MCP servers that operate Stripe APIs to achieve automation and efficiency beyond what the official Stripe MCP provides. As custom MCP servers and use cases proliferate, we might see feature additions to the official MCP server. Share your required use cases and implementations publicly to collectively improve development productivity using generative AI.

![image13](/images/automating-payments-with-cursor-and-stripe/image13.png)

## Conclusion

Starting from accurate development support through the official MCP server, to basic test automation, and advanced test scenarios through the OSS Stripe Testing MCP, AI supports the entire development process. This phased approach allows development teams to dramatically improve development speed while maintaining quality.

The combination of Stripe's official MCP server and Stripe Testing MCP server provides developers with numerous benefits:

* Improved development efficiency through intuitive operations via AI assistant conversations  
* Reduced testing time by verifying time-based scenarios in minutes  
* Fewer errors through accurate implementations based on official documentation

While MCP is still a new technology, it has the potential to become an important tool for Stripe development. We recommend starting with simple test scenarios and gradually progressing to more complex automation.

## Resources

* [Stripe Official MCP Server](https://github.com/stripe/agent-toolkit/tree/main/modelcontextprotocol)  
* [Stripe Testing MCP Server](https://github.com/hideokamoto/stripe-testing-mcp-tools)  
* [Model Context Protocol Official Site](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/)  
* [Stripe LLM Documentation](https://docs.stripe.com/mcp)

To learn more about developing applications with Stripe, visit our [YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/stripedevelopers).  

Learn how to streamline payment development using Stripe's MCP server with Cursor AI. Build subscription pages, automate testing, and boost productivity.

Automating payment development with Cursor and Stripe

Hidetaka Okamoto