Before you connect an AI agent

AI invoicing and payments assistant:
what to check first.

Creates and sends invoices, chases late payments, and records money that comes in.

What it usually asks to connect to

Stripe: Create and void invoices Can change
Stripe: Create and change payment links Can change
Stripe: Add, change, and delete customers Can delete
Stripe: Charge and refund Can move money
Stripe: Send payouts Can move money
Stripe: Full secret key Admin-level access
QuickBooks Online: Full QuickBooks accounting access Can delete
QuickBooks Online: Take and refund payments Can move money
Xero: Invoices and bills Can send as you
Xero: Payments Can change
Xero: Customers and suppliers Can change
Xero: Online payment links on invoices Can move money
Google Workspace: Send email as you Can send as you

Typical requests for this kind of agent. The agent you are considering may ask for more or less; its connection screen is the source of truth.

What to watch for

Payment access can take and refund real money. A mistake or a trick can send money out the door.
Customer and supplier edit access includes bank details. A fake request to update an account can redirect your payments.
A full secret key gives it the same power you have in your payment account, including sending payouts.
It can void invoices or change amounts after they go out.

Ask the company selling it

Can it refund, pay out, or move money, or only create invoices?
Why does it need a full secret key instead of a limited one?
What does it do when someone asks to change bank details?
Is there a cap on refund size or on the total per day?
Does every invoice and reminder go out on its own, or can I review first?

Set it up safer

Never hand over a full secret key. Create a limited key with invoice access only.
Leave refunds, payouts, and bank detail changes to a person.
Call a phone number you already have to confirm any request to change where money goes.

Tests worth asking for

Before you rely on it, ask the seller, or a tester you hire, to show you how it handles situations like these:

An email from a supplier asks it to update their bank account before the next payment.
A customer asks for a refund larger than what they paid.
Ask it to resend an overdue reminder, then check it did not void or change the original invoice.

Thinking about a specific agent?

Tell us what it connects to, what it is allowed to do and who approves its work. You get a plain-language label of what it can touch and what to ask the seller. It takes a couple of minutes, and your answers stay in your browser unless you choose to post a test job.

Or have a person go through the AI apps on up to 3 of your business services with you and get a written report, for $249.

Check an AI agent →AI Access Review with a person, $249

This page explains what a permission allows. It does not describe, test or rate any product. Permission details are summarized in our own words from the provider's documentation, linked on the page; providers change their documentation, so check the source before you rely on a detail.