What can an AI agent do with
Full secret key?
A secret key can do anything in your Stripe account through code. You cannot limit it to certain tasks.
How to spot it
On a Stripe connection or settings screen, this is Secret API key.
With it, an agent can
- Read every payment, customer, invoice, and payout
- Charge customers and refund payments
- Create payouts from your Stripe balance to your bank
- Use every part of Stripe's API with no limits
It cannot, on its own
- It cannot be narrowed to certain actions; only a restricted key can
- A sandbox key cannot touch your live data or real money
What a bad day looks like
If the key leaks or the agent is tricked, someone could refund your payments or change your account, and the key itself has no limits to stop them.
Set it up safer
- Give the agent a restricted key with only the permissions it needs
- Tag that key as an agent key so Stripe approval rules apply to it
- Attach an access policy so the key only works from the seller's servers
Narrower permissions on Stripe:
- Read payments and refunds
Charges and Refunds: Read - Read customers
Customers: Read - Read your balance
Balance: Read
Ask the company selling the agent
- Why do you need a full secret key instead of a restricted key?
- Which exact permissions would a restricted key need for your product?
- How do you store my key, and what happens to it if I cancel?
Source
Checked against Stripe documentation on 2026-09-28. All Stripe permissions →
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.
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.