stripe/link-cli

What it solves

Link CLI enables AI agents to securely make purchases on behalf of users without needing access to the user's actual credit card details. It solves the security risk of storing sensitive payment information within an agent's memory or logs by providing one-time-use, secure payment credentials.

How it works

The tool allows an agent to create a "spend request" specifying the merchant, amount, and items. The user then approves this request via the Link app (triggering a push notification). Once approved, the CLI provides the agent with one of three credential types depending on the merchant's capabilities:

• Virtual Cards (PAN): Standard card details for any web checkout form.
• Link Pay Tokens (LPT): Specialized tokens for Stripe-hosted payment forms.
• Shared Payment Tokens (SPT): Tokens for merchants using the Machine Payment Protocol (MPP).

It can be integrated into agents as a command-line tool, via a specialized LLM-friendly text format called toon, or as a local Model Context Protocol (MCP) server.

Who it’s for

• AI Agent Developers: Those building shopping assistants or autonomous agents that need to handle financial transactions.
• End Users: US Link account holders who want to delegate purchasing power to AI agents securely.

Highlights

• Multiple Credential Types: Supports standard virtual cards, Stripe-specific tokens, and MPP-compatible shared tokens.
• Agent-First Design: Includes an MCP server implementation and a compact, LLM-optimized output format.
• Secure Approval Flow: Requires explicit user approval via push notification before credentials are released.
• Outcome Reporting: Allows agents to report whether a purchase was successful or blocked (e.g., by captchas), helping improve agentic commerce.
• Test Mode: Provides a way to simulate payments with test credentials for development.