Installation

Choose your preferred installation method and IDE below.

Get Your Stripe API Key

Before configuring any IDE, you need a Stripe API key:

1. Go to the Stripe Dashboard > API Keys
2. We recommend creating a restricted key with only read permissions
3. Copy the key (starts with sk_test_ or rk_test_)

caution

Never commit your Stripe API key to version control. Always use environment variables or IDE-specific secret management.

---

Option A: Via npx (Recommended)

No installation needed. Your IDE will run the server on demand:

npx -y @vineethnkrishnan/stripe-mcp

This is the simplest method — just reference it in your IDE config below.

Option B: Global Install

npm install -g @vineethnkrishnan/stripe-mcp

Then use stripe-mcp as the command in your IDE config (instead of npx).

Option C: From Source

git clone https://github.com/vineethkrishnan/mcp-pool.git
cd mcp-pool
npm install
npm run build

Then use node /absolute/path/to/mcp-pool/packages/stripe/build/index.js as the command.

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IDE Configuration

Claude Desktop

Config file location:

OS	Path
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows	%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux	~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Quick access: Settings > Developer > Edit Config

Using npx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stripe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vineethnkrishnan/stripe-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STRIPE_SECRET_KEY": "sk_test_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Using global install:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stripe": {
      "command": "stripe-mcp",
      "env": {
        "STRIPE_SECRET_KEY": "sk_test_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

From source:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stripe": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-pool/packages/stripe/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "STRIPE_SECRET_KEY": "sk_test_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

tip

Restart Claude Desktop completely after editing the config. Changes are not picked up automatically.

---

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Config file location:

Scope	Path
Workspace	.vscode/mcp.json (in your project root)
User (macOS)	~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/mcp.json
User (Windows)	%APPDATA%\Code\User\mcp.json
User (Linux)	~/.config/Code/User/mcp.json

Quick access: Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P) > MCP: Open User Configuration

warning

VS Code uses "servers" as the root key, not "mcpServers".

Workspace config (.vscode/mcp.json):

{
  "servers": {
    "stripe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vineethnkrishnan/stripe-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STRIPE_SECRET_KEY": "${input:stripe-key}"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "stripe-key",
      "description": "Stripe Secret Key",
      "type": "password"
    }
  ]
}

The inputs feature prompts you for the key securely — it never gets stored in the file.

User config (without inputs):

{
  "servers": {
    "stripe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vineethnkrishnan/stripe-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STRIPE_SECRET_KEY": "sk_test_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

---

Cursor

Config file location:

Scope	Path
Global	~/.cursor/mcp.json
Project	.cursor/mcp.json (in your project root)

Quick access: Settings > Cursor Settings > MCP

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stripe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vineethnkrishnan/stripe-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STRIPE_SECRET_KEY": "sk_test_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Project-level config (.cursor/mcp.json) takes precedence over global config.

---

Windsurf (Codeium)

Config file location:

OS	Path
macOS / Linux	~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json

Quick access: Settings > Advanced Settings > Cascade section

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stripe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vineethnkrishnan/stripe-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STRIPE_SECRET_KEY": "sk_test_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

tip

Make sure MCP is enabled in Windsurf: Settings > Advanced > Cascade > Enable MCP.

---

JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, WebStorm, PyCharm, etc.)

JetBrains IDEs (2025.2+) support MCP servers through the settings UI.

Setup:

1. Open Settings/Preferences > Tools > AI Assistant > MCP Servers
2. Click + Add to add a new server
3. Configure:
   • Name: stripe
   • Command: npx
   • Arguments: -y @vineethnkrishnan/stripe-mcp
   • Environment Variables: STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...
4. Click OK and restart the AI Assistant

Alternative — manual config file:

Create or edit ~/.config/JetBrains/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stripe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vineethnkrishnan/stripe-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STRIPE_SECRET_KEY": "sk_test_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

---

Claude Code (CLI)

Option 1 — CLI command (recommended):

claude mcp add stripe \
  --scope user \
  -e STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_... \
  -- npx -y @vineethnkrishnan/stripe-mcp

Scope options:

• --scope user — available in all your projects
• --scope local — current project only (default)
• --scope project — shared with team via .mcp.json

Option 2 — manual config:

Edit ~/.claude.json (user scope) or .mcp.json (project scope):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stripe": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vineethnkrishnan/stripe-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STRIPE_SECRET_KEY": "sk_test_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Verify it's working:

claude mcp list

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Uninstallation

Claude Code (CLI)

claude mcp remove stripe

To check which servers are configured:

claude mcp list

Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf / JetBrains

Remove the "stripe" entry from the "mcpServers" block in the relevant config file, then restart the IDE.

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Remove the "stripe" entry from the "servers" block in .vscode/mcp.json or user-level mcp.json, then reload the window.

Global npm install

If you installed globally, also run:

npm uninstall -g @vineethnkrishnan/stripe-mcp

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Verify Installation

After configuring your IDE, test the connection by asking your AI assistant:

"What is my current Stripe balance?"

If the server is working, you'll get a response with your account balance. If not, check:

1. API key is valid — test with curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/balance -u sk_test_...:
2. Node.js >= 20 — run node --version
3. Config file syntax — validate your JSON (no trailing commas)
4. Restart your IDE — most IDEs require a full restart after config changes

Security Recommendations

• Use Stripe restricted keys with only the permissions you need
• For production data, prefer sk_live_ keys with read-only access only
• Never share config files containing API keys
• Add config files with secrets to .gitignore
• Rotate keys periodically via the Stripe Dashboard