How to Get Your Stripe API Key

1. Open the Stripe API keys page

Open API keys page (live) →

Open API keys page (test mode) →

Log in if you need to. Stripe is free to set up, you only pay per transaction.

Live vs test. Live keys touch real money. Test keys (the ones starting with sk_test_) only work on Stripe's sandbox, with fake card numbers. If you're just experimenting, use test mode.

2. Create a restricted key (recommended)

Stripe gives you two kinds of secret keys. The default secret key has full power over everything in the account, which is risky if it ever leaks. Restricted keys only do the things you explicitly allow. Always use a restricted key unless a specific tool refuses to work with one.

1. Scroll down to the Restricted keys section
2. Click + Create restricted key
3. Name it after what it's for, like Wave sync or EmailHub receipts, so you can revoke just that one later
4. Pick the permissions for each resource. A safe starting set for most automations:
   • Customers: Write
   • Charges: Read
   • PaymentIntents: Read
   • Everything else: None
5. Click Create key and copy the key from the popup before you close it

One-shot warning. The full restricted key only appears once, at the moment of creation. If you close the popup without copying, you'll need to delete that key and make a new one. The dashboard will show the name afterward, but not the secret.

Restricted vs default. If a tool only works with the default secret key (some older ones do), you can use it instead, but treat it like the master password to your Stripe account. Never paste it into anything you don't fully trust, and rotate it if you ever suspect it leaked.

3. Test it works

Paste the key into the tool you're connecting it to. Most show "Connected" or "Authenticated" within a few seconds.

You can also confirm by coming back to the API keys page. Within about a minute of the key being used for the first time, the row will show "Last used: just now."

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