paypal_skill

Overview

This skill provides PayPal payment integration to send money, create and manage invoices, request payments, view transaction history, and issue refunds. It integrates with PayPal REST APIs using client credentials configured via environment variables. The skill is designed for automating common PayPal tasks from a chat or automation flow.

How this skill works

The skill authenticates with PayPal using a client ID and secret to obtain an access token, then calls PayPal endpoints to perform actions like sending payments, creating invoices, or querying transactions. Input commands map to API calls: amount and recipient trigger payouts or invoice creation, while queries fetch balances and transaction lists. Responses return structured results and status details suitable for display or follow-up actions.

When to use it

• Send a one-off payment or batch payout to a recipient using email or PayPal ID.
• Create, send, and track invoices for goods or services.
• Request money from a customer or collaborator with an invoice link.
• Retrieve transaction history for reconciliation or reporting.
• Issue refunds for charged transactions directly through the PayPal API.

Best practices

• Store PAYPAL_CLIENT_ID and PAYPAL_SECRET in environment variables or a secure secrets manager.
• Use sandbox credentials for development and testing before switching to production keys.
• Validate amounts, currencies, and recipient identifiers before making API calls.
• Handle API errors and network retries, logging transaction IDs for auditing.
• Respect PayPal rate limits and implement exponential backoff for retries.

Example use cases

• Send $25 to user@example.com through PayPal as a quick payout.
• Create a $100 invoice for a freelance job and email the invoice link to a client.
• Show recent PayPal transactions for the last 30 days for bookkeeping.
• Request payment from a buyer by generating and sending an invoice link.
• Process a refund for a returned product and record the refund transaction ID.