payments_skill

Overview

This skill helps bootstrapped SaaS founders set up and operate subscription billing using Stripe. It focuses on correct configuration, subscription lifecycle handling, tax collection, dunning (failed payment recovery), and practical testing before going live. The guidance emphasizes automation, webhook-driven logic, and avoiding common billing mistakes that cost customer trust.

How this skill works

I provide a checklist-driven approach: configure Stripe in test mode, create products and prices in the Dashboard, wire webhook handlers to reflect subscription state in your app, and enable Stripe Tax or choose a Merchant of Record. The skill covers webhook events to handle (checkout.session.completed, customer.subscription.updated, customer.subscription.deleted, invoice.payment_failed), customer portal integration, and patterns for trials and freemium flows. It also includes testing and go-live checklists and recommendations for dunning email sequences and retry settings.

When to use it

• Setting up Stripe for a new SaaS product or migrating billing to Stripe
• Implementing recurring subscriptions, upgrades, downgrades, and proration
• Automating failed payment recovery and implementing dunning workflows
• Configuring tax collection and deciding between Stripe Tax or Merchant of Record
• Adding a Customer Portal for self-service billing and payment updates

Best practices

• Always use Stripe test mode for full end-to-end testing before switching to live mode
• Create products and prices in the Stripe Dashboard and reference Price IDs in code
• Verify webhook signatures and process events asynchronously, returning 200 immediately
• Automate invoicing, retries, and email dunning sequences; avoid manual billing
• Enable Stripe Tax early or choose a Merchant of Record if you prefer outsourced compliance

Example use cases

• Create monthly and annual tiers with Stripe Checkout and stored Price IDs for each plan
• Implement a webhook handler that updates subscription status in your database and grants or revokes access
• Add a Manage Billing button that creates a Customer Portal session and redirects users
• Configure Smart Retries and a four-step dunning email sequence to recover failed payments
• Test 3D Secure, failed-card flows, proration on upgrades, and webhook delivery in test mode