> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.clarely.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connect Stripe

> Link your Stripe account so clients can pay you by card.

Connecting Stripe takes about five minutes, and it's a one-time setup.

## Before you start

You'll need a Stripe account. If you don't have one yet, create one at [stripe.com](https://stripe.com) — it's free to sign up.

## Creating your key

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open your Stripe API keys">
    In your Stripe dashboard, go to **Developers → API keys → Create restricted key**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the right permissions">
    Give the key these permissions, and nothing else:

    * **Checkout Sessions** — Write
    * **Payment Intents** — Read
    * **Customers** — Write *(optional — improves the receipts your clients get)*

    Leave every other permission set to None.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy the key">
    Stripe shows you the key once. Copy it — it starts with `rk_live_` (or `rk_test_` if you're testing).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Only paste a **restricted key** starting with `rk_live_` or `rk_test_`. Clarely won't accept a full secret key (`sk_live_...`) — that key has far more access than Clarely needs, and Stripe recommends against sharing it anywhere.
</Warning>

## Adding it to Clarely

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Invoicing settings">
    Open **Settings → Invoicing → Card payments**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Paste your key">
    Paste the restricted key you copied from Stripe, then tap **Save**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm it's connected">
    Clarely checks the key with Stripe right away. Once it's confirmed, **Pay by card** appears on every invoice you send from now on.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Testing before you go live

If you paste a test key (`rk_test_`), card payments work the same way but no real money moves — useful for trying it out before connecting your real account.

## Disconnecting or replacing your key

Go to **Settings → Invoicing → Card payments** and tap **Disconnect**. The Pay by card option disappears from new invoices immediately. To switch to a different Stripe account, just paste a new key over the old one.

## What to do next

Send a test invoice to yourself to see the Pay by card button in action, or read [Accept card payments](/invoices/accept-card-payments) for how it works from your client's side.