Connecting Your Stripe Key

This page stores your Stripe Restricted API Key so you don't have to paste it in every time you import Stripe transactions. Connect it once here, and your next Stripe import offers to reuse it automatically.

Without a saved key, every Stripe import asks you to paste your Restricted API Key by hand — and only from inside an in-progress bank reconciliation, since that's the only place the key could be entered before. Connecting it here means you do that once, from one page you can find and manage on its own, the same way you'd manage a Wells Fargo or PayPal bank feed connection.

This is not the same as automatic donation recording. Automatic recording — donations appearing in your books within moments of the gift, with no import step at all — is a Professional-plan feature set up on a different page. See How Automatic Donation Recording Works. This page only saves a key for the manual Stripe import, which is available on every plan.

• A Stripe account with at least one processed charge, so there's something to import.
• Ability to create a Restricted Key in your Stripe Dashboard.

Connecting

1. Go to Settings > Organization > Donation Connections, then follow the "Connect Stripe" link in the Stripe section — or go directly to your Stripe connection page.
2. Create a Restricted Key in your Stripe Dashboard (Developers > API keys > Create restricted key) with Charges: Read and Balance transactions: Read permissions.
3. Paste the key into the Restricted API Key field and click Connect Stripe. NP Ledger validates it against Stripe before saving.

Once connected, the page shows a green "Connected" badge and the date you connected.

Replacing your key

If you rotate your Stripe key, open Replace Restricted API Key, paste the new key, and click Update Key. Your original connection date doesn't change — only a full disconnect and reconnect resets it.

Disconnecting

Click Disconnect Stripe. The stored key is deleted immediately. Your next Stripe import will ask you to paste a key again.

• A green "Connected" badge and a "Connected since" date appear after saving.
• Your next Stripe import offers "Use my saved key" instead of an empty paste field.

• Pasting a full-access Secret Key instead of a Restricted Key. A Restricted Key limited to Charges and Balance Transactions (both Read-only) is safer — it cannot move money or change anything in your Stripe account.
• Expecting this to turn on automatic recording. It doesn't. This only saves a key for manual imports; see How Automatic Donation Recording Works for the Professional-plan automation.

Open the AI Help panel and try:

• "How do I connect my Stripe key?"
• "How do I disconnect Stripe?"
• "Does this record my donations automatically?"
• "What Stripe permissions does NP Ledger need?"