#isaacs - Connect
dense sage
OAuth is flow is being depreciated so I would use the API + Onboarding flow. This will also better allow you to build a test integration since the OAuth flow created accounts in Live mode no matter whether you used your Test key or not.
tame pebble
yikes. ok, glad I did the onboarding flow then 😅
Can you connect an existing stripe account with that flow? I feel like I must be missing something. Maybe that's only possible in Live mode?
dense sage
You can onboard an existing account AFAIK using the Account Links API approach.
https://stripe.com/docs/api/account_links
This will generate a URL that should be given to the account owner which will walk them through setting themselves up as a connected account to your platform account.
These will be Standard accounts in the parlance of Connect
tame pebble
Right, ok, but when I do that, the page they get redirected to the URL, it seems like it's only "Sign up", not "Sign in"
steep arch
If you've just created a new account for them and sent them to onboarding, that's to be expected, right? They need to complete the onboarding flow.
Unless you mean a long-existing account the user already has, which is different and no longer a recommended pattern
tame pebble
I see, so they don't recommend "bring your existing stripe account" anymore?
Ah, I see, so if they use my app to generate charges and invoices and such, they could still use a reporting tool or something that has read_only access, provided it's registered as an Extension rather than a Platform
steep arch
That's right 🙂
Our recommended integration for everyone except such Extensions is to create a new Standard account
tame pebble
If someone signs up for my app, and I create a new account for them with the AccountLinks API, can they some day take that account and disconnect it? I'd like to be able to make it zero-commitment, so there's less of a reason for them to feel locked in.
steep arch
Once you are the controlling platform they cannot disconnect, no
https://support.stripe.com/questions/standard-connect-with-platform-controls
tame pebble
Thanks for answering my questions. That is pretty unfortunate all around, I must say. Can you pass it up the chain that this really limits what new applications in the ecosystem can do? The burden to get started and acquire customers as an application on the Stripe platform just got a lot higher with this change.
steep arch
Happy to share the feedback, yes! Can you say a bit more about which part concerns you?
tame pebble
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Most prospective users of my platform will already have a Stripe account, likely with several reporting and analytics tools. Requiring that they create a new Stripe account means that they have to set that all up again, verify their business, enter all the same details, etc. So instead of "Just log in with your Stripe account and start using it", it's a somewhat arduous process for them to join. Friction at sign-up is brutal. If we could be registered as an oauth application, they could just sign in with an existing account, but since we need write access, that won't work.
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Part of the reason for building on Stripe is that it's well known, and so our thought was that if a user doesn't like our service, they can cancel at any time, they can quit using us, but still have all the products/plans/etc that were set up, so they don't have to feel like they're making a big commitment by using our product. However, it sounds like that isn't possible, since the connected account will be ours forever.