onboarding
DIY
Build KYC, identity, and bank-linking flows before anyone can get paid.
a2a
Creators onboard through Stripe Connect Express's hosted flow; you hold a reference.
the payout stack, managed
Stripe Connect for AI agents: the payout stack you don't build.
Paying creators from a live agent means Stripe Connect — onboarding, transfers, refund reconciliation, and an audit trail that ties payouts to transactions. Creators onboard through Connect Express, while settlement batches control-plane earnings rows into a transfer. Each row links by receipt ID to signed execution evidence; the money fields stay in the payout ledger.
connect express · batched transfers · receipt-backed reconciliation
0
payment stack to build
0
transfer per settlement sweep
0%
payouts traceable to receipts
the problem
Connect is a project, not a checkbox.
Wiring Stripe Connect into an agent marketplace is a payments build in disguise. You need hosted onboarding and KYC. Transfer logic that decides when money actually moves. Batching, so callers aren't drowned in micro-payments. Refund reconciliation, so you don't pay out on a charge that unwound. And an audit trail tying every payout to the calls behind it. Weeks of work, plus a second ledger to keep in sync with your metering forever.
KYC, identity, and bank-linking onboarding you have to build and maintain.
Transfer and batching logic so payouts are clean movements, not micro-charges.
Refund reconciliation so reversed charges don't inflate a payout.
A payout ledger that must never drift from what your runtime metered.
the a2a way
Onboarding, transfers, reconciliation — linked to receipts.
Creators onboard through Stripe Connect Express; settlement batches receipt-linked earnings rows into one transfer. The payout view combines verified execution evidence with separate ledger economics rather than treating receipts as invoices.
Connect onboarding, hostedTransfers, not micro-chargesSettlement wired to the runtimeReconciliation built inOperator-gated by designA receipt-linked payout ledger
Connect onboarding, hosted
Creators connect a Stripe Connect Express account through Stripe's own hosted onboarding — identity, verification, and bank details handled where they belong. a2a stores a reference to the account, not the sensitive data behind it.
Transfers, not micro-charges
Payout uses Stripe transfers to move earned funds to a connected account. Settlement batches many receipt-linked earnings rows into a single transfer, so you get one clean movement to the creator's bank instead of a transfer per call.
Settlement wired to the runtime
Settlement reads the payout economics stored by the control plane for paid calls. Each row links to a verified execution receipt by ID, keeping the money source of truth distinct from the signed run evidence.
Reconciliation built in
Reversals and refunds are reconciled against settled and unsettled earnings. When a charge unwinds, the creator's balance adjusts, so transfers reflect money actually earned and kept rather than gross that later evaporated.
Operator-gated by design
Settlement is triggered deliberately, with an optional scheduled mode. Every Stripe transfer maps to a known set of economics rows and their linked receipt IDs, so you can check the payout math.
A receipt-linked payout ledger
Every earning lives in a control-plane ledger row linked to an Ed25519-signed execution receipt. A payout view combines verified run evidence with separate price, fee, and payout fields; the receipt is neither the invoice nor the payout ledger.
side-by-side
Building Connect yourself vs. managed on a2a.
moving money
DIY
Design transfer logic and decide when and how funds leave your balance.
a2a
Settlement batches receipt-linked earnings rows into a single Stripe transfer per sweep.
the source of truth
DIY
Keep a payout ledger in sync with your metering — two systems, one drift.
a2a
Settlement reads control-plane economics linked to verified receipt IDs.
refunds
DIY
Hand-reconcile reversals so you don't pay out on charges that unwound.
a2a
Reversals reconcile against settled and unsettled earnings automatically.
auditability
DIY
Explain a payout total with logs that don't tie to specific transactions.
a2a
Every transfer traces to economics rows and their linked signed execution receipts.
dimension
DIY
a2a
onboarding
Build KYC, identity, and bank-linking flows before anyone can get paid.
Creators onboard through Stripe Connect Express's hosted flow; you hold a reference.
moving money
Design transfer logic and decide when and how funds leave your balance.
Settlement batches receipt-linked earnings rows into a single Stripe transfer per sweep.
the source of truth
Keep a payout ledger in sync with your metering — two systems, one drift.
Settlement reads control-plane economics linked to verified receipt IDs.
refunds
Hand-reconcile reversals so you don't pay out on charges that unwound.
Reversals reconcile against settled and unsettled earnings automatically.
auditability
Explain a payout total with logs that don't tie to specific transactions.
Every transfer traces to economics rows and their linked signed execution receipts.
questions
Frequently asked.
How does Stripe Connect work for AI agents on a2a?
Creators connect a Stripe Connect Express account through Stripe's hosted onboarding, which handles identity, verification, and bank details. When settlement runs, it sweeps the creator's payout economics rows and moves the total as one transfer. Each row links to a verified execution receipt, but the ledger—not the receipt—contains the payout amount.
Why use a managed Connect integration instead of building my own?
Because Connect for a real marketplace is more than onboarding: you need transfers, batching, refund reconciliation, and an audit trail that ties payouts to transactions. Settlement reads control-plane payout rows linked to verified receipt IDs, so execution evidence and economics reconcile without pretending they are one signed artifact.
What kind of Stripe account do creators connect?
A Stripe Connect Express account. Stripe's hosted onboarding collects the identity and bank information and manages verification. a2a stores a reference to the connected account rather than the sensitive underlying data. Until a creator connects an account there is no payout destination, so no transfer can run — the destination is always explicit.
How are refunds and reversals handled across payouts?
They're reconciled. When a top-up or charge is reversed, the affected earnings are adjusted against the creator's settled and unsettled balances, so transfers reflect money actually earned and kept. You don't end up paying out on gross that later unwound, and the reconciliation happens without a manual bookkeeping pass.
Can I trace a Stripe transfer back to specific agent calls?
Yes. Settlement sweeps a known set of control-plane earnings rows into each transfer, and every row links by receipt ID to signed execution evidence. A payout or invoice view can combine both records, while making clear that price, fees, and payout are ledger fields rather than signed receipt fields.
keep reading
Related guides.
All guides live in the guides index.
agents that ship, earn, and prove
Skip the payments build. Ship the payout.
a2a cloud deploys any agent as a live service. Authenticated Agent API paid calls receive signed receipts plus separate payout-ledger rows that Stripe Connect can settle. Public `/invoke` and standard MCP gateway receipts record zero platform economics; price, fees, and payout sit outside the signature.