Build an AI E-commerce Order Manager with Stripe MCP + Shopify MCP

Running an e-commerce store means constantly switching between Stripe for payments and Shopify for products and orders. This recipe connects both to your AI assistant so you can manage everything in natural language.

You'll be able to ask things like:

• "Show me today's Stripe balance and recent payments."
• "Refund the last payment from customer@example.com."
• "Search the Shopify catalog for 'wireless headphones' and show me the top results."
• "Create a Stripe payment link for $49.99 for the Premium Plan."

The Two MCP Servers

This recipe uses two separate servers—one for payments (Stripe) and one for storefront/product data (Shopify). Here's what each provides:

Server	Package / URL	Key Tools
Stripe MCP	@stripe/mcp (npm) or remote: https://mcp.stripe.com	customers.create, customers.read, paymentIntents.read, refunds.create, invoices.create, invoices.read, invoices.update, invoiceItems.create, subscriptions.read, subscriptions.update, products.create, prices.create, paymentLinks.create, balance.read, disputes.read, disputes.update, coupons.create, coupons.read
Shopify Storefront MCP	https://{shop}.myshopify.com/api/mcp (remote, per store)	search_shop_catalog (product search, pricing, variants, images)

Note: Shopify also has a Dev MCP (@shopify/dev-mcp) for documentation and GraphQL schema exploration, and a Customer Account MCP for authenticated customer interactions. This recipe focuses on the Storefront MCP for product/catalog access and Stripe MCP for payments.

Prerequisites

Step 1: Set Up Stripe MCP

Stripe offers two ways to connect: a hosted remote server or a local server via npm.

Option A: Remote Server (simplest)

Stripe hosts an MCP server at https://mcp.stripe.com. Add it to your client config:

Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stripe": {
      "url": "https://mcp.stripe.com"
    }
  }
}

Cursor: Settings → Tools & MCP → Add MCP server:

Field	Value
Name	stripe
Type	sse
URL	https://mcp.stripe.com

The remote server uses OAuth for authentication—your client will prompt you to authorize with your Stripe account.

Option B: Local Server (more control)

Run with npx and your secret key. You can restrict which tools are available:

npx -y @stripe/mcp --tools=all --api-key=sk_test_YOUR_KEY

Claude Desktop config for local:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stripe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@stripe/mcp", "--tools=all", "--api-key=sk_test_YOUR_KEY"]
    }
  }
}

To limit tools (e.g. read-only):

npx -y @stripe/mcp --tools=customers.read,paymentIntents.read,balance.read,disputes.read --api-key=sk_test_YOUR_KEY

Verify Stripe Connection

In your AI client, ask:

• "What Stripe tools do you have?" — You should see tools like customers.create, balance.read, refunds.create, etc.
• "What is my current Stripe balance?" — Uses the balance.read tool.

Step 2: Set Up Shopify Storefront MCP

Every Shopify store exposes a Storefront MCP endpoint. No API key is needed—it's a public, read-only endpoint for catalog data.

The URL format is:

https://YOUR-STORE.myshopify.com/api/mcp

Replace YOUR-STORE with your store's subdomain. For example: https://my-coffee-shop.myshopify.com/api/mcp.

Claude Desktop config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "shopify-storefront": {
      "url": "https://YOUR-STORE.myshopify.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Cursor: Settings → Tools & MCP → Add MCP server:

Field	Value
Name	shopify-storefront
Type	sse
URL	https://YOUR-STORE.myshopify.com/api/mcp

Verify Shopify Connection

Ask your AI:

• "Search the Shopify catalog for 'coffee beans'." — Uses search_shop_catalog and returns product names, prices, variant IDs, images, and URLs.

The Storefront MCP is read-only (catalog search). For admin-level operations (creating/editing products, managing inventory), look into community MCP servers like benwmerritt/shopify-mcp which wraps the Shopify Admin API with OAuth.

Step 3: Use Both Together

With both servers configured, your AI can combine Stripe and Shopify in a single conversation. Here are real prompts you can try:

Architecture Overview

When you ask a question, the AI decides which MCP server to call:

Important Notes

• Stripe MCP is in public preview (as of Feb 2026). See docs.stripe.com/mcp for current status.
• Stripe has write tools: refunds.create, customers.create, invoices.create, etc. can modify real data. Use test mode (sk_test_ key) first. Restrict tools with --tools= for read-only usage.
• Shopify Storefront MCP is read-only: It searches your catalog and returns product info. It does not create or edit products. For admin operations, use the Shopify Admin API or a community MCP server.
• Remote servers: Both Stripe (https://mcp.stripe.com) and Shopify Storefront (https://YOUR-STORE.myshopify.com/api/mcp) are remote HTTP servers—you can test Shopify Storefront in MCP Playground.

References

• Stripe MCP docs: docs.stripe.com/mcp
• Stripe Agent Toolkit (GitHub): github.com/stripe/agent-toolkit
• Shopify Storefront MCP: shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/storefront-mcp
• Shopify Dev MCP: shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/devmcp

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can Stripe MCP create real charges?

Yes. Tools like refunds.create, customers.create, invoices.create, and paymentLinks.create perform real operations on your Stripe account. Always use a test mode API key (sk_test_) while experimenting. You can also restrict tools with the --tools= flag to allow only read operations.

Can the AI edit products or create orders in Shopify?

Not with the Storefront MCP—it provides read-only catalog search. For admin-level operations (create products, manage orders, update inventory), you need a server that wraps the Shopify Admin API, such as the community shopify-mcp project, which uses OAuth and supports 30+ admin tools.

Can I test these servers in MCP Playground?

The Shopify Storefront MCP (https://YOUR-STORE.myshopify.com/api/mcp) is a remote HTTP endpoint—you can test it in MCP Playground. The Stripe remote server (https://mcp.stripe.com) uses OAuth, so it's better tested in Claude Desktop or Cursor where the auth flow is handled.

What's the difference between Shopify Dev MCP and Storefront MCP?

Dev MCP (@shopify/dev-mcp) is for developers: it searches Shopify docs and explores the Admin GraphQL schema. Storefront MCP is for product/catalog access: it lets AI search your store's products, see prices, and get variant info. This recipe uses Storefront MCP because it accesses real store data.