stripe-test-data-lifecycle

Stripe Test Data Lifecycle

A round-trip workflow for Stripe test data: set up, verify, then clean up so the test account stays tidy. Test mode only (live keys are rejected).

1. Setup

• Customers: create_stripe_test_customers
  • number (default 1), and optional name, email, description, payment_method_id, test_clock.
  • Every customer created here is tagged with metadata.generator = stripe-testing-tools-mcp. The MCP server has no tool to list or search customers by metadata, so record the ids returned at creation for later cleanup. The tag is still useful for finding leftovers in the Stripe Dashboard or Stripe CLI.
  • If attaching a test_clock, keep number at most 3 (see stripe-test-clock-constraints).
• Subscriptions: create_stripe_test_subscription
  • customer, items ([{ price, quantity }]), optional proration_behavior, payment_method_id.
• Products/prices: create these with your normal Stripe tooling or Dashboard; this MCP only archives/deletes products, it does not create them.

2. Verify

• Run your scenario (for time-based billing, follow stripe-billing-cycle-test).
• Confirm results (invoices, subscription status, charges) via the Stripe Dashboard in test mode or the Stripe API. The MCP does not expose list/read tools for these objects.

3. Cleanup (recommended order)

Tear down dependents before their dependencies to avoid leftover references:

1. Delete customers: delete_stripe_test_customers
   • customer_ids: array of ids to delete. You must use the ids collected at creation — the MCP cannot search customers by generator metadata. To recover lost ids, look them up in the Stripe Dashboard or CLI.
   • Deleting a customer immediately cancels its associated subscriptions (Stripe: Delete a customer), so do this before touching products.
2. Archive products: archive_stripe_test_products
   • product_ids and/or urls. Archiving sets active: false and is non-destructive (recoverable). Prefer this when a product may still be referenced or you want a soft cleanup.
3. Delete products (optional, permanent): delete_stripe_test_products
   • product_ids and/or urls. Permanent and irreversible. Stripe only lets you delete a product with no active prices/usage; if deletion fails, archive instead. Confirm the exact deletability rules against the Stripe docs when in doubt.

Notes

• Both product tools accept either explicit product_ids or urls (the URL form looks products up by their url field).
• Test clocks themselves are not deleted by these tools; remove unused clocks from the Stripe Dashboard if needed.
• Always double-check you are operating in test mode before any delete.