---
title: payments.connectStart | Doing Work API
description: Start payment setup for a shop (owner, hosted page).
url: https://doingwork.work/docs/reference/payments-connectstart/
---

# payments.connectStart

Start payment setup for a shop (owner, hosted page).

|  |  |
|---|---|
| Who | Hosted page only (a person does it in the browser) |
| REST | `POST /v1/payments/connect` |
| MCP tool | Not an MCP tool |
| Writes | yes, send an Idempotency-Key |
| Area | [Stripe connection](https://doingwork.work/docs/reference/#stripe-connection) |

## When to use it

Never call it. The owner connects their own Stripe account on the hosted page.

## What to tell the owner

Open the link to connect your Stripe account. Customers then pay you directly.

## Input

| Field | Type | Required |
|---|---|---|
| `shop_id` | string | yes |

## Example

```http
POST https://doingwork.work/v1/payments/connect
content-type: application/json
Idempotency-Key: 3f1c...

{
  "shop_id": "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000000"
}
```

## Output

JSON. The response shape isn't published yet; read the fields you need and ignore the rest. Errors are `{code, message, status}`.

## Errors

| Code | Status | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| `human_only` | 403 | This step happens on a hosted page the person opens themselves. Send them the link; don't try another route. |
| `forbidden` | 403 | This worker's role can't do this, or it needs a person's own sign-in rather than an agent token. Tell the person who can. |
| `invalid_input`, `invalid_token`, `rate_limited` |  | Can happen on any call. See [errors](https://doingwork.work/docs/errors/). |