Stripe payment succeeded, but the user got no access?

Where the chain breaks

• Relying on the success page. Users close the tab; the redirect is not proof of payment.
• Live-mode webhook missing. Test and live mode have separate endpoints and signing secrets.
• No link to your user. Without client_reference_id or metadata.user_id on the Checkout Session, the webhook cannot tell who paid. Matching by email breaks when emails differ.
• Database write blocked. The webhook runs without a user session, so RLS blocks it unless it runs server-side with appropriate privileges.
• Subscription changes ignored. Renewals, cancellations and failed payments arrive as customer.subscription.updated, customer.subscription.deleted and invoice.payment_failed.
• Retries double-apply. Stripe retries events; handle each event.id once.

Link the session to the user

const session = await stripe.checkout.sessions.create({
  mode: "subscription",
  line_items: [{ price: PRICE_ID, quantity: 1 }],
  client_reference_id: user.id,
  metadata: { user_id: user.id },
  success_url: `${SITE_URL}/billing?status=success`,
  cancel_url: `${SITE_URL}/billing`,
});
// webhook: on checkout.session.completed, grant access to
// session.client_reference_id and store session.customer

Want it fixed instead?

Stripe go-live: $400–800, fixed scope. The $149 diagnosis is credited toward any paid job.

Common worries, answered

• Will you mess up my repo? No. We work from read-only access, and every fix arrives as a pull request. Nothing merges until you merge it.
• Is this just more AI? AI coding agents help prepare fixes. A human reviews every fix before it ships.
• What if it still breaks? We keep working until the written scope is done, at no extra cost. Fixed, or we keep working free until it is (within the written scope).
• What about Stripe and my secret keys? Scoped access only. We never take full keys or owner logins; your secrets stay yours.
• How is this different from asking ChatGPT? We don't stop at advice. We fix and launch against a written scope.

Get a $149 diagnosis See pricing Take Stripe live

• Fixed, or we keep working free until it is (within the written scope).
• A human reviews every fix before it ships.
• read-only access; fixes arrive as pull requests you merge
• Your $149 diagnosis is credited in full toward any paid job.

Related

• Stripe webhook not working
• Bolt Stripe integration
• Stripe resource_missing
• Stripe go-live, $400–800