Connecting Stripe and other integrations
Sooner or later your capstone needs external services, payments, email, live data. In Lovable this is integrations, not hand-wiring keys into every file.
Three types of Lovable integration
App connector
Capabilities your published app calls, Stripe, Resend, Shopify, and more. Configured once at workspace level. A secure gateway keeps credentials out of your project.
Chat connector (MCP)
Context while building only, Notion, Linear, Miro, and similar. Personal to you; never included in the deployed app.
Any API
Custom or third-party APIs Lovable does not ship as a connector. No auth → direct call. Auth required → enable Lovable Cloud, add a secret under Cloud → Secrets, and Lovable creates an Edge Function to protect credentials.
Tip
Which one do I use?
Building with real docs or issues in chat → chat connector. Your live app needs to charge, email, or fetch data → app connector or API integration.
App connectors: Stripe example
- 1
Open Connectors
Go to Connectors → App connectors, or press Cmd+K (Ctrl+K) and search for connectors, or use the + menu next to the prompt.
- 2
Connect Stripe
Connect Stripe at workspace level. Choose who can use the connection (only you, specific people, or the whole workspace).
- 3
Add checkout in test mode
Ask Lovable to add checkout using Stripe. Use test mode and Stripe's fake card numbers, no real money moves.
- 4
Verify, then go live
Confirm the test payment in your Stripe dashboard. Swap to live keys only when you are ready for real payments.
Integrate any API
For a public API with no credentials, describe the endpoint and Lovable adds it directly. For authenticated APIs, enable Lovable Cloud, add your key under Cloud → Secrets, and include endpoint URLs, auth method, and example request/response in your prompt.
Watch out
Safety habits
- Keep test and live keys separate; learn in test mode.
- Never paste secrets in screenshots, chats, or public repos, rotate immediately if you do.
- Connection sharing controls apply in the editor. Once published, anyone with the live URL can use the app regardless of connection access settings.
Once you know app connector vs chat connector vs API, "add Stripe" or "pull from our CRM" becomes a describable feature, not a mystery.