Key Takeaways
- AI agents are evolving past just writing code. Michelle Bu noted at Stripe Sessions 2026 that founders now want agents to operate their businesses, handling routine tasks like subscription updates, billing questions, and refund requests.
- Stripe Workflows allow you to define a business process once. This ensures consistent execution whether that process is triggered by an AI agent, a human support representative, or your own backend API. Michelle Bu emphasized, “And with Stripe Workflows, you can define a process once, and it runs the exact same way whether the refund came from an agent, a support rep, or your own back end.”
- New custom actions within Stripe Workflows break out of the Stripe ecosystem. Until recently, workflows only acted within Stripe, but now they can call external applications, such as sending notifications to Slack.
- Founders can now bring their unique business data and logic directly into Stripe using Custom Objects. Nilufer demonstrated this with a “customer follow-up object,” explaining, “It's not a Stripe object because it's a custom object that I've defined on my own Stripe account.”
- The new "Stripe Custom Object Definition for Business Data and Logic" framework gives you a template to integrate your specific operational needs, from custom entities to unique methods, right into your Stripe account.
The Stripe Custom Object Definition for Business Data and Logic
- Define Object Parameters and Fields: Define your custom object by including important parameters such as references to Stripe customers, information about transactions (e.g., refund amount, reason), status fields (e.g., 'follow-up needed'), and additional custom fields for tracking (e.g., who completed an action, notes).
- Build Custom Logic (Methods) on Top of the Object: Create custom methods that define actions or state changes for your object. For instance, a 'complete follow-up' method could capture who completed outreach, add notes, and move the status field to 'completed' when a specific action occurs (e.g., a button click in the dashboard).
- Integrate with Stripe Dashboard and APIs: Once defined, your custom objects and their associated data become accessible and manageable within the Stripe dashboard, custom SDKs, and Stripe APIs, allowing you to create and interact with these records to power your custom business processes.
When This Works (and When It Doesn't)
This framework shines when you need to model unique entities and business logic that are specific to your operations and want to bring that data and functionality directly into the Stripe ecosystem, enabling customized automation and tracking. If your business has a 'high-value customer lifecycle' with specific stages and data points that don't map neatly to Stripe's default customer object, this is for you. It's perfect for bespoke onboarding flows, custom support ticket tracking linked to specific transactions, or any process where you need to track non-standard states directly tied to your payment data.
However, it might be overkill for simpler needs. If your custom data doesn't directly interact with Stripe's core payment or customer objects, or if the logic is extremely complex and already handled by an existing external system, trying to force it into Stripe might add unnecessary overhead. Consider whether your custom object truly benefits from living inside Stripe versus simply referencing Stripe IDs from an external database.
What to Do With This
Stop bending your business processes to fit generic SaaS templates. This week, pick one key business operation that currently feels clunky or manual because it doesn't fit standard Stripe objects. Maybe it's a custom enterprise onboarding flow with multiple stakeholders and internal statuses, or a complex refund approval process with specific reasons and follow-up tasks.
Apply the Stripe Custom Object Definition to this problem. First, Define Object Parameters and Fields: Create a new Custom Object called, say, "Enterprise Onboarding Case." Give it fields like customer_id (referencing your Stripe Customer), onboarding_stage (e.g., "Discovery," "Implementation," "Go-Live"), assigned_account_manager, implementation_start_date, and notes. Next, Build Custom Logic (Methods) on Top of the Object: Add methods like advance_stage, assign_manager, or log_discovery_call that update the object's status and add relevant details. Finally, Integrate with Stripe Dashboard and APIs: Set up a simple dashboard view for your sales team to see all open onboarding cases and their current stage, allowing them to trigger methods directly or via your CRM pushing to Stripe's APIs. This moves a bespoke, often manual, process directly into your payments platform, making it auditable and automatable.