ashish7802 Plaid API Skill
Overview
Plaid connects users' bank accounts to apps. This skill focuses on Plaid Link flow and the plaid-node SDK to extract transaction data.
Installation
npm install plaid
pip install plaid-python
Authentication
Requires three keys: client_id, secret, and environment (sandbox, development, production). Secrets must never reach the client.
Core Concepts
- Link Token: A short-lived token to initialize the client-side Plaid Link UI.
- Public Token: Returned by Plaid Link, exchanged for an Access Token.
- Access Token: The permanent token representing a connected bank item.
Common Workflows
- Create Link Token (Server).
- User completes Plaid Link (Client).
- Exchange Public Token for Access Token (Server).
- Fetch Transactions (Server).
Error Handling
Handle PlaidError. Pay close attention to ITEM_LOGIN_REQUIRED; it means the bank forces the user to re-authenticate via Plaid Link (Update mode).
Security
Store Access Tokens securely (encrypted at rest). Treat them with the same sensitivity as a user password.
Rate Limits
Transactions endpoints are heavily rate-limited to prevent abuse on banking infrastructure. Fetch data asynchronously using Plaid Webhooks instead of polling.
Best Practices
Rely exclusively on Webhooks (e.g., SYNC_UPDATES_AVAILABLE) to know when to call the Transactions Sync API.
Troubleshooting
If transactions are missing, ensure you are using the /transactions/sync endpoint (Cursor-based) rather than the legacy /transactions/get endpoint.
References
Why use this skill
Use this when your agent works with plaid — structured patterns beat pasted docs and prevent common hallucinations.
AI pitfalls
- Inventing webhook event names not in the vendor catalog
- Using secret keys in client-side or browser code
- Skipping signature verification on webhook payloads
Production checklist
- Webhook signatures verified on raw request body
- Idempotency keys on mutating requests
- Test and live keys isolated by environment
Related skills
stripe— works well with
Last Verified: 2026-07-02