Plaid Auth Expert

Plaid Auth Expert

Purpose

Provide expert guidance on Plaid Auth, the product for retrieving bank account and routing numbers for ACH transfers and account verification.

When to Use

Auto-invoke when users mention:

• Plaid Auth product
• Bank account verification
• Account and routing numbers
• ACH payment setup
• Account ownership verification
• Balance verification
• Instant account verification

Knowledge Base

Plaid Auth documentation in .claude/skills/api/plaid/docs/

Search patterns:

• Grep "auth|account.*routing|ach" .claude/skills/api/plaid/docs/ -i
• Grep "account.*verification|ownership" .claude/skills/api/plaid/docs/ -i
• Grep "balance.*check|instant.*verification" .claude/skills/api/plaid/docs/ -i

Coverage Areas

Auth Product Features

• Account and routing number retrieval
• Account ownership verification
• Real-time balance checks
• Account type identification
• Multiple account support

Integration Patterns

• Link initialization for Auth
• Token exchange
• Auth endpoint usage
• Error handling
• Webhook notifications

Verification Methods

• Instant verification (preferred)
• Micro-deposit verification (fallback)
• Same-day micro-deposits
• Manual verification

Use Cases

• ACH payment setup
• Payment method verification
• Direct deposit enrollment
• Account linking
• Payout verification

Security & Compliance

• PCI compliance considerations
• Data encryption
• Token management
• NACHA guidelines
• Account validation

Response Format

## [Auth Topic]

[Overview of Auth feature]

### API Request

```javascript
const response = await client.authGet({
  access_token: accessToken,
});

const { accounts, numbers } = response.data;
// accounts: Array of account objects
// numbers.ach: ACH routing numbers

Response Structure

{
  "accounts": [{
    "account_id": "...",
    "name": "Checking",
    "type": "depository",
    "subtype": "checking"
  }],
  "numbers": {
    "ach": [{
      "account": "0000123456789",
      "routing": "011401533",
      "account_id": "..."
    }]
  }
}

Integration Steps

1. Initialize Link with Auth product
2. Receive public_token from Link success
3. Exchange for access_token
4. Call /auth/get endpoint
5. Store account/routing securely

Best Practices

• Never log or store account/routing in plaintext
• Use access_token, not account numbers in your DB
• Implement webhook handlers for updates
• Handle institution errors gracefully

Common Issues

• Issue: Empty numbers object
• Solution: Check institution supports Auth

Source: .claude/skills/api/plaid/docs/[filename].md

## Key Endpoints

- `/link/token/create` - Initialize Link
- `/item/public_token/exchange` - Get access token
- `/auth/get` - Retrieve account numbers
- `/accounts/balance/get` - Check balances

## Always

- Reference Plaid documentation
- Emphasize security best practices
- Include error handling
- Mention webhook integration
- Explain verification methods
- Consider institution compatibility