Getting Started

Visa CLI gives your AI agent a Visa-backed payment tool. Your agent can use paid tools for images, video, music, models, search, and other online purchases, but every paid action requires your authorization before money moves.

Your card number is not stored on your machine. Card entry happens in a secure browser flow, card tokens live server-side in an encrypted vault, and default spending limits are enforced server-side.

Account access. Visa CLI is available to approved accounts. New users can start setup from the web or CLI and finish card enrollment in the secure browser flow.

Works with MCP clients. Use it with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Roo Code, VS Code Copilot, Zed, or another MCP-compatible client.

Platform support. macOS is the primary path. Windows supports setup and restricted server-verified payments. Linux support is limited. Node.js 18+ is required.

Requirements

• Node.js 18+ and npm
• An MCP-compatible AI client
• A GitHub account for sign-in
• A payment card for the secure enrollment flow

Check Node and npm:

copynode --version
npm --version

If Node is older than 18 or npm is missing, install Node.js from nodejs.org, then reopen your terminal.

Install

macOS and Linux:

copycurl -fsSL https://app.visacli.sh/cli | bash

Windows PowerShell:

copyiwr -useb https://app.visacli.sh/install.ps1 | iex

The installer continues into visa-cli setup when run from an interactive terminal. Setup opens a browser window. Sign in with GitHub, then add your card through the secure enrollment page. New users receive $1 in free credits on first card enrollment.

If the installer cannot run setup because the terminal is non-interactive, it prints the follow-up command:

copyvisa-cli setup

Connect Your Agent

Add Visa CLI as an MCP server in your client. The easiest way is to let the CLI write the config for you:

copyvisa-cli install claude   # or: cursor, windsurf, cline, codex, zed, ...

To configure manually, point the client at the bundled server entrypoint. Replace <npm root -g> with the output of npm root -g:

copy{
  "mcpServers": {
    "visa-cli": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["<npm root -g>/@visa/cli/dist/mcp-server/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Codex TOML:

copy[mcp_servers.visa-cli]
command = "node"
args = ["<npm root -g>/@visa/cli/dist/mcp-server/index.js"]

Claude Code users can reconnect an already-open session with /mcp, then select visa-cli and reconnect.

Try It

Ask your agent for something that uses a paid tool:

copyGenerate an image of a mountain lake at sunrise.

Visa CLI shows an approval prompt with the merchant and amount before any charge. Approve to continue, or cancel and no charge occurs.

Other examples:

copyMake a lofi jazz track for studying.

copyWhat is the price of Ethereum?

copyGenerate five logo variations and show me the best two.

Costs And Limits

Common paid tools cost pennies per call. The server enforces spending limits even if your local machine is compromised.

Default limits:

Change limits from your agent with update_spending_controls, or inspect your current setup with config_list.

Useful Commands

copyvisa-cli setup
visa-cli status
visa-cli install claude
visa-cli config hud enable

The HUD is optional and free. It shows account and payment status in Claude Code's statusLine.

Apps And Headless Agents

Approved users can create scoped Visa Keys for backend services and unattended agents:

copyvisa-cli keys create my-demo-app --tools or-gpt-4o-mini --daily-cap 5 --total-cap 200
visa-cli keys list
visa-cli keys revoke 1

See Visa Key API for direct HTTP execution, idempotency, pagination, error codes, and key-management details.

Safety Basics

• Do not paste card numbers into chat. Card entry only happens in the secure browser flow.
• Paid tools require explicit approval before money moves.
• If you cancel an authorization prompt, no charge occurs.
• Your agent receives a payment tool, not your raw card number.
• Spending limits are enforced by the server.

Troubleshooting

If setup cannot find node or npm, install Node.js 18+ and reopen your terminal.

If a payment prompt does not appear on macOS, make sure local authentication is available, then retry. On Windows and Linux, payment confirmation uses restricted server-verified controls instead of biometric prompts.

If your AI client does not show the Visa CLI tools, restart the client or reconnect the MCP server. In Claude Code, run /mcp, select visa-cli, then reconnect.