---
name: stripe-dispute
description: Fight Stripe disputes and chargebacks by gathering evidence (Stripe API + your app database + terms page), generating an activity-log PDF, and submitting a counter-dispute. Use when the user says "fight dispute", "stripe dispute", "chargeback", "counter dispute", "dispute evidence", or shares a Stripe dispute ID.
---

# Stripe Dispute Fighter

Build evidence packages and submit counter-disputes to Stripe. Works for any SaaS that uses Stripe + a user database with login/usage logs.

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user:

- Receives a Stripe chargeback notification and wants to fight it
- Provides a dispute ID (`du_*`) and asks to "counter" / "rebut" / "fight" it
- Asks how to gather evidence for a dispute marked `fraudulent`, `product_not_received`, `product_unacceptable`, or `subscription_canceled`
- Wants an activity-log PDF showing a customer used their product

## Required Environment Variables

```bash
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_...      # Stripe restricted/secret key with disputes:write scope
DATABASE_URL=postgres://...        # READ-ONLY connection to your app's user database (optional but recommended)
TERMS_URL=https://yoursite.com/terms   # URL to your published cancellation/refund policy
EVIDENCE_DIR=~/disputes            # Where to save the per-customer evidence folders
```

**Database safety:** all queries are SELECT-only. Never let this skill issue UPDATE/DELETE/INSERT.

## Inputs

The user provides any of:
- Stripe dispute ID (`du_xxxxx`) — preferred
- Customer email — skill will look up the dispute
- Charge ID (`ch_xxxxx` or `py_xxxxx`)

## Steps

### 1. Pull the dispute from Stripe

```bash
curl -s -u "$STRIPE_SECRET_KEY:" \
  "https://api.stripe.com/v1/disputes/$DISPUTE_ID" | python3 -m json.tool
```

Extract: `amount`, `reason`, `charge`, `evidence_details.due_by`, `evidence_details.submission_count`, `status`.

If `submission_count > 0` the dispute has already been countered — STOP and warn the user.

### 2. Pull the surrounding context

```bash
# Charge → tells you the payment method, risk score, billing details, customer ID
curl -s -u "$STRIPE_SECRET_KEY:" "https://api.stripe.com/v1/charges/$CHARGE_ID"

# Customer → name, email, default payment source
curl -s -u "$STRIPE_SECRET_KEY:" "https://api.stripe.com/v1/customers/$CUSTOMER_ID"

# All invoices for the customer → look for previously-undisputed payments
curl -s -u "$STRIPE_SECRET_KEY:" \
  "https://api.stripe.com/v1/invoices?customer=$CUSTOMER_ID&limit=100"

# Subscription (if recurring)
curl -s -u "$STRIPE_SECRET_KEY:" "https://api.stripe.com/v1/subscriptions/$SUB_ID"
```

**Prior undisputed payments on the same card are the strongest single piece of evidence** for `fraudulent` claims. Always count them.

### 3. Look up the customer in your app database

Adapt these queries to your schema. The shape that wins disputes:

```sql
-- User profile and self-reported cancel reason
SELECT id, email, created_at, plan_tier, stripe_customer_id,
       cancel_reason, cancelled_at, delete_reason
FROM users WHERE email ILIKE :email;

-- Login activity (timestamps + country + device)
SELECT created_at, country_code, device
FROM user_activity WHERE user_id = :uid ORDER BY created_at;

-- Things the customer created/used in your product
SELECT name, type, created_at, updated_at
FROM projects WHERE user_id = :uid AND deleted = false ORDER BY created_at;

-- Checkout / payment-related actions (proves intent)
SELECT timestamp, endpoint, payload FROM action_logs
WHERE user_id = :uid
  AND endpoint ~* '(subscribe|checkout|stripe|upgrade|pay)'
ORDER BY timestamp DESC;
```

**Critical for `product_not_received` claims:** check the user's self-reported `cancel_reason`. If they cancelled citing "Poor user experience" or anything that admits they used the product, that single field contradicts the dispute claim and tends to win the case on its own. Quote it verbatim in the rebuttal.

### 4. Download supporting documents

```bash
FOLDER="$EVIDENCE_DIR/$(echo $CUSTOMER_NAME | tr '[:upper:] ' '[:lower:]-')-$(date +%Y-%m)"
mkdir -p "$FOLDER"

# Invoice PDFs (URLs come from the Stripe invoice objects)
curl -sL "$INVOICE_PDF_URL" -o "$FOLDER/invoice.pdf"
```

### 5. Capture your terms / cancellation policy as a PDF

Using Playwright (Node):

```bash
node -e "
const { chromium } = require('playwright');
(async () => {
  const browser = await chromium.launch();
  const page = await browser.newPage({ viewport: { width: 1280, height: 900 } });
  await page.goto(process.env.TERMS_URL, { waitUntil: 'networkidle' });
  await page.pdf({ path: process.argv[1], format: 'A4', printBackground: true });
  await browser.close();
})();
" "$FOLDER/cancellation_policy.pdf"
```

### 6. Generate the activity-log PDF

This is the document Stripe's reviewers actually read. Build an HTML file, then convert to PDF with WeasyPrint:

```python
from weasyprint import HTML
HTML('activity_log.html').write_pdf('activity_log.pdf')
```

**HTML must include `<meta charset="UTF-8">`** to avoid mangled characters in customer names/addresses.

The layout that has been shown to win:

1. **Summary grid** — Customer / Email / Internal user ID / Stripe customer ID / Account created / Plan / Subscription start / Cancellation timestamp (with delta from signup) / Self-reported cancel reason / Credits or units consumed / Purchase IP / Billing address / Payment method (last4, brand) / Stripe risk assessment / Referral source / Payment trigger
2. **Payment History table** — every invoice with date, amount, status. **Highlight the disputed row** in red. Add a column "Disputed?" with explicit Yes/No.
3. **Checkout Attempts table** — proves deliberate purchase intent (defeats `fraudulent` by extension)
4. **Items Created / Used table** — names, types, timestamps. Concrete usage > adjectives.
5. **Login Activity Log** — every session: timestamp, country, device. Consistency = same cardholder.
6. **Timeline Summary** — single chronological narrative ending with "and then on $DATE the dispute was filed."
7. **Conclusion paragraph** — quote the user's own `cancel_reason` against the stated dispute reason, if they contradict.

Concrete numbers beat adjectives every time. "29 login sessions, 3 named projects, 29,960 credits consumed, 1h 27m active, 2 deliberate checkout attempts" is undeniable. "Used extensively" is not.

### 7. Show everything to the user before submitting

```bash
open "$FOLDER"
```

Display the rebuttal text, the evidence files, and your win-probability assessment. **Wait for explicit user approval.**

### 8. Upload evidence files to Stripe

**Files go to `files.stripe.com`, NOT `api.stripe.com`** — different host:

```bash
curl -s -u "$STRIPE_SECRET_KEY:" \
  -F "purpose=dispute_evidence" \
  -F "file=@$FOLDER/activity_log.pdf" \
  https://files.stripe.com/v1/files
```

Returns `{"id": "file_xxx", ...}`. Capture the `id` — that's what you reference in evidence fields.

**One file_id per dispute.** Stripe rejects with `400 "That file is already attached to something else"` if you try to reuse a `file_id` across disputes (especially for `service_documentation`). When fighting N disputes for the same customer, upload N copies of every shared PDF — same content, fresh `file_id` each time.

### 9. Submit evidence (one shot — `submit=true` is final)

```bash
curl -s -u "$STRIPE_SECRET_KEY:" \
  -X POST "https://api.stripe.com/v1/disputes/$DISPUTE_ID" \
  -d "evidence[uncategorized_text]=$REBUTTAL_TEXT" \
  -d "evidence[uncategorized_file]=$ACTIVITY_LOG_FILE_ID" \
  -d "evidence[receipt]=$INVOICE_FILE_ID" \
  -d "evidence[cancellation_policy]=$TERMS_FILE_ID" \
  -d "evidence[cancellation_policy_disclosure]=$CANCEL_DISCLOSURE_TEXT" \
  -d "evidence[refund_policy]=$TERMS_FILE_ID" \
  -d "evidence[refund_policy_disclosure]=$REFUND_DISCLOSURE_TEXT" \
  -d "evidence[cancellation_rebuttal]=$CANCEL_REBUTTAL_TEXT" \
  -d "evidence[access_activity_log]=$ACCESS_LOG_SUMMARY" \
  -d "evidence[service_date]=$SERVICE_START_DATE" \
  -d "evidence[product_description]=$PRODUCT_DESCRIPTION" \
  -d "evidence[customer_email_address]=$CUSTOMER_EMAIL" \
  -d "evidence[customer_name]=$CUSTOMER_NAME" \
  -d "evidence[customer_purchase_ip]=$PURCHASE_IP" \
  -d "evidence[billing_address]=$BILLING_ADDRESS" \
  -d "submit=true" \
  "https://api.stripe.com/v1/disputes/$DISPUTE_ID"
```

Verify the response:
- `status` should be `under_review`
- `evidence_details.has_evidence` should be `true`
- `evidence_details.submission_count` should be `1`

## Evidence Strategy by Dispute Reason

### `fraudulent`
Goal: prove the cardholder made the purchase.
- Prior undisputed payments on the same card (strongest)
- OAuth login (Google/Apple) = identity-verified signup
- Consistent IP / country / device across sessions
- Multiple checkout attempts before purchase = real person deliberating
- Stripe's own risk assessment was `normal`
- Subscription still active and not cancelled

### `product_not_received`
Goal: prove delivery + use.
- Login activity log
- Items created / actions taken inside the product
- **The customer's own self-reported cancel reason**, if they cancelled — quoted verbatim against the dispute claim
- Receipt and welcome email

### `product_unacceptable`
Goal: show the product matched its description and the customer used it.
- Same as `product_not_received` PLUS your terms-of-service language about quality / refund policy
- Highlight that customer never opened a support ticket

### `subscription_canceled`
Goal: prove the customer never cancelled (or cancelled after the renewal).
- Subscription object showing `cancel_at_period_end=false` at the renewal date
- All login/use activity from after the renewal date
- Terms language stating annual renewals require explicit cancellation

## Rebuttal Templates

### `uncategorized_text`
> [Customer name] created a [Product name] account on [date] via [auth method] and subscribed to [plan] ($[amount]/[interval]) using the same [card brand]. The first [N] payment(s) were never disputed. The customer actively used the service: [N] login sessions from [country] on [device], [N] items created ([list]), and [N] [units] consumed. The disputed charge is the [renewal/initial] payment on [date]. The subscription was [status] and remains [active/cancelled]. The customer never contacted support to cancel or request a refund. Our cancellation and refund policies are published at [TERMS_URL]. This is not a fraudulent transaction — it is a legitimate purchase from the cardholder who [made/has made] [N] other undisputed payments on this account.

### `cancellation_policy_disclosure`
> Our cancellation policy is disclosed at [TERMS_URL]. Subscribers may cancel at any time and retain access through the end of their billing cycle. This customer never cancelled.

### `refund_policy_disclosure`
> Our refund policy is disclosed at [TERMS_URL]. We offer a [N]-day money-back guarantee. The customer did not request a refund within that window, nor at any time.

## Important Notes

- File uploads go to `files.stripe.com`, NOT `api.stripe.com`
- One submission per dispute. `submit=true` is final
- Evidence deadline is `evidence_details.due_by` (unix timestamp). After that you can no longer submit
- Database queries must be READ-ONLY — restrict the connection's role if possible
- Never include other customers' data in the activity log PDF
- Save every evidence package to disk in case you need to reference it for future disputes from the same customer

## Pattern That Wins

The single most reliable winning pattern observed across same-day-cancellation disputes:

> Customer signs up, uses product briefly, cancels within hours citing "Poor user experience" in your in-app cancel form, then files a chargeback days later claiming "product not received."

The cancel form's reason — recorded in your own database — directly contradicts the chargeback claim. Quote it word-for-word in the rebuttal. This evidence pattern has won within ~30 days of submission with full amount + dispute fee returned.

Always check `users.cancel_reason` (or your equivalent) FIRST when the dispute reason is `product_not_received` or `product_unacceptable`.