Why does my shop still say it's finishing setup?

Almost always because Stripe is still waiting on something — an unfinished form, a document to verify, occasionally a check running at their end. Ask for a payout check and you get the live answer: exactly which items are outstanding, rather than a shrug.

My Stripe setup link expired — have I lost my progress?

No. The link is single-use for security, but your answers are saved with Stripe. Ask for payouts again and a fresh link picks up where you stopped — as many times as it takes.

I connected the wrong Stripe account — can I start again?

Yes. Ask to disconnect it: bernard's link to that account is removed (the account itself stays yours, untouched), the shop pauses selling, and a fresh setup lets you connect the right one. Disconnecting is deliberate — you'll be asked to confirm before it happens, the same way page changes wait for your approval.

My payout setup is stuck — fix it

Payout setup usually takes ten minutes and is never thought of again. But sometimes it wedges: the shop sits on "finishing setup", the link you were sent has expired, or you realise halfway through that you've connected the wrong Stripe account. All three have clean ways out.

First: find out what's actually missing

Ask bernard to check your payout setup. This reads the live state of your Stripe connection and reports back in plain English: whether the onboarding was ever finished, which pieces of information Stripe is still waiting for, anything overdue, and anything Stripe is currently verifying at its end (which needs patience, not action).

That last distinction matters. "Stripe is checking your ID" fixes itself, usually within hours; "Stripe is waiting for your ID" fixes nothing until you act. The check tells you which one you're in — and what to have to hand is covered in What will Stripe ask me when I set up payouts?.

An expired or lost setup link

The Stripe link is single-use and short-lived on purpose — it carries access to your setup, so it mustn't sit live in an inbox. If it expires or vanishes into email, nothing is lost: ask for payouts again and a fresh link is minted that resumes the same setup, with everything you'd already answered still saved. Repeat as often as needed.

Wrong account connected — start again

Connected a personal Stripe account when you meant the business one, or had an application rejected? Ask to disconnect payouts and start over. Being clear about what that does:

bernard's link to that Stripe account is removed — the account itself is not closed; it remains yours, with its history, on your own login.
Selling pauses: a live shop drops back to draft, and buy buttons come off until a fresh setup completes (My shop says 'opening soon' — why can't people buy yet? describes that waiting state).
Your products, pages and past orders are untouched.

Because it pauses selling, you'll be asked to confirm before it happens. Then set up payouts again and connect the right account — a different existing one, or a brand-new one — and the shop reopens on its own the moment Stripe says yes.

The prompt

“My payouts seem stuck. Check my payout setup and tell me, in plain English, exactly what Stripe is still waiting for and what I should do next.”

The [bracketed] parts are yours to fill in. First time? Connect bernard to your AI over MCP — a one-time setup in bernard → your site → Use your own AI — then paste the prompt above.

Questions people ask

Why does my shop still say it's finishing setup?: Almost always because Stripe is still waiting on something — an unfinished form, a document to verify, occasionally a check running at their end. Ask for a payout check and you get the live answer: exactly which items are outstanding, rather than a shrug.
My Stripe setup link expired — have I lost my progress?: No. The link is single-use for security, but your answers are saved with Stripe. Ask for payouts again and a fresh link picks up where you stopped — as many times as it takes.
I connected the wrong Stripe account — can I start again?: Yes. Ask to disconnect it: bernard's link to that account is removed (the account itself stays yours, untouched), the shop pauses selling, and a fresh setup lets you connect the right one. Disconnecting is deliberate — you'll be asked to confirm before it happens, the same way page changes wait for your approval.