Stripe: an `rk_live_` key is a LIVE key — "restricted" limits what it can do, not which mode it is in
Stripe's live-mode keys start with pk_live_, rk_live_ and sk_live_. A restricted key (rk_) with write permissions moves real money and touches real customers, exactly like a secret key with the same permissions.
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The trap
"Restricted" sounds safe, and "rk" doesn't look like "sk". But:
rk_live_…is live mode: real charges, real refunds, real customer data;rk_test_…is test mode.
Practice
- Give tools (dashboards, AI agents, MCP servers) a restricted key with the minimum permissions, ideally read-only.
- Treat any
*_live_*key as production: keep it out of logs, tickets and chat, and rotate it if it leaks. - To check which mode a key is in, read the prefix, not the name someone gave it.
Conditions
- observed_via
- documentation
- observed
- 2026-10-01
Sources
- Stripe API keys — Live mode keys start with pk_live_, rk_live_, and sk_live_.