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Coinbase Gateway

Coinbase is an external gateway for accepting cryptocurrency payments. You connect it through a Coinbase Commerce account.

Important (invoice-based only):

Coinbase is not available as a direct checkout element. It is available only through manual orders and invoice-based payments. The customer receives an invoice link and chooses Coinbase as the payment method. To collect crypto from a customer, create a Manual Order and send them an invoice (see Supported Payment Methods).

Fees on this gateway:

Payments AI charges a 1% platform fee per transaction for Coinbase, on top of Coinbase Commerce fees. See Pricing and Fees.

Prerequisites​

  • Coinbase Commerce account: Required to connect this gateway. If you do not have one, apply at coinbase.com/commerce.

Step-by-step setup​

The connection has three required inputs: an API key, a webhook endpoint, and a tolerance percentage.

1. Create the API key in Coinbase​

  1. In Coinbase Commerce, go to Settings → Security (https://beta.commerce.coinbase.com/settings/security).
  2. Create a new API key.
  3. Copy the new key.

2. Paste the API key into Payments AI​

  1. In Payments AI, go to the Gateways panel.
  2. On the Coinbase card, click Connect.
  3. Paste your API key and click Next step.

3. Add the webhook endpoint in Coinbase​

  1. In Payments AI, copy the URL shown after entering the API key.
  2. In Coinbase Commerce, go to Settings → Notifications (https://beta.commerce.coinbase.com/settings/notifications).
  3. Click Add an endpoint, paste the full URL, and save.

4. Verify and set tolerance percentage​

  1. Return to Payments AI and click Next. Verification can take up to 60 seconds.
  2. After successful verification, click Success.
  3. Enter a Tolerance Percentage.
  4. Wait for the final confirmation call from the gateway. The connection is then ready.

Tolerance percentage​

Cryptocurrency amounts can shift between the moment a payment is quoted and when it settles. The tolerance percentage defines the acceptable variance for a payment to be considered complete.

  • Default: 5%
  • Range: 0 to 100 (a single value covering both under- and over-payment)

A higher tolerance accepts a wider variance between the quoted and settled amount; a tolerance of 0 requires an exact match. When a payment falls outside the tolerance, it is not treated as complete.

Additional requirements​

Two situations can block a successful connection even after the steps above:

  • Ethereum wallet requirement: Coinbase often requires an Ethereum wallet on your account before it can be fully active. Add one in Coinbase under Settings → Deposits.
  • Payments AI whitelisting: If the connection still fails, whitelist the Payments AI server in Coinbase. Go to Settings → Security (https://beta.commerce.coinbase.com/settings/security), click Whitelist a domain, paste https://api.payments.ai, and confirm. Then retry the webhook verification in Payments AI.