Pick Stripe Link CLI when
- A human user is at the wheel and wants to approve every purchase.
- You're in the US (Link CLI is US-only).
- Per-purchase spend will stay under $500.
Pick CardForAgent when
- The agent runs unattended; no human to tap "approve".
- You want a pre-set per-card spend cap, not per-purchase consent.
- You're outside the US (Link CLI not yet available).
Side-by-side
| Feature | Stripe Link CLI | CardForAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Approval model | Per-purchase, in Link app | Pre-set per-card limit |
| Geographic | US only | Sandbox now, expanding |
| Cap | $500 / spend request | Set yours |
| Funding source | User's Link wallet | Pre-loaded balance |
| Best for | High-trust attended spend | Capped autonomous spend |
Honest take
Link CLI and CardForAgent solve adjacent problems — they're only "alternatives" for a slice of the use cases in the middle. Many teams use both: Link CLI for user-attended high-trust spend, CardForAgent for autonomous capped tasks.