stripe-pulse — Stripe SaaS Metrics CLI

Get MRR, ARR, churn, LTV, NRR, quick ratio, MRR movements, reactivations — directly from Stripe subscriptions.

Install: npm install -g stripe-pulse
Quick check: stripe-pulse mrr --json
Everything at once: stripe-pulse dashboard --json

When to Use

• User asks about MRR, revenue, churn, customers, or any SaaS metric
• User asks about returning customers, reactivations, or win-backs
• Updating pulse.md or state files that track MRR
• Running freshness guards that check Stripe data
• User wants to export metrics (CSV, markdown, JSON)
• User says "check stripe", "what's our MRR", "how's churn looking", "any reactivations"
• Comparing metrics across profiles/accounts

Quick Start

# First time: authenticate
stripe-pulse login

# Check MRR
stripe-pulse mrr --json
# → { "mrr": 392, "arr": 4704, "currency": "usd", "activeSubscriptions": 18, "breakdown": [...] }

# Full dashboard (most efficient — one call, all metrics)
stripe-pulse dashboard --json
# → { "mrr": ..., "churn": ..., "reactivatedCustomers": ..., "reactivations": [...], ... }

Authentication

Three-tier auth chain (highest priority wins):

1. --api-key <key> flag on any command
2. STRIPE_API_KEY environment variable
3. Credentials file at ~/.config/stripe-pulse/credentials.json

Multi-account: stripe-pulse mrr --profile activecalculator --json

Supports full keys (sk_live_*, sk_test_*) and restricted keys (rk_live_*, rk_test_*).

Commands

Single Metrics

Command	Returns	Key Fields
mrr --json	MRR + breakdown	mrr, arr, activeSubscriptions, breakdown[]
arr --json	Annual run rate	arr, mrr
customers --json	Count by status	activeSubscribers, trialingCustomers, pastDueCustomers
arpu --json	Avg revenue/user	arpu
ltv --json	Lifetime value	ltv, avgLifespanMonths, monthlyChurnRate
plans --json	Revenue by plan	[{ productName, mrr, subscriptionCount, interval }]
trials --json	Trial conversion	conversionRate, trialsStarted, trialsConverted

Period Metrics (default: last 30 days)

Command	Returns	Key Fields
churn --json	Customer churn %	customerChurnRate, customersLost, reactivatedCustomers
revenue-churn --json	Revenue churn %	revenueChurnRate, mrrLost
nrr --json	Net revenue retention	nrr, expansionMrr, churnedMrr
quick-ratio --json	Growth efficiency	quickRatio, reactivationMrr (>4 excellent, >1 healthy)
movements --json	MRR waterfall	newMrr, expansionMrr, contractionMrr, churnedMrr, reactivationMrr, netNewMrr, reactivations[]

Period flags: --from 2026-01-01 --to 2026-01-31

Customer Lists

Command	Returns	Key Fields
new-customers --json	New in period	count, reactivatedCount, reactivations[], customers[].email, .mrr
churned --json	Churned in period	count, customers[].email, .canceledAt
active --json	All active (by MRR desc)	count, customers[].email, .mrr

Dashboard (All-in-One)

stripe-pulse dashboard --json

Returns every metric in one call: mrr, arr, activeSubscribers, arpu, customerChurnRate, revenueChurnRate, ltv, nrr, quickRatio, reactivatedCustomers, reactivations[], trialConversionRate, mrrByPlan[], currency, dataAsOf.

This is the most efficient call. Use it when you need multiple metrics — one API batch instead of many.

Auth & Diagnostics

Command	Purpose
login	Save Stripe API key (interactive)
login --key sk_xxx --profile name	Non-interactive login
logout	Remove credentials
switch <profile>	Switch active profile
whoami --json	Show profile, masked key, mode
doctor --json	Diagnostic checks (version, node, API key, connection)

Global Flags

Flag	Effect
--json	Force JSON output
--profile <name>	Use specific Stripe account
--api-key <key>	Override API key for this request
--from <date>	Period start (YYYY-MM-DD)
--to <date>	Period end (YYYY-MM-DD)
--format csv	CSV output (for export)
--format markdown	Markdown table (for docs/updates)
--verbose	Extended output (reactivation details, extra context)
--chart	ASCII chart (MRR trend, plan bars)
--quiet	Suppress stderr, implies --json

Auto-JSON: When stdout is piped (non-TTY), JSON is automatic. No --json needed.

Reactivation Tracking

When a customer cancels and later resubscribes, Stripe creates a new subscription ID. stripe-pulse detects this by matching customer IDs across canceled and new subscriptions.

Classification rules:

• Matches at the customer ID level (industry standard — same as Baremetrics, ChartMogul, ProfitWell)
• Only paid reactivations count — free-tier returns are excluded (mrrCents > 0)
• 24h minimum gap — cancel/resub within 24 hours is treated as a plan switch, not reactivation
• One per customer — if a customer creates multiple new subs, only the most recent counts
• Churn still counts — reactivation is a separate positive MRR movement, not a reversal

Quick Ratio formula: (New + Expansion + Reactivation) / (Churn + Contraction)

Where reactivation data appears:

Command	Fields
dashboard --json	reactivatedCustomers, reactivations[]
movements --json	reactivationMrr, reactivations[]
churn --json	reactivatedCustomers (netted from customersLost for same-period)
new-customers --json	reactivatedCount, reactivations[] (filtered from customer list)
quick-ratio --json	reactivationMrr (in numerator)

Reactivation detail object:

{
  "customerId": "cus_abc",
  "previousSubscriptionId": "sub_old",
  "newSubscriptionId": "sub_new",
  "canceledAt": "2026-01-15",
  "reactivatedAt": "2026-03-01",
  "mrrCents": 2900
}

Output Formats

# JSON (for parsing)
stripe-pulse mrr --json

# CSV (for spreadsheets)
stripe-pulse active --format csv > customers.csv

# Markdown (for investor updates)
stripe-pulse dashboard --format markdown

# Chart (MRR trend + movements waterfall)
stripe-pulse mrr --chart

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1	API error (Stripe call failed)
2	Auth error (no key, invalid key)
3	Validation error (bad date, bad option)

Gotchas

• Always use --json when parsing output. Human output has ANSI colors that break parsing. Piped stdout auto-switches to JSON.
• dashboard --json is more efficient than individual commands. One parallel batch vs many sequential calls. Use it when you need 2+ metrics.
• customers counts unique customers, mrr counts subscriptions. A customer with 2 subscriptions = 1 customer but 2 in activeSubscriptions.
• Historical MRR (--chart) is approximate. Reconstructed from subscription timestamps using current pricing. Doesn't reflect past price changes.
• Period defaults to last 30 days. Always pass --from/--to for specific periods.
• Restricted keys work but show less info. Product names may show as price IDs if product read permission is missing.
• Benchmark strings only appear in human output. JSON has raw numbers only — no "⚠ High" or "✓ Good" strings.
• MRR breakdown is coupon-aware. Forever-duration discounts are distributed proportionally across plan items.
• new-customers totalMrr vs movements newMrr can differ. new-customers counts all subs created in period (including already-canceled). movements only counts currently active ones.
• Designed for early-stage SaaS (up to ~10,000 subscriptions). Under 500 subs: 2-3 seconds. 2,000+ subs: 15-30 seconds. No caching between commands.

Common Patterns

Get a single number

stripe-pulse mrr --json | jq .mrr
# → 392

Check if churn is concerning

stripe-pulse churn --json | jq '.customerChurnRate > 10'
# → true/false

Get churned customer emails

stripe-pulse churned --json | jq -r '.customers[].email'

Check for reactivations

stripe-pulse movements --json | jq '.reactivations'
# → [{ customerId, previousSubscriptionId, newSubscriptionId, canceledAt, reactivatedAt, mrrCents }]

stripe-pulse dashboard --json | jq '.reactivatedCustomers'
# → 2

Compare two accounts

stripe-pulse mrr --profile activecalculator --json | jq .mrr
stripe-pulse mrr --profile teamai --json | jq .mrr

Diagnose connection issues

stripe-pulse doctor --json | jq '.checks[] | select(.status == "fail")'