> This page is for version v1.
> For other versions, use one of these documentation indexes:
> - v2 (default): https://docs.paid.ai/v-2/llms.txt
> - v1: https://docs.paid.ai/v-1/llms.txt

> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.paid.ai/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.paid.ai/_mcp/server.

# Your First 10 Minutes with Paid: From Signup to First Invoice

> Follow this tutorial to get started with Paid and complete your first billing setup.

## Introduction

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to:

1. **Create your first Product** with pricing configuration
2. **Create a Customer** to bill
3. **Create an Order** linking a Customer to your Product
4. **Integrate Paid's API** to send Signals from your AI agents
5. **Generate invoices** based on usage

By the end of this guide, you'll have a functioning billing workflow that collects Signals from your AI agents and automatically invoices your customers based on usage.

Before you begin, check that you have:

* **A Paid account**: Sign up at [app.paid.ai](https://app.paid.ai) to get access to the Paid dashboard.
* **API Credentials**: You'll need an API key to integrate your application with Paid.

Let's get started!

## Step 1: Create Your First Product

A Product in Paid represents the AI agent or service you want to bill for.

1. Navigate to [**Configure > Products**](https://app.paid.ai/products) in the sidebar
2. Click **Create**
3. Fill in the product details:
   * **Product name** (required): A recognizable name (e.g., "AI SDR"). This appears on invoices.
   * **Description** (optional): What this product does (e.g., "Automates SDR outreach activities")
   * **External ID** (optional): Your internal identifier for API integration
   * **Product code** (optional): Identifier for accounting purposes

> Tip: If you have multiple AI agents (sales chatbot, support bot, etc.), create a separate Product for each so they can be tracked and billed independently.

## Step 2: Configure Pricing

After entering product details, add pricing using the dropdown menu. You can combine multiple pricing types:

### Pricing Options

* **One-time fee**

  A single charge when a customer signs up or onboards.

* **Platform fee**

  A recurring flat fee (monthly/annual) for ongoing platform access.

* **Per seat**

  A recurring charge per user or seat.

* **Usage pricing**

  Variable charges based on **activity Signals**, which are events your AI agent performs (e.g., emails sent, messages processed, API calls made).

* **Outcome pricing**

  Variable charges based on **outcome Signals**, which are successful results (e.g., meetings booked, leads qualified, tickets resolved).

### Adding Pricing

1. Click the **Add pricing** dropdown
2. Select a pricing type
3. Configure the details (amount, billing frequency, signal event name)
4. Repeat to add additional pricing types if needed

### Example: AI SDR Product

For an AI SDR agent, you might configure:

* **Platform fee**: \$500/month base
* **Usage pricing**: \$0.10 per email sent (activity signal: `email_sent`)
* **Outcome pricing**: \$50 per meeting booked (outcome signal: `meeting_booked`)

Click **Finish** to create the product, or **Save as draft** to continue later.

## Step 3: Create a Customer

Before you can create an Order, you need a Customer to bill.

1. Navigate to **Customers** in the sidebar
2. Click **Create**
3. Fill in the customer details:
   * **Name** (required): The company or individual name
   * **Email**: Contact email for invoices
   * **External ID**: Your internal customer identifier (useful for API integration)
   * **Billing Address**: For invoice generation
4. Click **Create** to save

> Tip: Customers can also be created automatically via API when you start sending Signals.

## Step 4: Create an Order

An Order links a Customer to your Products and defines the billing agreement.

1. Navigate to **Orders** in the sidebar
2. Click **Create**
3. Select the **Customer** you created
4. Add line items:
   * Click to add your Product(s) to the order
   * The pricing you configured will apply automatically
5. Set the order dates (start date, end date if applicable)
6. Click **Create** to finalize

The Order is now active. Any Signals sent for this Customer-Product combination will be tracked and billed according to your pricing rules.

## Step 5: Integrate Paid's API

Now integrate your application to send Signals whenever your AI agent performs billable actions.

### Get Your API Key

1. Click on **Settings** (gear icon)
2. Navigate to **API Keys**
3. Click **Create New API Key**
4. Copy the key securely. You won't see it again

### Send Signals

Whenever your AI agent performs an action, send a Signal to Paid:

```json
{
  "event_name": "email_sent",
  "product_id": "YOUR_PRODUCT_ID",
  "customer_id": "YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID",
  "data": {
    "subject": "Follow-up on our conversation",
    "recipient": "prospect@example.com"
  }
}
```

Use Paid's SDKs for easier integration:

#### Python

```python
from paid import Paid, SignalV2

client = Paid(token="YOUR_API_KEY")

client.usage.record_bulk_v2(signals=[
    SignalV2(
        event_name="email_sent",
        product_id="YOUR_PRODUCT_ID",
        customer_id="YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID",
        data={"subject": "Follow-up"}
    )
])
```

#### Node.js

```typescript
import { PaidClient } from '@paid-ai/paid-node';

const client = new PaidClient({ token: 'YOUR_API_KEY' });

await client.usage.recordBulkV2({
  signals: [{
    eventName: 'email_sent',
    productId: 'YOUR_PRODUCT_ID',
    customerId: 'YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID',
    data: { subject: 'Follow-up' }
  }]
});
```

> Tip: Use `external_product_id` and `external_customer_id` if you prefer to reference your own internal IDs.

## Step 6: View Signals and Test

After sending Signals, verify they're being received:

1. Navigate to **Signals** in the sidebar
2. You should see your test Signals listed with:
   * Timestamp
   * Event name
   * Customer ID
   * Product ID
   * Any associated costs

> Tip: Send a few test Signals to verify the integration before going live.

## Step 7: Review Invoices

Paid automatically generates invoices based on your billing configuration:

1. Navigate to **Invoices** → **Library** in the sidebar
2. Find the invoice for your test Customer
3. Review the itemized charges. You should see:
   * Any fixed fees (platform fee, setup fee)
   * Usage charges with quantities and rates

If the invoice doesn't look right, go back to your Product and adjust the pricing configuration.

## Next Steps

You now have a complete billing workflow! Here's what to explore next:

* **Costs**: Track your AI provider costs alongside revenue
* **Plans**: Bundle products into subscription plans
* **Credits**: Set up prepaid credit systems