User Account Management

Plaid makes an API available for partners who want to give their users the ability to view and control the apps to which their accounts are connected. These APIs permit Partners to list connected apps and accounts, receive notifications when new applications are linked, and to unlink applications. With this API, a partner can implement an experience on their own user-facing property which offers users fine-grained control of their Plaid connection.

Plaid Exchange partners will want to implement a dashboard to provide users the ability to manage the Plaid apps connected to their accounts. Plaid provides a means to populate that dashboard, by providing a way to enumerate connected applications for a given user, and accounts connected to those applications. Plaid provides app names, developer information, and logos to display.

1The partner’s backend receives this request and makes an authenticated request to Plaid to list the application links for the user.

2Plaid validates the request, then returns a list of the user’s linked applications, and the accounts linked to those applications.

3The partner parses the response from Plaid and returns it to the user’s device, where it is rendered within the UI of the Partner's app or website.

When a returning user, i.e. one who has already connected an account at the Partner’s institution to a Plaid app, connects additional applications to their account, the subsequent account linking may not trigger an additional partner authorization. In order for the partner to know when their user accounts are connected to Plaid apps, e.g. to send an email to the user or push notifications to their mobile device, Plaid will send notifications to the partner.

1Plaid identifies the user returning in another app, and presents them with a list of connected accounts available to connect to the new app.

2The user makes a selection and Plaid connects the requested accounts to the new app.

3Plaid simultaneously sends a NewApplicationLinkNotification to the partner, enabling them to update their view of the user’s connected apps. This way, the Partner’s first-party account link management experience can be kept in sync with activity in other Plaid apps.

4The partner updates their view of the user’s connected apps and takes any subsequent actions, such as triggering a push notification.

When a user is inside the partner’s app or online dashboard, they may choose to disconnect Plaid apps connected to their account. After processing this action and updating its view of the user’s permissioned account links, the partner should send a notification to Plaid.

1From within the Partner's app or online banking portal, a user chooses to disconnect their accounts from an app.

2The Partner processes the action, including updating whatever state it keeps related to permissioned accounts, then updates the UI to show the user that the app has been disconnected.

3The Partner sends an ApplicationUnlinkNotification to Plaid, which has the user_id and application_id as request parameters.

4Plaid updates its state of the user and accounts involved, including removing access from the disconnected application.

1Plaid updates its state of the user and accounts involved, then updates the UI to show the user that the app has been disconnected.

2Plaid sends a ApplicationUnlinkNotification to the partner, which has the user_id and application_id involved.

3The Partner processes the disconnection and updates its permissioned account state.