Go from idea to first paying customer with your coding agent and the Whop CLI

I write the developer tutorials at Whop, and most of them are code. This one is mostly prompts, because the parts of starting a business that pull you out of your editor aren't code: creating a product, setting a price, forming an LLC, and verifying your identity so you can get paid.

The Whop CLI lets your coding agent, like Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex, do most of this from your terminal. We're going to go through it in five steps, and each step has a prompt you can paste into your agent. We ran every prompt through a coding agent before publishing, and the dialogues below are shortened from those runs, with made-up founders.

The original post has a one-minute video of an agent forming an LLC through the Whop CLI, and prompt cards that open straight in Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex. You can find it on the Whop blog.

Step 1: Prepare your tools

Throughout this tutorial, we're only going to use a single tool: the Whop CLI. It lets you take actions on Whop from your terminal, and it lets your agent do the same with the prompts you give it.

First, let's install the Whop CLI and log in to your Whop account:

npm install -g @whop/cli
whop login --method oauth

Keep in mind that once you log in, the CLI acts on your live Whop account. That's why every prompt in this tutorial asks the agent to show you what it's going to do before it does it.

There are also three things you'll do yourself on Whop.com: add apps to your whop if you're selling a membership to it, use the LLC formation wizard if any founder lives in the US (since it's the safe place to enter a Social Security number), and verify your identity.

Step 2: Create your product

Now, let's create a product. Products on Whop always have a name, a price, and what the buyer gets once the purchase is complete.

First, let's plan out what you want to sell:

I want to sell [what you're selling] to [who it's for]. Ask me what I still need to decide, one question at a time. Then write a product name, headline, description, price, and how the buyer receives it. Tell me if this may fall under Whop's prohibited businesses list. Don't invent facts.

Then, create the product and set its price:

Use the Whop CLI. On my Whop business [business name], or a new one if I don't have it, add a product called [product name] with the headline [headline] and description [description]. Add a [one-time or monthly] price of [price]. Show me the values first. Then tell me exactly what a buyer pays at checkout and give me the link.

If you're shipping a physical product, add "collect a shipping address at checkout" to the prompt above. It's easiest to set this when you create the product.

Step 3: Decide what the buyer gets

The product is ready, but buyers don't get anything in return yet. Depending on what you're selling, the setup is different:

Your agent can read the Whop docs page that fits your setup and walk you through it, even if buyers get access inside your own app:

Use the Whop CLI. On my Whop business [business name], a buyer of [product name] should receive [what they get] after paying. Read the page below that fits, and check Whop's docs for anything it doesn't cover:
- Physical products: https://docs.whop.com/supported-business-models/dtc-ecommerce.md
- In-store sales: https://docs.whop.com/supported-business-models/brick-and-mortar.md
- Events: https://docs.whop.com/supported-business-models/events.md
- Client work: https://docs.whop.com/supported-business-models/agency-services.md
- In my own software: https://docs.whop.com/supported-business-models/saas.md
- On Whop: https://whop.com/blog/add-apps-to-whop.md
Then tell me whether they'll get it directly from me, in my own software, or on Whop. Show me what you'd change and wait for my OK. If any part needs code or happens outside Whop, tell me exactly what I have to do. Then tell me how to check a buyer receives it.

Step 4: Form the LLC

Choose a state and check the name

For most businesses, the most straightforward option is to form the LLC in the state where you live and do business. But you can also live in one state and form your LLC in another. Wyoming is the default on Whop, and Delaware is another popular option.

• If you live in the US: Forming in your own state means one set of fees. If you form somewhere else and run the business from home, you usually have to register in your home state too, so you pay that state's annual fees and taxes on top. Our LLC guide covers this in more detail.
• If you live outside the US: Your country's taxes still apply, and the LLC files a US tax form every year. Which form depends on how many owners it has. Our guide on starting an LLC outside the US covers this in more detail.

Let's choose a state and check the name:

I want a US LLC. I live in [country, plus state if in the US] and I'll run the business from [place]. Explain what forming in [state] means for me, including what I may owe at home. Say what you're unsure of and don't choose for me. Then give me the state's official name search so I can check [business name]. Don't say a name is free unless you saw it there.

Launch the LLC

After the prompt below, your agent asks for the founders' details. Then, based on where the founders live, it either asks for your OK to submit or sends you to the LLC formation wizard. It won't pay for anything.

Use the Whop CLI to help me form an LLC on my Whop business [business name]. Company name: [company name]. State: [state].
Ask me for each founder's details. Never ask for or accept a Social Security number in this chat.
If any founder has a US home address, stop. Look up my business ID. Give me https://whop.com/form-company/ followed by that ID, and a list of what to type there.
Otherwise, show me every value and wait for my OK before you send it. Then give me the checkout link and total.
Use a new idempotency key after any error. If you get a business type error, wait a minute and retry once, then stop and tell me.
Don't choose a state, split or add-on for me. Don't pay for anything.

What the agent won't do

This is the longest prompt in the tutorial because it's the step where a wrong guess costs the most. Each line is there for a reason:

• It never takes a Social Security number. If any founder has a US home address, the agent stops and sends you to Whop's LLC formation wizard, where you type the number yourself. That way, it never ends up in your chat history.
• It shows every value before sending. You confirm the founders, the ownership split, and the address before anything reaches Whop.
• It doesn't choose for you. The state, the ownership split, and add-ons like expedited EIN processing are your decisions, so the agent asks instead of filling in defaults.
• It doesn't pay. The agent stops at a checkout link and a total, and you pay yourself.
• It stops instead of looping. After an error, the agent uses a new idempotency key (a unique ID that tells Whop whether a request is new or a repeat), so the retry isn't mixed up with the failed request. A new business can also return a business type error on its first try, so the agent waits a minute, retries once, and then stops and tells you.

If one of the founders lives in the US

When a founder lives in the US, the prompt tells your agent to send you to the wizard. In our run, it went like this:

You: Ana Reyes is primary. [email protected], +1 307 555 0142, 100 Example Ave, Cheyenne, WY 82001, USA. Born 1990-06-15. 60%. Ben Cole. [email protected], +44 20 7946 0123, 10 Test Street, London, SW1A 1AA, UK. Born 1988-03-02. 40%. Use the registered agent address. No expedited EIN. No website.

Agent: Ana's home address is in the US, so I stopped here. Nothing was sent through the CLI and nothing was paid, so I don't have a checkout link or total for you.

Finish the filing on this page: https://whop.com/form-company/biz_abc123

(A table of what to type for the company and each founder.)

Social Security numbers: if the page asks for Ana's, type it only on that page, never in this chat.

Nothing from your chat carries over to the wizard, so you fill in your details again there. The wizard asks for the SSN in its Founders section. Then, you review the documents Whop prepares and go to checkout.

If all founders live outside the US

When every founder lives outside the US, there's no SSN to enter, so the agent stays in the CLI. It shows you every value, waits for your OK, and gives you the checkout link. In our run, it also caught a mistake before sending anything:

You: Ana Reyes is primary. [email protected], +44 20 7946 0123, 10 Test Street, London, Greater London, SW1A 1AA, UK. Born 1990-06-15. 60%. Ben Cole. [email protected], +44 20 7946 0124, 22 Sample Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M1 1AA, UK. Born 1988-03-02. 30%. Use the registered agent address. No expedited EIN. No website.

Agent: The ownership shares add up to 90%, not 100% (Ana 60% + Ben 30%). An LLC needs exactly 100%, and I won't pick the split for you, so nothing has been sent.

Both home addresses are in the UK, so the US stop doesn't apply and we can stay with the CLI.

(Every value it plans to send.)

You: Ben has 40%. Everything else is right. OK, send it.

Agent: The Lantern Labs LLC formation went through, and it's ready for you to pay.

• Checkout link: https://whop.com/checkout/ch_abc123/
• Total: $500.00 USD

I didn't open the link or pay anything. The formation status on the business is draft, and the CLI's spec says the filing is submitted once payment completes. So Whop has accepted these details for checkout, but nothing has been filed yet.

A Wyoming LLC costs $500 on Whop. After you complete the checkout, you sign Form SS-4, the IRS application for your EIN (your company's US tax ID). It can take up to 8 weeks to get your EIN unless you chose expedited EIN processing.

After the payment

Once you pay, Whop submits the application to the state. The status, your documents, and any signing links are attached to your business, so your agent can read them later through the CLI:

Use the Whop CLI. Read my Whop business [business name], including its company_formation field. Tell me the formation status, which documents are ready and what needs my signature, with links. Don't change anything.

Step 5: Your first sale

Now, you have a product, an LLC, and a way to deliver what your customers pay for. Your first customer will likely come from your circle, your waitlist, a community you're part of, or a small paid test.

Let's find your first customer:

I sell [product] at [price] to [who it's for]. My link is [checkout link]. Help me list the first ten people to contact from my network, waitlist or communities, and write one short, honest message for each group. Don't make up results.

Once someone pays, you can see it on Whop.com under Dashboard > Payments, or you can ask your agent for a breakdown. To withdraw, you need to verify your identity and add a payout method on Whop.com.

Let's start your identity verification:

Use the Whop CLI. Start identity verification for my Whop business [business name] and give me the hosted link. Don't ask me for ID numbers in this chat.

What's next

Now that you know how to go from an idea to a business without leaving your development environment, you can keep running it from the same place. Our guides on running your business from Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex, adding free trials, and adding promo codes cover what comes after your first sale. For everything else, check out the Whop developer docs.

If you try these prompts, let me know in the comments where your agent got stuck.