name: persona-core-workflow-a description: 'Build a complete KYC verification flow with Persona inquiries and embedded UI.
Use when implementing identity verification, building KYC onboarding,
or integrating Persona''s hosted flow into your application.
Trigger with phrases like "persona KYC flow", "identity verification",
"persona inquiry workflow", "onboarding verification".
' allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash(npm:*), Grep version: 2.0.0 license: MIT author: Jeremy Longshore jeremy@intentsolutions.io tags:
- saas
- persona
- kyc
- verification
- onboarding compatibility: Designed for Claude Code, also compatible with Codex and OpenClaw
Persona Core Workflow A — KYC Inquiry Flow
Overview
Build a complete KYC onboarding flow: create an inquiry from a template, embed the Persona verification UI in your web app, handle completion callbacks, and store verification results.
Prerequisites
- Completed
persona-install-authsetup - Inquiry Template configured in Persona Dashboard
- Web application with a frontend (React, HTML, etc.)
Instructions
Step 1: Backend — Create Inquiry Endpoint
// server.ts — Express endpoint to create inquiries
import express from 'express';
import axios from 'axios';
const app = express();
app.use(express.json());
const persona = axios.create({
baseURL: 'https://withpersona.com/api/v1',
headers: {
'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.PERSONA_API_KEY}`,
'Persona-Version': '2023-01-05',
},
});
app.post('/api/verify', async (req, res) => {
const { userId, email } = req.body;
const { data } = await persona.post('/inquiries', {
data: {
attributes: {
'inquiry-template-id': process.env.PERSONA_TEMPLATE_ID,
'reference-id': userId,
'fields': {
'email-address': { type: 'string', value: email },
},
},
},
});
res.json({
inquiryId: data.data.id,
sessionToken: data.data.attributes['session-token'],
});
});
Step 2: Frontend — Embed Persona Flow
<!-- Include Persona's JavaScript SDK -->
<script src="https://cdn.withpersona.com/dist/persona-v5.0.0.js"></script>
<button id="verify-btn">Verify Identity</button>
<script>
document.getElementById('verify-btn').addEventListener('click', async () => {
// Get inquiry from your backend
const resp = await fetch('/api/verify', {
method: 'POST',
headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
body: JSON.stringify({ userId: 'user-123', email: 'alice@example.com' }),
});
const { inquiryId, sessionToken } = await resp.json();
// Launch Persona embedded flow
const client = new Persona.Client({
inquiryId,
sessionToken,
onComplete: ({ inquiryId, status }) => {
console.log(`Verification ${status} for inquiry ${inquiryId}`);
// Notify your backend
fetch(`/api/verify/${inquiryId}/complete`, { method: 'POST' });
},
onCancel: ({ inquiryId }) => {
console.log('User cancelled verification');
},
onError: (error) => {
console.error('Persona error:', error);
},
});
client.open();
});
</script>
Step 3: Backend — Handle Completion
app.post('/api/verify/:inquiryId/complete', async (req, res) => {
const { inquiryId } = req.params;
// Fetch the completed inquiry from Persona
const { data } = await persona.get(`/inquiries/${inquiryId}`);
const attrs = data.data.attributes;
const result = {
inquiryId,
status: attrs.status, // completed, approved, declined
referenceId: attrs['reference-id'], // your user ID
createdAt: attrs['created-at'],
completedAt: attrs['completed-at'],
};
// Store in your database
await db.users.update(result.referenceId, {
kycStatus: result.status,
kycInquiryId: result.inquiryId,
kycCompletedAt: result.completedAt,
});
res.json({ status: result.status });
});
Step 4: Resume Incomplete Inquiries
app.get('/api/verify/resume/:userId', async (req, res) => {
// Find existing incomplete inquiry for this user
const { data } = await persona.get('/inquiries', {
params: {
'filter[reference-id]': req.params.userId,
'filter[status]': 'created',
'page[size]': 1,
},
});
if (data.data.length > 0) {
const inquiry = data.data[0];
// Resume the existing inquiry instead of creating a new one
const resumeResp = await persona.post(`/inquiries/${inquiry.id}/resume`);
res.json({
inquiryId: inquiry.id,
sessionToken: resumeResp.data.data.attributes['session-token'],
});
} else {
res.json({ message: 'No pending inquiry' });
}
});
Output
- Backend endpoint creating inquiries from templates
- Embedded Persona verification UI in web app
- Completion callback storing verification results
- Resume flow for incomplete verifications
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
422 Invalid template | Wrong template ID | Verify itmpl_* in Dashboard |
| SDK not loading | CSP blocking CDN | Add cdn.withpersona.com to CSP |
onComplete not firing | User abandoned flow | Use onCancel handler |
| Stale session token | Token expired | Create new inquiry or resume |
Resources
Next Steps
- Add verification checks:
persona-core-workflow-b - Set up webhooks:
persona-webhooks-events