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PCI Compliance

Implement PCI DSS compliance requirements for secure handling of payment card data and payment…

PCI Compliance gives you a practical path through PCI DSS: the 12 core requirements, the four compliance levels, and the SAQ types, while showing you how to shrink your audit scope dramatically. The core strategy is to keep card data off your servers entirely through hosted payments and tokenization, dropping you from a 300-question SAQ D to a roughly 20-question SAQ A. It includes the encryption, access control, audit logging, and data-minimization patterns that turn 'compliant' from a checklist into working code.

$15 one-time
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Prices include 20% VAT. · Forged on real agency work · one-time, no lock-in

  • Type Skill
  • Category Security
  • Delivery Email · instant
  • License One-time
Run preview
forgehouse, pci-compliance

Inside the run · no black box

See the actual work before you buy it.

The gap between a 20-question self-assessment and a 300-question audit is one architecture decision. This skill shrinks PCI scope first, then locks down whatever card data is left.

  1. Map the card data flow and pick the smallest possible PCI scope: a hosted payment page lands you in SAQ A (about 20 questions), an embedded Stripe.js form in SAQ A-EP (about 180), server-side card handling in SAQ D (about 300 plus annual pentest and QSA audit), so scope reduction is the first decision, not an afterthought.
  2. Enforce data minimization: CVV, full track data and PIN are never stored, PAN is masked to first 6 plus last 4 in every log through the sanitize routine, and a storage validator raises before any prohibited field can reach the database.
  3. Tokenize: card data turns into a token client-side, the server only ever sees tok_/pm_ identifiers, and the database stores customer_id plus payment_method_id, nothing else; if a custom vault is unavoidable it runs AES with cryptographic random tokens, never the standard random module.
  4. Encrypt both states: AES-256-GCM with a random nonce for data at rest, TLS 1.2+ with secure, httponly, samesite cookies for data in transit.
  5. Gate and record access: a pci_access role decorator blocks unauthorized reads, and every cardholder data access is written to an append-only audit log with timestamp, user, resource, action, result and IP, retained per Requirement 10.
  6. Close with the 6-category compliance checklist (network security, data protection, vulnerability management, access control, monitoring, policy) and sweep the known violation list, stored CVV, unencrypted PAN, default passwords, missing logs, before any assessment.
Use cases · what happens when you plug it in

One power source. 6 lines out.

pci-compliance · core

core active · 6 lines

  1. Building a payment-processing system that handles card data

    ✓ building a payment-proce…

  2. Reducing PCI scope from SAQ D toward SAQ A

    ✓ reducing pci scope from

  3. Implementing tokenization so PAN never hits your server

    ✓ implementing tokenizatio…

  4. Encrypting cardholder data at rest and in transit

    ✓ encrypting cardholder data

  5. Setting up audit logging for all cardholder-data access

    ✓ setting up audit logging

  6. Preparing for a PCI DSS self-assessment

    ✓ preparing for a pci dss
Benefits · what you walk away with

Yours to keep.

Drag time forward. Watch what stays.

Forever

That's what owning means.

The rented stack

ai writing tool: subscription

expired · access lost

analytics suite: subscription

expired · access lost

design platform: subscription

expired · access lost

(nothing left)

Your forge

  1. Cut audit cost and effort by keeping card data off your systems

    license: perpetual

  2. Avoid the most common violations like storing CVV or unencrypted PAN

    license: perpetual

  3. Build customer payment trust with the right security signals

    license: perpetual

  4. Make compliance enforceable in code, not just documented on paper

    license: perpetual

subscriptions expire · deeds don't

What's included · the full manifest

Everything in the box.

Pick a piece up. Watch it work.

The 12 PCI DSS requirements mapped to six defense categories

part 01 of 06 · in the box

6 parts · one working system · ships instantly by email

Who it's for

This wasn't forged for everyone.

  • Not for you if you'd rather rent a tool than own one.
  • Not for you if you want someone else to run your stack.
  • Not for you if you're happy guessing.
Still here? Good.

Engineering teams handling payment card data who need to meet PCI DSS while keeping their compliance scope and audit cost as small as possible.

then this was forged for you.

Works with

Universal by design: these run in any AI. Delivered in the open Agent Skills + MCP format (native in Claude); ChatGPT, Gemini, Cursor and Copilot adapt the same files their own way.

  • Claude Native format
  • ChatGPT Adapts via open standards
  • Gemini Adapts via open standards
  • Cursor Adapts via open standards
  • Copilot Adapts via open standards
Questions · still in the air

Catch what's on your mind.

the air is clear. nothing between you and the forge.
catch a spark: the forge will answer

  1. We already use a hosted checkout like Stripe, is this still relevant?

    Yes, that's exactly the strategy it codifies: hosted payments plus tokenization keep PAN off your servers and qualify you for SAQ A territory. The skill helps you confirm the remaining scope, the roughly 20 questions you still answer, and implement the controls behind them.

  2. How does it actually shrink the audit from 300 questions to about 20?

    By eliminating cardholder-data storage: tokenization patterns (processor tokens or a custom AES-256 vault) mean your systems never hold raw PAN, which moves you from SAQ D toward SAQ A. What remains: access control, audit logging, prohibited-data validation, ships as code patterns, not just policy documents.

  3. Does following it make me officially PCI certified?

    No. It prepares the self-assessment and implements the technical controls, but formal validation: the SAQ attestation or a QSA audit, depending on your level, is a process you complete with your acquirer. Certification is paperwork plus evidence; this skill builds the evidence.

  4. How is it delivered?

    By email right after purchase: ready to run, downloaded instantly, no setup wait.

  5. One-time or subscription?

    A one-time purchase; no subscription or hidden fees. VAT (20%) is included.

  6. Can I get a refund?

    As a digital product, it can’t be refunded once downloaded. That’s why we show exactly what’s inside and who it’s for, right here.

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