# Configure auto-respond settings for Smart Disputes

Automate evidence submission for your account and connected accounts.

Smart Disputes can automatically submit evidence for available disputes before the dispute deadline. This guide explains how to configure the auto-respond settings for your account type.

When auto-respond is enabled:

- You don’t miss dispute deadlines.
- We automatically submit evidence for available disputes.
- You spend less time manually managing disputes.

Smart Disputes determines eligibility based on dispute characteristics and available evidence. Not all disputes qualify for automatic submission.

You can manually submit evidence at any time, even with auto-respond enabled.

## Configure auto-respond 

1. Go to the [Disputes tab of the Payments settings page](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/disputes) in the Dashboard.
2. In the **Manage your evidence submission** section, next to **Smart Disputes**, turn on **Enable auto-respond**.

Changes apply immediately to disputes that still require a response. When you disable auto-respond, you accept and lose any dispute that you don’t respond to by the deadline.

For Connect platforms, this setting also applies to [separate charges and transfers](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/separate-charges-and-transfers.md).

> #### Connected accounts
> 
> If you’re a connected account, a platform can disable your ability to override the default setting for payments associated with that platform. If you can’t change it, contact the platform.

## Settings for Connect platforms 

As a platform, you control Smart Disputes auto-respond settings for your connected accounts. You can set a default for all connected accounts and choose whether they can override your default.

The following settings apply to [direct charges and destination charges](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/charges.md) (including destination on_behalf_of). Separate charges and transfers use the auto-respond setting in your platform’s Payments settings.

#### Dashboard

On the [Connect > Disputes settings](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/connect/disputes) page, configure your preferences:

- To turn auto-responses on or off by default for all connected accounts, use the **Enable auto-respond** toggle.
- To allow connected accounts with access to the full or Express Stripe Dashboard to control their own auto-responses, set **Let connected accounts turn Smart Disputes auto-respond on or off** to **Allow**.

For connected accounts with access to the Express Dashboard, you can allow them to choose between the auto-response or a manual response for each dispute by turning on **Smart Disputes** in the **Payments** section of your [Express Dashboard settings](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/connect/express-dashboard/features) page.

Changes apply immediately to disputes that still require a response.

### Default and override settings 

Smart Disputes have the following default and override settings:

- **Platform default**: All connected accounts inherit your platform setting unless you set an explicit override using the API, or you allow them to override it.
- **API overrides**: You can set individual account preferences using the Accounts API.
- **Connected account overrides**: If you allow overrides, connected accounts can change their own settings.

When you change your platform default, connected accounts with `preference`=`inherit` (or no explicit API override) immediately reflect your new default. Accounts with explicit overrides aren’t affected.

#### API

For more control over individual connected accounts, use the Accounts API to set the `smart_disputes` hash.

After you set an explicit `preference`, the account ignores platform-level default changes until you reset it to `inherit`.

| Field | Description | Values |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `preference` (writable) | Controls the intended behavior | - `on`: Enable auto-respond, and override the platform default
- `off`: Disable auto-respond, and override the platform default
- `inherit`: Use the platform’s default setting |
| `value` (read-only) | Shows the actual effective setting | - `on`: Auto-respond is currently enabled
- `off`: Auto-respond is currently disabled |

Example API call:

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/accounts/{{ACCOUNT_ID}} \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -H "Stripe-Version: 2026-02-25.preview" \
  -d "settings[smart_disputes][auto_respond][preference]=on"
```