> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.commercelayer.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.commercelayer.io/how-tos/placing-orders/auto-capture.md).

# Auto-capture

How to make sure your payments are automatically captured as soon as they are authorized

Commerce Layer APIs handle the authorization and capture steps of the payment process separately so that users can have full control over every single stage of the payment flow.

Still, there are scenarios when you may need to simplify the payment process by unifying those two steps of the transaction into a unique workflow.

{% hint style="info" %}
This is especially useful when the selected payment method doesn't support the manual capture or when you want to ensure that the settlement happens immediately after the authorization itself.
{% endhint %}


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