# AffiliateOS

> Agent-native affiliate infrastructure. Publishers connect the affiliate network
> accounts they already own — Awin, Impact, CJ, Rakuten and Amazon — and AffiliateOS
> normalizes programs, links, transactions and commissions into one schema exposed to
> AI agents over MCP and REST.

## What it is, precisely

AffiliateOS is **publisher-side** infrastructure: it is for people and agents that
*earn* affiliate commissions. It is not merchant-side software for a brand running its
own affiliate program, and it is not an affiliate network — the networks listed below
are things you connect to it.

It is **BYOC** (bring your own credentials). You supply API credentials from network
accounts you already hold; the networks pay your commissions directly to you.
AffiliateOS is never in the payment flow, takes no revenue share, and does not rewrite
your links through anyone else's accounts. It also cannot get you accepted into a
network or a merchant program.

The core abstraction is the **attribution tag**: one slug per campaign, placement or
conversation. A tag is translated into each network's own sub-ID convention on the way
out and resolved back to the same tag when the conversion syncs in, so earnings from
five networks can be grouped by one label. That closes the loop an agent needs — mint
links under distinct tags, read `get_earnings_summary`, reallocate toward what earns.

Commissions move through **pending → approved → paid**, with **reversed** possible
(returns, fraud). Networks typically validate 30–90 days after the click. Only
approved and paid are real money.

## Connect

MCP server (streamable HTTP, 18 tools): `https://api.affiliateos.dev/mcp`

Add it as a custom connector in Claude, ChatGPT or any MCP client and authorize
through the sign-in popup — OAuth 2.1 with PKCE, no API keys in agent config.
Unauthenticated requests return 401 with protected-resource metadata so compliant
clients negotiate automatically. API keys (`Authorization: Bearer aff_live_…`) work
everywhere MCP does, for REST clients and clients without an OAuth flow.

- [Connect your assistant](https://affiliateos.dev/docs/connect): per-client setup, config-file fallback, troubleshooting
- [Quickstart](https://affiliateos.dev/docs): zero to a tracked link and an earnings readout

## MCP tools (18)

- **Discovery** (7): `list_connected_networks`, `search_programs`, `get_program`, `resolve_url`, `search_products`, `get_sync_status`, `connect_network_instructions`
- **Links & attribution** (4): `create_attribution_tag`, `list_attribution_tags`, `create_link`, `bulk_create_links`
- **Earnings & events** (7): `get_transactions`, `get_earnings_summary`, `get_payments`, `import_earnings`, `get_earnings_import_template`, `check_events`, `subscribe_webhook`

- [Full MCP reference](https://affiliateos.dev/docs/mcp): every tool with parameters and return shapes
- [REST API](https://affiliateos.dev/docs/api): the same surface over HTTP under /v1, with API-key auth
- [Webhooks](https://affiliateos.dev/docs/webhooks): signed push delivery on commission and program state changes
- [Agent skill files](https://affiliateos.dev/docs/agents): markdown that teaches any agent the whole surface without MCP

## Networks

- [Awin](https://affiliateos.dev/docs/networks/awin): syncs programs, transactions; attribution tags ride `clickref`
- [Impact](https://affiliateos.dev/docs/networks/impact): syncs programs, transactions, payments, product search; attribution tags ride `subId1`
- [CJ (Commission Junction)](https://affiliateos.dev/docs/networks/cj): syncs programs, transactions, product search; attribution tags ride `sid`
- [Rakuten Advertising](https://affiliateos.dev/docs/networks/rakuten): syncs programs, transactions; attribution tags ride `u1`
- [Amazon Associates](https://affiliateos.dev/docs/networks/amazon): syncs product search; attribution tags ride `ascsubtag`

- [Network overview](https://affiliateos.dev/docs/networks): what syncs per network and where credentials come from
- [Attribution tags](https://affiliateos.dev/docs/attribution): how one tag round-trips through five sub-ID conventions

## How it compares

- [AffiliateOS vs Strackr](https://affiliateos.dev/compare/strackr): Multi-network affiliate aggregator and dashboard — Both aggregate your own network accounts, and neither takes a cut of your commissions.
- [AffiliateOS vs Skimlinks and Sovrn](https://affiliateos.dev/compare/skimlinks): Automatic link monetizers — The difference is who holds the merchant relationship and who gets paid.
- [AffiliateOS vs Impact](https://affiliateos.dev/compare/impact): Affiliate network and partnership management platform — These are not alternatives.
- [AffiliateOS vs CJ Affiliate](https://affiliateos.dev/compare/cj-affiliate): Affiliate network (formerly Commission Junction) — These sit at different layers.

## Compliance

Affiliate links require disclosure wherever they are published, and that does not
change when an agent places them — the human publisher remains the accountable party.
AffiliateOS uses official network APIs with the user's own credentials, documents its
sub-ID usage per network, and does no cross-account pooling or link brokering.

- [Disclosure and network ToS](https://affiliateos.dev/docs/disclosure): what applies to agent-placed links

## FAQ

**Do I need to know how to code?**
No, and you never need to open a terminal. Connecting is a settings screen in Claude or ChatGPT: add a custom connector, paste one URL, sign in through the popup. After that you talk to your assistant in plain English — "find me a running-shoe program I'm approved for and make me a link" — and it does the work. The command line and the API are there for people who want them, not because setup requires them.

**Do you take a cut of commissions?**
No. Commissions flow from the networks to you exactly as they do today, because we're not in the payment path. Pricing is on infrastructure (networks connected, volume), never a percentage of earnings.

**What do I need to get started?**
Existing affiliate network accounts. That's what BYOC means: you connect your assistant from its settings screen, then paste API credentials from each network dashboard once (there's a step-by-step guide per network). We can't get you accepted into networks or programs.

**Which networks are supported?**
Awin, Impact, CJ and Rakuten with full program, link and transaction sync. Amazon Associates works for established accounts via the Creators API. Amazon requires roughly ten qualifying sales in the trailing 30 days for API access, and exposes product search and links but no earnings feed.

**Is this compatible with network terms of service?**
That's the design goal: official APIs only, your own credentials, sub-ID usage documented per network, no cross-account pooling or link brokering. Standard affiliate disclosure rules (FTC and equivalents) still apply wherever your links get published, agent-placed or not.

**What if I don’t use MCP?**
The entire surface has REST parity with API keys and webhooks. MCP is how agents connect; it is not a dependency. n8n workflows, cron jobs and custom code are first-class.

## Optional

- [Terms of Service](https://affiliateos.dev/terms): legal terms
- [Privacy Policy](https://affiliateos.dev/privacy): what data is stored and for how long