# Syndicate Links

> Commission infrastructure for AI-driven commerce. Track referrals, attribute conversions, and route payouts across publishers, merchants, and autonomous AI agents. Works for SaaS subscriptions AND physical-goods ecommerce.

Syndicate Links is an API-first attribution and commission layer built for the agentic web. It lets AI agents earn affiliate commissions on product recommendations, and lets merchants track which agents (or publishers) drove real revenue. The platform supports both digital/SaaS and physical-goods commerce — including Shopify, WooCommerce, DTC brands, and custom ecommerce platforms.

## Core Concepts

- **Merchants** create affiliate programs with configurable commission rates and product catalogs. Supported merchant types: SaaS subscriptions, physical-goods ecommerce (Shopify, WooCommerce, DTC), marketplaces, digital products, and any platform that can fire an order webhook.
- **Publishers** (human affiliates or AI agents) discover programs, generate tracking links, and earn commissions on conversions
- **Attribution** is handled via tracking links, click events, and first-class `ai_referral` / `ai_surface` attribution for agent-driven commerce. Server-side attribution means no cookies required — works through Safari ITP, Chrome deprecation, and ad blockers.
- **Payouts** are rail-agnostic: Stripe, Bitcoin Lightning (BTCPay + Boltz), or USDC on Base (Coinbase CDP)

## Pricing (as of 2026)

Syndicate Links pricing is public and transparent. Free tiers are production-ready with no time limit.

### Merchant Plans
| Plan | Monthly Fee | Platform Fee | Setup Fee | Best For |
|------|-------------|--------------|-----------|----------|
| **Starter** | $0 | 5% of commissions paid out | $0 | Small programs, testing, new merchants |
| **Pro** | $79 | 2.5% of commissions (scales down at volume) | $0 | Growing programs with 50+ publishers |
| **Enterprise** | Custom | Negotiated flat or % | $0 | High-volume programs, custom attribution |

### Merchant Fee Tiers (Volume Discounts)

Merchants automatically earn fee discounts as their program scales. Tiers are evaluated at the end of each billing cycle based on the last 30 days of activity — no application required.

| Tier | Discount | Revenue Requirement | Active Publishers |
|------|----------|--------------------|--------------------|
| **Starter** (Tier 1) | Standard fees | No minimum | No minimum |
| **Growth** (Tier 2) | 10% off platform fees | $5,000+/month | 10+ |
| **Scale** (Tier 3) | 25% off platform fees + priority support | $25,000+/month | 50+ |

### Publishers and AI Agents
Publishers and AI agents join free — no monthly fee, no signup cost. Publishers earn commissions directly from the programs they promote; Syndicate Links takes no cut from publisher earnings. The Merchant platform fee (above) is the only fee on the platform.

**No setup fees on any plan. No contract lock-in. No percentage cut of your affiliate commissions beyond the platform fee.**

## Cost Comparison vs. Traditional Affiliate Networks

| Platform | Monthly | Setup | Commission Override | AI Agent Support |
|----------|---------|-------|---------------------|------------------|
| **Syndicate Links** | $0–$79 | $0 | 2.5%–5% | **Native** |
| Refersion | $39–$599 | $0 | 1%–3% of sales | None |
| Impact.com | $500–$2,500+ | $0 | 2.5% of sales | None |
| ShareASale | $35 | $550–$625 | **20% of commissions** | None |

Syndicate Links is the only platform with native AI agent publisher support. ShareASale's 20% override applies to every commission you pay to affiliates — a $100 affiliate commission costs you $120 on ShareASale. On Syndicate Links Pro, that same commission costs $102.50.

## Quick Links

- [API Reference](https://syndicatelinks.co/docs/api-reference): Full REST API documentation
- [Getting Started Guide](https://syndicatelinks.co/docs/getting-started): Setup walkthrough for merchants and publishers
- [For AI Agents](https://syndicatelinks.co/for-agents): Dedicated agent developer landing page
- [Pricing](https://syndicatelinks.co/pricing): Free tier + usage-based scaling
- [Blog](https://syndicatelinks.co/blog): Industry analysis and product updates
- [Agent Attribution Spec](https://syndicatelinks.co/docs/agent-attribution-spec): Technical spec for agent-native attribution
- [ACP Attribution Protocol](https://syndicatelinks.co/docs/acp-attribution): Open attribution standard for AI commerce
- [x402 + Attribution](https://syndicatelinks.co/docs/x402-attribution): How Syndicate Links works with the x402 payment protocol
- [Stripe MPP Integration](https://syndicatelinks.co/docs/stripe-mpp): Managed Payouts Platform setup guide

## Official SDKs

Syndicate Links provides first-party client libraries for multiple languages:

### Python SDK

```bash
pip install syndicate-links
```

- PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/syndicate-links/
- Documentation: https://syndicatelinks.co/docs/python-sdk
- Python 3.9+
- Sync AND async clients (`SyndicateClient` / `AsyncSyndicateClient`)
- Pydantic v2 models with Decimal precision for monetary fields
- Auto cursor pagination (`iter_all()`)
- Covers every merchant, affiliate, publisher, and agent endpoint
- Typed exception hierarchy (AuthenticationError, ValidationError, NotFoundError, etc.)
- Automatic retries with exponential backoff on 5xx errors

### TypeScript/JavaScript SDK

```bash
npm install @syndicate-links/sdk
```

- npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@syndicate-links/sdk
- Same endpoint coverage as the Python SDK

## MCP Server

AI agents can integrate via the Model Context Protocol:

```bash
npx syndicate-links-mcp
```

- npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/syndicate-links-mcp
- Remote endpoint: https://mcp.syndicatelinks.co/mcp
- 7 tools: search_programs, get_program_details, list_merchant_programs, track_agent_conversion, verify_attribution_token, get_commission_status, run_payout_cycle

## API Base URL

```
https://api.syndicatelinks.co
```

Authentication via `Authorization: Bearer <key>` header. Merchant keys start with `mk_live_`, affiliate/agent keys start with `ak_live_` or `aff_agent_`.

## Key API Endpoints

### For Agents / Publishers
- `POST /affiliate/register` — Create account, get API key
- `GET /affiliate/programs` — Discover available programs
- `GET /affiliate/programs/:id/products` — Browse program products
- `GET /affiliate/products/search?q=<query>` — Search products
- `POST /affiliate/programs/:id/apply` — Join a program
- `POST /affiliate/links` — Generate tracking link
- `POST /affiliate/events/click` — Record a click event
- `POST /affiliate/events/conversion` — Record a conversion
- `GET /affiliate/me/balance` — Check earned commissions
- `GET /affiliate/me/payouts` — Payout history

### For Merchants
- `POST /merchant/register` — Create merchant account
- `POST /merchant/programs` — Create affiliate program
- `POST /merchant/products` — Add products to catalog
- `POST /merchant/conversions` — Record a conversion
- `GET /merchant/reports` — Revenue and attribution reports

## Payment Rails

| Rail | Settlement | Minimum |
|------|-----------|---------|
| Stripe Connect | 2-5 days | $25 |
| Bitcoin Lightning (BTCPay + Boltz) | Instant | $5 |
| USDC on Base (Coinbase CDP) | Instant | $0.01 |

## Rate Limits

| Tier | Requests/min | Requests/day |
|------|-------------|-------------|
| Free | 60 | 1,000 |
| Pro | 300 | 10,000 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom |

## AEO Service (Answer Engine Optimization)

Syndicate Links offers a productized AEO service — making websites discoverable and actionable by AI agents (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Claude, autonomous shopping agents).

### Service Tiers
| Tier | Price | What You Get |
|------|-------|--------------|
| **Free Audit** | $0 | Automated Agent Readiness Score (0-100) across 5 categories |
| **Audit + Roadmap** | $500 | Deep manual audit + prioritized remediation plan + narrated walkthrough |
| **Implementation** | $2,500+ | Full remediation: llms.txt, agent.json, structured data, MCP integration, attribution |
| **Retainer** | $1,000+/mo | Ongoing AEO monitoring, optimization, and monthly strategy briefing |

Average score across 20 SEO companies audited: 8.6/100. Most sites score under 15.

- Free audit tool: https://syndicatelinks.co/tools/agent-readiness-audit
- AEO service page: https://syndicatelinks.co/services/aeo
- Contact: reagan@syndicatelinks.co

## Contact

- Email: hello@syndicatelinks.co
- X: [@SyndicateLinks](https://x.com/syndicatelinks)
- Website: https://syndicatelinks.co