CLI Quickstart

Create an affiliate program, connect Stripe, and start tracking -- all from your terminal in under 5 minutes.

:::tip The CLI is the fastest way to set up Affitor. If you prefer a UI, use the dashboard quickstart instead. :::

Why CLI?

	Dashboard	CLI
Setup time	~15 minutes	~5 minutes
Stripe webhooks	Manual (11 steps)	Automatic (1 command)
AI agent compatible	No	Yes (`--json` mode)
Config files generated	No	Yes (`.affitor/`)

Step 1 -- Create Your Program

Run npx affitor init and follow the prompts:

npx affitor init

You'll be asked for:

Program name -- your product or company name
Domain -- your root domain (e.g., example.com)
Commission type -- percentage, fixed, or recurring
Commission rate -- default is 40% for recurring
Duration -- how long recurring commissions last (default: 12 months)
Cookie window -- attribution window in days (default: 90)

After confirming, the CLI creates your program and generates:

.affitor/
  config.json     -- program ID, API key, settings
  .env.example    -- environment variables template
  AGENTS.md       -- AI agent instructions (universal format)

:::tip[Works with any AI coding tool] The AGENTS.md file follows the open standard supported by Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, Aider, and 16+ AI tools. Your AI assistant reads this file and knows how to integrate Affitor tracking into your codebase automatically. :::

Step 2 -- Add Click Tracking

Copy the script tag from the CLI output and paste it into your site's <head>:

<script src="https://api.affitor.com/js/affitor-tracker.js"
  data-affitor-program-id="YOUR_PROGRAM_ID">
</script>

Replace YOUR_PROGRAM_ID with the program ID from step 1.

This auto-detects ?aff=PARTNER_CODE in URLs and stores a 60-day first-party cookie for attribution.

Step 3 -- Track Signups

Call signup() when a user registers:

window.affitor.signup("user_123", "user@example.com");

Step 4 -- Track Payments

Option A: Stripe (automatic)

Auto-configure Stripe webhooks for payment tracking:

npx affitor setup stripe

This opens Stripe Connect OAuth in your browser, then automatically creates webhook endpoints for:

checkout.session.completed -- sale tracking
invoice.paid -- recurring commission
charge.refunded -- automatic commission clawback
customer.created -- lead tracking
customer.subscription.deleted -- churn tracking

Option B: Sale API (any payment provider)

curl -X POST https://api.affitor.com/api/v1/track/sale \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"customer_key": "user_123", "amount_cents": 4900, "currency": "USD"}'

Step 5 -- Test Your Integration

Send test events to verify everything works:

npx affitor test click
npx affitor test lead
npx affitor test sale

Then check your program health:

npx affitor status

Non-Interactive Mode

For CI/CD pipelines and AI agents, use --no-interactive --json:

npx affitor init \
  --name "My SaaS" \
  --domain example.com \
  --commission-type recurring_percent \
  --commission-rate 30 \
  --duration-months 12 \
  --cookie-duration 90 \
  --no-interactive \
  --json

Output is valid JSON that AI agents can parse directly:

{
  "program_id": 430,
  "api_key": "affitor_...",
  "domain": "example.com",
  "status": "created",
  "tracking": {
    "script_tag": "<script src=\"...\"></script>",
    "signup_call": "window.affitor.signup(\"customer_id\", \"email\")",
    "sale_api": "POST https://api.affitor.com/api/v1/track/sale",
    "lead_api": "POST https://api.affitor.com/api/v1/track/lead"
  }
}

:::warning[Common mistakes]

Running npx affitor init in a directory that already has .affitor/config.json -- delete it first or use a different directory.
Forgetting to add the tracking script to your site after running init -- the CLI creates the program but does not modify your code.
Using an expired API key -- run npx affitor init again to get a new one. :::

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