Partner Network
The Apex Partner Network turns word-of-mouth into a measurable, payable channel. Merchants create a program with multi-event commission rules; partners share a link; Apex tracks the conversion, computes the commission (including recurring subscription renewals), holds it through a trust window, and fires the Stripe transfer at the scheduled cycle. All of it shares one identity layer — partners use the same @handle across every merchant on the network.
What you get out of the box
- Handle layer: one partner identity (
@sarah) works for every merchant. Sarah never creates ten accounts to promote ten products. - Programs + commission rules: each merchant runs one or more programs. A program carries an array of commission rules — CPA, RevShare, or both — scoped to different events (
install,purchase,subscription_renewal). Promotional bonuses can be time-bounded witheffectiveFrom/effectiveTo. - Recurring subscription commissions: partners earn on every renewal, not just the first sale. Set a
maxCreditscap or let commissions run for the lifetime of the subscription. - Program expiry: programs can carry an
endsAtdate. When the date passes, the program stops accepting new memberships and no new conversions are attributed. - UTM auto-tagging: every partner link is auto-tagged with
utm_source,utm_medium,utm_campaign, andutm_content. Clean Google Analytics data, zero configuration. - Trust tiers: NEW / TRUSTED / VERIFIED. Tier drives payout caps, holdback percentage, and auto-payout eligibility. Partners graduate via time + verified identity + interview.
- Facilitated payouts: Apex moves money via Stripe Connect — merchant's Stripe balance → partner's Stripe Express account + a small Apex facilitation fee. Apex never advances funds from its own pocket.
- Rolling reserve: every approved conversion has a portion held (25% for NEW, 15% TRUSTED, 5% VERIFIED) for 30-90 days. Chargebacks debit the reserve first.
- Tax compliance: Stripe collects each partner's tax details when they set up payouts and handles their year-end tax forms, so you never chase paperwork.
- Fraud checks: you see partner flags from your own workspace's checks, next to the partner and in your payout queue. When a partner has also been flagged at another merchant, Apex's Fraud Ops team sees that while reviewing the case. You don't see other merchants' flags, and they don't see yours.
- Marketplace: public programs show up at
partners.apex.inc/programsfor partner-initiated discovery.
Who's involved
| Role | Where they work | What the product looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Merchant | app.apex.inc/dashboard/partners/ | Create programs, invite partners, approve payouts, set fees |
| Partner | partners.apex.inc | Sign in, join programs, see earnings + holdbacks, configure Stripe Express |
| Fraud Ops (internal Apex team) | app.apex.inc/admin/fraud-ops/ | Triage fraud cases, review appeals, schedule interviews, manage ban list |
Where to start
- Programs — the core unit of a merchant's offer
- Commission rules — multi-event rules, promotional bonuses, recurring commissions
- Tax compliance — how Stripe collects partner tax details and handles year-end tax forms
- Trust tiers — how payout caps + holdbacks work
- Facilitated payouts — the Stripe Connect money rail
- Stripe Connect setup — wire your Stripe account
- Inviting partners — magic-link invites
- Approving payouts — the weekly merchant workflow
- Fee policy — what Apex charges + custom pricing
SDK + MCP
Every merchant surface is wrapped in @apex-inc/sdk (createManagementClient) and @apex-inc/mcp-server (tools prefixed with list_partner_, create_partner_, approve_payouts, etc.). See the apex-partner-network skill for agent usage.
Partner-facing flows (self-signup, portal dashboard, Stripe Connect OAuth consent) run in the hosted portal at partners.apex.inc and are not part of the merchant SDK.