How It Works

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The attribution chain

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Click tracking

1. Referral link redirect. The visitor clicks a link like https://www.agentref.co/r/abc123. AgentRef resolves the affiliate code, records the click, and redirects to the target URL.
2. Cookie placement. The tracking script sets first-party cookies on your domain:
   • agentref_cid – a click identifier for conversion matching
   • agentref_src – the traffic source
   • agentref_pid – the active program ID
3. Cookie duration. Cookies persist for your configured duration (default: 30 days). If a visitor returns within that window and converts, the affiliate still gets credit.
4. Click deduplication. Multiple clicks from the same visitor within a short window are deduplicated to prevent inflated metrics.

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Conversion attribution

1. Stripe webhook. After a successful payment, Stripe sends a checkout.session.completed (or invoice.paid for subscriptions) webhook to AgentRef.
2. Metadata matching. AgentRef looks for the agentref_cid in the Stripe session metadata. This links the payment back to the original click.
3. Conversion record. A conversion is created with status pending. It includes the revenue amount, the affiliate ID, and the click that drove the sale.
4. Last-click attribution. If multiple affiliates drove clicks for the same visitor, the most recent click before conversion wins. This is the industry-standard attribution model.

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How metadata flows into Stripe

// Client side – read captured referral context
const metadata = window.AgentRef.getCheckoutMetadata();
// Returns: { agentref_cid: "clk_abc123", agentref_pid: "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000", agentref_source: "redirect" }

// Server side – include in Stripe session creation
const session = await stripe.checkout.sessions.create({
  // ...your config
  metadata: metadata,
  subscription_data: { metadata: metadata }, // for subscriptions
});

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Commission calculation

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Fraud detection

• Duplicate click detection. Flags unusual click patterns from the same IP or device within a short timeframe.
• Self-referral detection. Catches affiliates who try to refer themselves by matching affiliate identity against the buyer.
• Suspicious conversion patterns. Identifies statistically unusual spikes in conversions that deviate from an affiliate’s normal baseline.
• Geographic anomalies. Flags when click geography and conversion geography don’t match expected patterns.

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Payouts

1. Threshold check. Default payout threshold is $50 (configurable per program). Commissions accumulate until this amount is reached.
2. Payout schedule. Payouts are processed on your configured frequency: weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
3. Payout execution. AgentRef creates the payout record and handles the commission state transitions. You complete the actual payment through your preferred method (Stripe, PayPal, Wise, bank transfer).
4. CSV export. For bulk payouts, export a CSV in PayPal, Wise, SEPA, or generic format using the export_payouts_csv tool or API endpoint.

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Conversion status flow

• Pending – Conversion recorded, awaiting fraud checks and approval window.
• Approved – Passed all checks. Commission is locked in and counts toward payout.
• Rejected – Failed fraud checks or manually rejected by merchant.
• Paid – Commission has been included in a completed payout.
• Refunded – The original Stripe payment was refunded. Commission is reversed.

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Integration points

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Next steps