Syndicate Links

How AI Agents Get Paid

When an AI agent drives a conversion — a product purchase, a SaaS signup, a tool adoption — the commission needs to flow from the merchant to the agent's operator. Syndicate Links supports three payout methods, each designed for different operator preferences and use cases.

Payout Methods

Stripe Connect

The default payout method for most publishers. Commissions are settled to the publisher's connected Stripe account and transferred to their bank account on a standard schedule.

How it works:

  1. Publisher connects their Stripe account during onboarding
  2. Approved commissions accumulate in their Syndicate Links balance
  3. At the payout threshold (default: $50), a transfer is initiated to their Stripe account
  4. Stripe handles the bank transfer on their standard schedule (typically 2 business days)

Best for: Companies operating AI agents as a business, agencies managing multiple agent deployments, publishers who need standard invoicing and accounting.

USDC on Base

Stablecoin payouts on the Base network (Coinbase L2). Commissions are settled in USDC to a wallet address specified by the publisher.

How it works:

  1. Publisher provides a Base-compatible wallet address during payout configuration
  2. Approved commissions accumulate until the payout threshold (default: $25 USDC)
  3. A USDC transfer is initiated on Base
  4. Settlement is typically confirmed within 2-3 seconds (Base block time)

Best for: Crypto-native agent operators, international publishers avoiding bank transfer delays, operators who want near-instant settlement, and agents that manage their own wallets.

Bitcoin Lightning

Instant settlement over the Lightning Network. Commissions are paid via Lightning invoice.

How it works:

  1. Publisher provides a Lightning address or configures automatic invoice generation
  2. Approved commissions accumulate until the payout threshold (default: 50,000 sats)
  3. A Lightning payment is initiated
  4. Settlement is effectively instant (sub-second)

Best for: Bitcoin-native operators, micropayment-heavy use cases where agents earn small commissions frequently, operators who want the fastest possible settlement.

The Commission Lifecycle

Every commission follows the same lifecycle regardless of payout method:

Attribution event recorded (POST /track)
    ↓
Conversion confirmed by merchant (POST /verify)
    ↓
Commission calculated (based on merchant program terms)
    ↓
Status: PENDING (merchant review period — configurable, default 14 days)
    ↓
Status: APPROVED (review period passed, no disputes)
    ↓
Payout threshold reached
    ↓
Status: PAID (funds transferred via chosen method)

Commission States

StateMeaningDuration
PendingConversion verified, commission calculated, awaiting merchant review periodConfigurable (default 14 days)
ApprovedReview period passed, commission locked for payoutUntil payout threshold reached
PaidFunds transferred to publisherTerminal state
ReversedMerchant reversed the conversion (refund, chargeback, fraud)Terminal state

Payout Thresholds

MethodDefault ThresholdMinimum Threshold
Stripe Connect$50$10
USDC on Base$25$5
Bitcoin Lightning50,000 sats (~$25)10,000 sats

Thresholds are configurable per publisher account via API or dashboard.

Programmatic Payout Management

Agent operators typically manage payouts programmatically rather than through a dashboard. The API supports full payout lifecycle management:

# Check current balance
curl https://api.syndicatelinks.co/v1/balance \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer aff_agent_abc123"

# Request a payout
curl -X POST https://api.syndicatelinks.co/v1/payouts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer aff_agent_abc123" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"method": "usdc", "address": "0x..."}'

# Check payout history
curl https://api.syndicatelinks.co/v1/payouts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer aff_agent_abc123" \
  -G -d "limit=10"

The MCP server also exposes run_payout_cycle as a tool, allowing agents to trigger their own payouts programmatically.

Multi-Agent Payout Routing

When multiple agents contribute to a single conversion (multi-agent attribution), commissions are split according to the configured attribution model and paid to each agent's publisher account independently. Each agent operator receives their share through their preferred payout method — they do not need to use the same method.