Afterburner API and MCP
One key, two doors. The REST API is for scripts and spreadsheets. The MCP server lets an AI assistant such as Claude use the same operations as tools. Merchants get program-wide access; affiliates get their own earnings, links and visits. New to this? Start with Run Afterburner from your AI assistant.
1. Get a key
Merchants: open Afterburner in Shopify, go to Settings, and create a key under “API and MCP access”. Staff with Orders permission can create keys too.
Affiliates: sign in to your dashboard, open Your details, and create a key at the bottom of the page.
A key is shown once. It can do exactly what you can do in Afterburner, no more. Revoke it from the same page if it leaks. Keys stop working when an affiliate is removed or a program closes.
2. REST API
Base URL https://afterburnerapp.com/api/v1. Send the key as a bearer token. Responses are JSON; money fields ending in _cents are integers in USD, and matching fields without the suffix are formatted for display.
curl https://afterburnerapp.com/api/v1/me \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ab_your_key"
Query parameters go in the URL for GET, and as a JSON body for POST. Errors return {"error":"…"} with status 400, 401, 403, 404 or 429. Each key may make 300 requests per 15 minutes.
| Who | Endpoint | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Both | GET /me | Identify the key: the program it belongs to and, for an affiliate key, the affiliate. |
| Merchant | GET /affiliates | List every affiliate with status, default rate, referred sales, commission earned, balances and clicks in the last 30 days. |
| Merchant | GET /affiliates/:idid | One affiliate with balances, per-store rates and clicks in the last 30 days. |
| Merchant | POST /affiliatesname, email, rate_percent, code? | Create an affiliate and send their private invitation email. Their code (used in the referral link and at checkout) is generated from their first name when omitted. |
| Both | GET /commissionsaffiliate_id?, limit? | Commissions (referred orders) newest first. Merchants see every affiliate; affiliates see only their own. |
| Both | GET /payouts | Recorded payments, newest first. Affiliates see only their own. |
| Merchant | POST /payoutsaffiliate_id, reference, expected_amount_cents | Record that you paid an affiliate their full approved balance outside Afterburner. Fails if the balance is blocked, the amount changed, or the affiliate is in an open PayPal file (record that file in Afterburner instead). |
| Merchant | GET /stores | Stores in the program with tracking status and last order update. |
| Affiliate | GET /links | Your referral link and commission rate for each store, plus your code, which also works at checkout. |
| Affiliate | GET /balance | Your commission earned, pending, approved balance and paid to date. |
| Both | GET /clicksaffiliate_id? | Referral link visits per day for the last 30 days (only visits where the shopper allowed marketing tracking are counted). Affiliates see only their own. |
3. MCP server
Endpoint https://afterburnerapp.com/mcp, Streamable HTTP transport, stateless. Authenticate with the same bearer key. Every REST endpoint above is available as a tool with the same name; a merchant key sees the merchant and shared tools, an affiliate key sees the affiliate and shared tools.
Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http afterburner https://afterburnerapp.com/mcp \ --header "Authorization: Bearer ab_your_key"
Claude Desktop, Cursor and other clients
Add a remote MCP server with the URL above and an Authorization: Bearer ab_your_key header. If your client only supports a JSON config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"afterburner": {
"url": "https://afterburnerapp.com/mcp",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ab_your_key" }
}
}
}
Things to try
- Merchant: “Which affiliates have an approved balance I can pay this week?” “Invite Alex Morgan at alex@example.com at 10%.” “How many visits did Sam’s links get this month?”
- Affiliate: “What is my approved balance?” “Show my commissions from this month.” “Give me my referral link for the singles store.”
Tools that change data (inviting an affiliate, recording a payment) do exactly what the matching page does and are written to the program’s audit log with the key that made the change.
4. CSV downloads
No key needed. Merchants: Commissions and Payouts pages have “Download CSV”. Affiliates: the same links are on your dashboard next to your commissions and payments.