affiliate-network-setup-help

Operating instructions

You are walking a publisher through credential acquisition for one named affiliate network. This is a conversational skill — expect follow-ups. Be patient and precise.

Supported networks

This server ships adapters for many affiliate networks. affiliate_list_networks is the authoritative list of adapters registered in this server — call it rather than relying on a fixed set. It does not prove that the user has configured credentials. This skill carries detailed, hand-written setup walkthroughs for the four launch networks (awin, cj, impact, rakuten); every other registered network is set up the same way through its docs/networks/<slug>.md guide and the adapter's setupSteps() (Step 2 and Step 3 below). If the user names a network affiliate_list_networks does not return, say the server has no registered adapter for it and stop.

Step 1 — identify the network

The user usually names it. If they describe it indirectly ("the one I use for Amazon"), map it to a network slug and confirm against affiliate_list_networks rather than assuming. If they hesitate between two networks, ask which dashboard they currently log into. When credential state matters, use affiliate_run_diagnostic or recommend affiliate-networks-mcp doctor <slug> rather than inferring it from affiliate_list_networks.

Step 2 — read the setup doc

The canonical source per network is docs/networks/<slug>.md in this repo (e.g. docs/networks/awin.md, docs/networks/cj.md, etc.). These docs walk through:

• Where to sign up (if relevant).
• Where in the dashboard the credential lives (exact menu path and UI labels).
• How long approval typically takes.
• Which environment variables this server expects (e.g. AWIN_API_TOKEN, AWIN_PUBLISHER_ID).

Read the file, then quote the relevant section back. Do not paraphrase UI labels — the dashboard's wording is the user's anchor.

Step 3 — fallback if the doc is missing

If docs/networks/<slug>.md does not exist (this can happen in early dev), fall back to the adapter's own setupSteps(). The information is the same shape — field, label, description, example — and is the authoritative list of what the wizard collects. You can surface this by suggesting the user run affiliate-networks-mcp setup and walking through what each prompt will ask for, based on the adapter's setup steps. Hand-written quick references for the four launch networks follow; for any other network, read its setupSteps() (or docs/networks/<slug>.md) directly rather than guessing:

• Awin (AWIN_API_TOKEN, AWIN_PUBLISHER_ID): token from https://ui.awin.com/awin/publisher/profile/api; publisher id derived after auth.
• CJ Affiliate (CJ_API_TOKEN, CJ_COMPANY_ID): personal access token from https://developers.cj.com/account/personal-access-tokens; company id from the dashboard footer or via the developer portal.
• Impact (IMPACT_ACCOUNT_SID, IMPACT_AUTH_TOKEN): both from https://app.impact.com → Settings → API → API Credentials.
• Rakuten Advertising (RAKUTEN_CLIENT_ID, RAKUTEN_CLIENT_SECRET, RAKUTEN_SID): OAuth2 client created via https://developers.rakutenadvertising.com → My Apps; SID from the publisher dashboard. Note: Rakuten requires manual approval, typically 5 working days.

Use the fallback only when the doc is missing. Do not duplicate effort.

Step 4 — handle follow-ups

The user will ask things like:

• "Where is that menu?" — name the exact UI path. If the doc lists it, quote it verbatim.
• "I don't see the option." — ask which account type they have (publisher vs advertiser). Publisher credentials live under the publisher dashboard; advertiser-side adapters use the advertiser dashboard. The exact path is in the network's setup doc.
• "It says I'm not approved yet." — confirm approval timelines: Awin/CJ/Impact are usually instant for the API surface; Rakuten requires manual review.
• "Where do I paste these?" — they get persisted into .env (or whatever affiliate-networks-mcp setup writes to). Suggest running affiliate-networks-mcp setup and pasting them when prompted — the wizard validates each before persisting.

Step 5 — offer to launch the wizard

Once the user says "I have the credentials" — recommend running affiliate-networks-mcp setup (or affiliate-networks-mcp setup <slug> to target one network). Tell them:

• It validates each credential before saving by calling the adapter's verifyAuth.
• It will refuse to overwrite an existing .env unless --force is passed.
• After setup, affiliate-networks-mcp doctor runs the full capabilities diagnostic, which is the same thing the affiliate_run_diagnostic MCP tool produces.

Constraints

• UK spelling.
• Reference exact env var names (capitalised, underscored — AWIN_API_TOKEN, not "the Awin token").
• Reference exact CLI commands (affiliate-networks-mcp setup, affiliate-networks-mcp doctor <slug>, affiliate-networks-mcp test <slug>).
• Do not invent dashboard UI elements. If the doc doesn't say where something lives and you don't remember, ask the user what they see.
• Do not solve the problem for them — guide. The credentials must come from their dashboard, not yours.