Inviting partners

Two ways partners end up on your program:

Marketplace self-join — if your program is public with approvalMode: "auto", anyone browsing partners.apex.inc/programs can join instantly
Direct invite — you know them by email; send a magic-link invite

This page covers #2.

Send an invite

From the dashboard, via API, or via MCP — same underlying endpoint. Invites always go through a program. The program's commissionRules are the default terms; you can optionally set a custom rate at invite time using the InviteCreatorDialog flow.

Dashboard

Open /dashboard/partners/programs/<programId>/members
Click Invite partner
The InviteCreatorDialog opens — enter their email, an optional personal message, and optionally customize the commission rules for this partner
Click Send invite

The dialog pre-fills the program's default commission rules so you can see exactly what the partner will earn. Adjustments made here create an invite_override that is sticky — it survives future program default updates.

SDK

import { createManagementClient } from "@apex-inc/sdk/management";

const apex = createManagementClient({
  projectKey: "your-project-key",
  apiKey: process.env.APEX_API_KEY!,
});

await apex.invitePartner({
  email: "sarah@example.com",
  programId: "prog_abc123",
  inviterName: "Alice from Acme",
  inviterMessage: "I'd love to partner with you — we've got a special rate for you.",
});

The partner receives the program's default commissionRules. To set a custom rate at invite time, pass the full rules array:

await apex.invitePartner({
  email: "sarah@example.com",
  programId: "prog_abc123",
  inviterName: "Alice from Acme",
  customCommissionRules: [
    { event: "install", type: "cpa", amountUsd: 7 },
    { event: "purchase", type: "revshare", percentage: 30 },
  ],
});

MCP

Agents can send invites too:

invite_partner({
  email: "sarah@example.com",
  programId: "prog_abc123",
  inviterName: "Alice from Acme",
})

What happens on Sarah's side

Sarah gets an email: "Alice from Acme invited you to partner with them on Apex. [Accept invite]"
She clicks the magic link → lands on partners.apex.inc/invite/accept?token=...
If she's new to Apex: she claims a handle (@sarah) + completes onboarding (including W-9/W-8BEN via Stripe)
If she's already a partner: the invite creates a fresh AffiliateMembership bound to your program — her existing handle + Stripe Express account are reused
Her new membership shows up in her portal immediately with the program's commission rules (or the custom rate, if you set one)

Handles are cross-merchant. Sarah's @sarah handle works for every merchant she partners with. She doesn't create a new account per merchant.

Custom rate at invite time

Custom commission rules set at invite time write a CommissionChangeEntry with source: "invite_override". This is sticky — it survives future program default updates. Use sparingly: it's the fastest way to land a negotiated rate, but every custom rate is a record in the commission history.

If you later want to move Sarah back to the program default:

await apex.resetMembershipRate("prof_sarah", "Custom rate expired");

There are no per-membership commission overrides outside the invite flow. If you need to change a partner's rate after they've joined, update the program's default rules (which fans out to all program_default members) or terminate and re-invite with new terms.

Invite expiry + resend

Magic-link tokens are valid for 14 days. After expiry, re-send the invite — it generates a fresh token.

Bulk invite

For larger programs, script the SDK:

const partners = [
  { email: "sarah@example.com", programId: progA },
  { email: "bob@example.com", programId: progA },
  { email: "eve@example.com", programId: progB, customCommissionRules: [...] },
];

for (const invite of partners) {
  await apex.invitePartner(invite);
}

If you want self-serve applications instead

Set approvalMode: "manual" on the program. Make the program public. Partners discover it at partners.apex.inc/programs + apply with a message + audience info. You review applications at /dashboard/partners/programs/<id>/applications.