Getting Started for Web
For web integration, start here once you've created your GrowSurf program.
Sandbox/testing environment
To start building your referral or affiliate program in a "sandbox" environment, we recommend creating two GrowSurf separate programs (one for development and one for production).
A program, also known as campaign, is simply a referral or affiliate program. Every GrowSurf program has a unique ID that you can find in the URL or from the program's GrowSurf Universal Code. Learn more here.
Step 1: Install the GrowSurf Universal Code onto your site
Get the GrowSurf Universal Code.
The GrowSurf Universal Code is what allows referrals to be tracked and credited properly.
It's also what powers the GrowSurf window and embeddable elements to be displayed to your participants so that they can get their unique share link, click social share buttons, and check their referral stats and/or the leaderboard.
The GrowSurf Universal Code is a snippet of JavaScript that you paste into the <HEAD> of your website.
To get your program-specific GrowSurf Universal Code, follow the Installation steps in the Program Editor until you get to the instructions page (see image below).
Note:
Your program-specific GrowSurf Universal Code will work on any URL that shares the same origin (what's same-origin?) as the Share URL or Signup URL that you entered in the Installation step of the Program Editor. Click here for image
If you have Participant authentication/login enabled, you may want to set up Participant Auto Authentication.
To set up a development process that supports multiple environments (e.g, development, production), view this article.
Step 2: Integrate with GrowSurf API(s)
Use our client-side or server-side APIs to integrate with GrowSurf to add participants and to trigger referrals.
Development Tool
Type
Description
Client-side
Create new participants, trigger referrals, get limited program data, get limited participant data, and open/close the GrowSurf window.
Server-side
Create new participants, trigger referrals, get program data, and get participant data from a secure environment.
Step 3: Automate reward fulfillment
Set up automatic reward fulfillment and data syncing by using Webhooks and/or Zapier.
Model Context Protocol (MCP)
The GrowSurf MCP server enables your AI agents and tools to directly interact with your GrowSurf referral and affiliate programs.
If you're using an AI tool such as Cursor, ChatGPT Codex, or Claude Code to help you implement GrowSurf, we recommend utilizing our MCP server.
Installation
View installation instructions for popular AI tools below.
Download the MCP server here
Open Cursor and navigate to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations
Click New MCP Server
Update
mcp.jsonwith the following configuration:
Save the configuration file
You should see
growsurf-mcpunder MCP Tools with a green dot, indicating the MCP server is successfully running
Install the server directly into Claude Code:
Open Settings in the ChatGPT Desktop app
Navigate to Connected Apps > MCP
Click Add
Configure with:
Command:
npx @growsurfteam/growsurf-mcpEnv Vars:
GROWSURF_API_KEY,GROWSURF_CAMPAIGN_ID
For tools like Antigravity or ChatGPT Codex, follow their specific MCP configuration UI or config file (usually mcp_config.json or similar) using the following stdio configuration:
Resources
GrowSurf MCP server: Check out GitHub repository for the MCP server
Model Context Protocol: Learn more about the Model Context Protocol specification
Troubleshooting
To troubleshoot common issues during installation, check out Help Center - Installation articles.
Last updated
Was this helpful?