Paying creators with Dots

Connect your Dots account, and you can pay a creator's earned payouts from trackagoat. trackagoat sends the money through Dots and records the payment at the same time, so the tracker, the creator's Payouts tab and your exports stay correct without anyone typing the payment in.

Paying by Venmo, PayPal or bank transfer outside trackagoat still works the same way: record those payments with Mark as paid (Recording payments).

What you need#

• An org admin role in trackagoat. Only org admins can connect Dots and send payouts.
• A Dots app with a balance to pay from, and its client ID and API key. Dots shows them in its dashboard under the app's API settings (Dots: authentication).

Dots has separate keys for sandbox (test money) and live payouts. Connect sandbox keys first if you want to try the flow without moving real money.

Connect Dots#

1. 1

   Open Payment providers

   Go to Org settings → Payment providers.

2. 2

   Click Connect next to Dots

   Choose Live or Sandbox, then paste the client ID and API key.

3. 3

   Click Check and connect

   trackagoat checks the keys with Dots before saving them. Keys are encrypted when stored and are never shown again: the page only shows the last four characters.

Connecting Dots also adds a Dots payout method, or reuses one you already have (for example "dots.dev"), so payments sent through Dots are labelled the same way as payments you recorded by hand.

To replace the keys, open the ⋯ menu next to Dots and choose Update keys. Check connection re-tests the stored keys. If Dots ever rejects them, Dots is marked Needs attention and sending is paused until you update them.

Link creators to Dots payees#

trackagoat needs to know who each creator is in Dots. Each creator is linked to one Dots payee.

On Org settings → Payment providers, the Creators and payees table lists every creator, what you owe them, and who they are paid as.

• Find matches in Dots reads the people your Dots account knows: everyone you've paid by Dots payout link and, if your Dots plan includes it, every Dots user connected to your app. It suggests a creator for each one by name. Suggestions are never linked until you click Accept (or Accept all).
• Link opens a picker. Choose someone from Dots, or enter a mobile number for a creator who isn't in Dots yet.

You can also link or change a creator from their Payouts tab, or from the payment sheet.

Paying by phone number. When a creator is linked by phone number only, Dots texts them a link to claim each payout. When they claim their first one, trackagoat saves their Dots account to the link, so later payouts go straight to the payout method they chose in Dots.

Pay a creator#

1. 1

   Click Pay

   Click Pay on a creator's row in the Payouts tracker, or Pay with Dots on their Payouts tab.

2. 2

   Check what's being paid

   Send with Dots is selected when the creator is linked. Every earned payout is checked. Uncheck any you aren't paying now. Change the amount if you need to: if it no longer matches the checked payouts, you have to give a reason, and trackagoat records the difference as an adjustment.

3. 3

   Add Dots details (optional)

   Open Payout details to add a note, change the text message or 1099 setting, or add an internal note. See Dots options.

4. 4

   Review and send

   Click Review payout, check the summary, then click Send.

The payment is recorded the moment you send, and the payouts it covers are marked paid, so they can't be paid twice. Pressing Send twice, or retrying after a lost connection, never sends a second payout.

Dots options#

Track a payout#

Payments sent through Dots show a status on the creator's Payouts → Payments tab:

trackagoat checks payouts that haven't finished every 5 minutes. When a payout fails or is canceled, org admins get a notification.

For a payout that's Awaiting claim, the ⋯ menu can:

• Text the claim link again;
• Cancel payout: Dots cancels it, and trackagoat voids the payment so you can pay those payouts another way.

A payout that Dots has completed can't be pulled back from trackagoat. You can still Void it to correct trackagoat's records; this doesn't move any money.

Let agents send payouts#

Agents connected over MCP, and scripts using the REST API, can send Dots payouts too, but only after an org admin turns this on.

On Org settings → Payment providers → Agent payments:

1. Set a limit per payout and a limit per 24 hours. They start at $1,000 per payout and $5,000 per 24 hours. Change them to suit how you pay, or clear one for no limit.
2. Turn the switch on and confirm.

Payouts the provider failed or canceled don't count toward the 24-hour limit. Voided ones still do, and an agent can't void a payout that was completed.

Even when it's on, an agent can only send payouts:

• with an API key (or MCP connection) that belongs to an org admin;
• within your limits. A payout over a limit is refused and nothing is sent.

Every payout an agent sends is recorded with the API key that sent it, and the payment notes whether it was sent from the app, the API or an agent. Turning agent payments off takes effect immediately. Disconnecting Dots turns it off too.

The switch can only be changed by an org admin signed in to trackagoat. No API key can turn it on.

Webhooks (optional)#

Without webhooks, statuses update within about 5 minutes. To see claims and failures immediately, add a webhook in Dots:

1. On Payment providers → Instant status updates, copy the webhook URL.
2. In Dots, add a webhook endpoint with that URL, subscribed to payout_link.updated and transfer.updated.
3. Paste the endpoint's signing secret (it starts with whsec_) back into trackagoat and click Save.

trackagoat checks the signature on every webhook and then reads the payout's status from Dots.

Disconnect Dots#

Choose Disconnect in the ⋯ menu. trackagoat deletes the stored keys and the webhook secret, and turns agent payments off. Past payments keep their history. Creators stay linked, so reconnecting the same Dots account restores everything. Any payouts that hadn't finished stop being tracked: check them in your Dots dashboard.

Questions#

Does trackagoat hold or move my money? No. Money moves from your Dots balance to the creator through Dots. trackagoat tells Dots what to pay and records it.

What does it cost? trackagoat doesn't charge for sending payouts. Dots charges its usual fees.

Which Dots plan do I need? Any Dots plan can send payouts. On Dots plans that include its user list (Scale and up), Find matches searches every Dots user connected to your app. On other plans it matches against the people you've paid by payout link. trackagoat detects which you have when you connect.

Can I use another payment provider? Dots is the first. Contact support@trackagoat.com to tell us which provider you use.