Amazon Creators API setup

Three things to know first

The old Product Advertising API (PA-API) v5 was retired on 15 May 2026. Its Access Key / Secret Key pairs do not work in Pukulink. The current interface is the Creators API.

Using the Creators API requires eligibility on the Amazon Associates side. The conditions were tightened in November 2025 and the current guideline is at least 10 qualifying sales in the last 30 days.

In other words, a brand-new Associates account probably cannot search Amazon products yet. Pukulink still works in that state — see “While you are not yet eligible” below. Conditions change, so check Associates Central for the current rule.

This page is about Amazon.co.jp Pukulink supports the Japanese marketplace today, so Associates accounts for other regions (amazon.com, amazon.co.uk and so on) cannot be used yet. The Creators API itself can switch marketplace, which is why other Amazon regions are the most likely place the plugin expands to next — but nothing is configurable for them at the moment.

What you need

Item	Where it comes from
Associate ID (tracking ID)	Amazon Associates JP (e.g. `yourname-22`)
Creators API Client ID	The Creators API section of Associates Central
Creators API Client Secret	Same place — usually shown only once, at creation
Credentials version	Shown on the credential creation screen (new credentials are normally 3.3)

Steps

Register with Amazon Associates and pass the review.
Start at Amazon Associates JP if you have not. Japanese tracking IDs look like yourname-22.
Create a Creators API application in Associates Central.
From the Creators API section, create an application to issue a Client ID and Client Secret. The secret is often displayed only at creation time, so copy it there and then.
Note the credentials version.
The creation screen shows a version (3.3 or 2.3). New credentials are normally 3.3. Pukulink picks the correct Japanese authentication endpoint from this value automatically.
Enter everything in Pukulink.
In Settings > Pukulink > API settings, in the Amazon section:
- Tick Show the Amazon button
- Link method: “Amazon Associates (direct)”
- Associate ID (tracking ID)
- Creators API Client ID / Creators API Client Secret
- Credentials version: 3.3 or 2.3
Press “Test Amazon”.
When it succeeds, the Amazon tab in the search modal starts returning products.

The Amazon section of the API settings tab, with dummy credentials — The Amazon fields. The Client Secret is masked after saving.

Do not rewrite the authentication method or endpoints yourself For Japan, the Creators API authenticates against a different host depending on the credentials version (3.3 uses api.amazon.co.jp; 2.3 uses Cognito in us-west-2). Pukulink decides this from the version you configure. Older tutorials written for PA-API do not apply and will not work.

While you are not yet eligible

Having an Associate ID but not yet meeting the Creators API requirement does not stop Pukulink.

Amazon buttons become Amazon search links carrying your keyword. Readers reach the product through the results page. Because the keyword is editable in the insert preview's Search keyword field, putting a model number there narrows the results considerably.
The API is retried automatically every six hours, and normal product search resumes as soon as eligibility returns.
The settings screen's search status tells you that you are currently running on search links.

The settings screen showing that Amazon search is currently running on search links — The search status when eligibility is unavailable. Rakuten Ichiba and Yahoo! Shopping are unaffected.

An Associate ID is still required To show the Amazon button at all, you need an Associate ID (or the Moshimo a_id if you route through Moshimo). Without an Amazon Associates account the button does not appear — in which case run Rakuten Ichiba and Yahoo! Shopping only.

Rakuten Ichiba and Yahoo! Shopping search and price updates keep working normally in this state, and Yahoo!'s Client ID is issued immediately with no review. Find products in Rakuten or Yahoo!, insert them, and let the Amazon button ride along as a search link. If you are new to Associates, that is the realistic way to start — move to full search once qualifying sales have accumulated.

What Amazon can't do here

Because of API constraints, the following are unavailable for Amazon.

No star rating or review count. The Creators API does not return review scores. You get a “Read reviews” link to Amazon's review page instead (Rakuten and Yahoo! do show stars).
No favourite-store search. Amazon has no store concept; this is a Rakuten and Yahoo! feature.
No automatic sale labels. Register time sales by hand with a date range on the Sales tab (Rakuten's “days with 5 and 0” and Yahoo!'s “days with 5” are automatic).
Search results cap out at 100 items (10 pages × 10).
The image gallery works, but depending on what the API returns, extra images sometimes cannot be fetched and the card falls back to the single main image.

Using Moshimo Affiliate instead

Even if your Amazon Associates application is rejected, you can still show Amazon buttons by routing through Moshimo Affiliate. Amazon needs just one ID there — a_id.

However, product search still requires the Creators API, which is tied to Amazon Associates eligibility. Via Moshimo or not, without the Creators API the Amazon button behaves as a search link.

See the Moshimo Affiliate setup steps →

If the connection test fails

Symptom	What to check
Authentication fails	Typos in the Client ID / Client Secret (watch for leading or trailing spaces). Whether the credentials version matches what was actually issued.
It says you are not eligible	Check your current eligibility in Associates Central. Search links still work in this state.
Associate ID error	Japanese tracking IDs end in `-22`. Make sure you have not entered an ID from another marketplace.
Intermittent failures	You may be hitting the rate limit (roughly one request per second). Wait a second or more and retry.

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