Rift

Deep links for humans and agents. — riftl.ink

Rift is a deep linking platform that creates smart, cross-platform links with structured context for AI agents. One link works across iOS, Android, and web — with built-in click tracking, attribution, webhooks, and machine-readable metadata.

Why Rift

• Cross-platform deep links — one URL routes to the right destination on iOS, Android, or web

• Agent-readable — structured agent_context and JSON-LD so AI agents understand what a link does and can act on it (/llms.txt for machine-readable API reference)

• Real-time webhooks — get notified on clicks, attributions, and conversions with HMAC-signed payloads

• Conversion tracking — attribute post-install events (signups, purchases, deposits) back to the link that drove them via backend webhooks

• Smart landing pages — split layout showing both a human CTA and machine-readable data panel

• Deferred deep linking — user clicks a link, installs the app, and lands on the right content

• Custom domains — use your own brand: go.yourcompany.com/summer-sale

• x402 payments — accept crypto payments for API access via the x402 protocol

Architecture

server/          Rust + Axum API server (MongoDB, Sentry)
client/mobile/   Swift/Kotlin mobile SDK via UniFFI
sdk/web/         TypeScript web SDK (ESM/CJS/IIFE)
marketing/       Next.js documentation and marketing site

The server separates domain logic (services/) from transport layers (api/ for HTTP, mcp/ for MCP protocol). Both transports share the same services, repos, and models. AppState lives in app.rs.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Rust 1.75+

• Node.js 20+ (for web SDK builds)

• MongoDB (local or Atlas)

• Optional: Custom domain with DNS access (any provider)

Pick a setup path

CLI path

Best if you want the guided onboarding flow.

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/saltyskip/rift/main/client/cli/install.sh | sh
rift init
rift domains setup
rift doctor

The CLI handles account setup, stores your secret key locally, helps you verify your primary and alternate domains, and tests connectivity.

Manual path

Best if you want to drive the API and DNS steps yourself.

Setup

# Enable shared git hooks (auto-builds web SDK, checks mobile SDK)
git config core.hooksPath .githooks

Run the server

cd server
cp ../.env.example .env
# Edit .env with your MongoDB URI

cargo run

The server starts on http://localhost:3000. MongoDB is optional — the server boots without it (auth, links, and webhooks will be disabled).

Get an API key

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/v1/auth/signup \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email": "you@example.com"}'

Set up a custom domain

Follow the custom domain guide in marketing/src/app/docs/domains/page.tsx or the hosted docs at https://riftl.ink/docs/domains. You will:

• create a primary branded domain

• add a CNAME pointing to the Rift server

• verify ownership with a TXT record

• optionally add an alternate domain for more reliable Open in App behavior

Create a publishable key

After verifying your email and setting up a custom domain, create a publishable key for SDK use:

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/v1/auth/publishable-keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer rl_live_YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"domain": "go.yourcompany.com"}'

Create a link

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/v1/links \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer rl_live_YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "web_url": "https://example.com",
    "ios_deep_link": "myapp://product/123",
    "agent_context": {
      "action": "purchase",
      "cta": "Buy Now",
      "description": "Premium widget, 50% off today"
    }
  }'

Resolve a link (agent)

curl http://localhost:3000/r/LINK_ID \
  -H "Accept: application/json"

Response:

{
  "link_id": "LINK_ID",
  "ios_deep_link": "myapp://product/123",
  "web_url": "https://example.com",
  "metadata": null,
  "agent_context": {
    "action": "purchase",
    "cta": "Buy Now",
    "description": "Premium widget, 50% off today"
  },
  "_rift_meta": {
    "context": "This is a Rift deep link...",
    "source": "tenant_asserted",
    "status": "active",
    "tenant_domain": "go.yourcompany.com",
    "tenant_verified": true
  }
}

MCP Server (for Claude Code, Cursor, etc.)

Rift exposes an MCP endpoint at /mcp using streamable HTTP transport. This lets AI coding tools manage deep links directly.

Setup with Claude Code

Add a .mcp.json to your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rift": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://localhost:3000/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "x-api-key": "rl_live_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude will then have access to these tools: create_link, get_link, list_links, update_link, delete_link.

Setup with other MCP clients

Any MCP client that supports streamable HTTP transport can connect to http://localhost:3000/mcp. Pass your API key via the x-api-key HTTP header or the _meta.api_key field during initialization.

CI Checks

cd server
cargo fmt -- --check
cargo clippy -- -D warnings
cargo test

Environment Variables

See .env.example for the full list.

License

The server (server/) is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1. You can use, modify, and self-host it freely — you just can't use it to run a competing commercial deep linking service. The license converts to Apache 2.0 on 2030-03-25.

The SDKs (sdk/) are licensed under Apache 2.0 — use them freely in your apps with no restrictions.