Create Discount Code

Create Discount Code Skill

Purpose: Fast discount code creation for marketing and promotions

What This Skill Does

Creates discount codes in Lemon Squeezy with:

1. Code name (e.g., LAUNCH50, BETA2026)
2. Discount type (percentage or fixed amount)
3. Discount amount (e.g., 50% off or $5 off)
4. Usage limits (total redemptions, per-customer limit)
5. Expiry date (optional)
6. Product restrictions (all products or specific ones)

When to Use This Skill

Common use cases:

• Launch promotions: "Create LAUNCH50 for 50% off"
• Beta reader rewards: "Create BETA100 for 100% off, limit 20"
• Podcast appearances: "Create PODCAST30 for 30% off"
• Social media giveaways: "Create GIVEAWAY for free access"
• Seasonal sales: "Create HOLIDAY25 for 25% off"
• Affiliate codes: "Create PARTNER20 for 20% off"

API Authentication

Uses LEMON_SQUEEZY_API_KEY and LEMON_SQUEEZY_STORE_ID environment variables.

Usage Examples

Example 1: Launch promotion

User: Create a 50% off code called LAUNCH50, limit 100 uses, expires in 7 days
Assistant: [Uses create-discount-code skill]

Example 2: Beta reader reward

User: Create BETA2026 for 100% off, limit to 20 people
Assistant: [Creates free code with redemption limit]

Example 3: Podcast appearance

User: I'm on a podcast next week. Create a 30% discount code
Assistant: [Creates PODCAST30 code, suggests expiry date]

Implementation

Create Discount Code API

Endpoint: POST https://api.lemonsqueezy.com/v1/discounts

Required fields:

• store_id - Your store ID
• name - Internal name (e.g., "Launch 50% Off")
• code - The actual code users type (e.g., "LAUNCH50")
• amount - Discount amount (percentage: 1-100, or cents for fixed)
• amount_type - "percent" or "fixed"

Optional fields:

• duration - "once", "repeating", or "forever"
• duration_in_months - How many months (for repeating)
• starts_at - When code becomes active (ISO 8601)
• expires_at - When code expires (ISO 8601)
• max_redemptions - Total usage limit (null = unlimited)
• limit_redemptions_per_customer - Per-customer limit
• is_limited_to_products - true/false
• product_ids - Array of product IDs (if limited)

Example request (50% off, 7 days, 100 uses):

curl -X POST "https://api.lemonsqueezy.com/v1/discounts" \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.api+json" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LEMON_SQUEEZY_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "data": {
      "type": "discounts",
      "attributes": {
        "store_id": YOUR_STORE_ID,
        "name": "Launch Week Promotion",
        "code": "LAUNCH50",
        "amount": 50,
        "amount_type": "percent",
        "duration": "once",
        "max_redemptions": 100,
        "expires_at": "2026-01-12T23:59:59Z"
      }
    }
  }'

Example request (100% off, beta readers):

curl -X POST "https://api.lemonsqueezy.com/v1/discounts" \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.api+json" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LEMON_SQUEEZY_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "data": {
      "type": "discounts",
      "attributes": {
        "store_id": YOUR_STORE_ID,
        "name": "Beta Reader Reward",
        "code": "BETA2026",
        "amount": 100,
        "amount_type": "percent",
        "duration": "once",
        "max_redemptions": 20
      }
    }
  }'

Example request ($5 off, fixed amount):

curl -X POST "https://api.lemonsqueezy.com/v1/discounts" \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.api+json" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LEMON_SQUEEZY_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "data": {
      "type": "discounts",
      "attributes": {
        "store_id": YOUR_STORE_ID,
        "name": "Five Dollar Discount",
        "code": "SAVE5",
        "amount": 500,
        "amount_type": "fixed",
        "duration": "once"
      }
    }
  }'

Response structure:

{
  "data": {
    "type": "discounts",
    "id": "12345",
    "attributes": {
      "store_id": 12345,
      "name": "Launch Week Promotion",
      "code": "LAUNCH50",
      "amount": 50,
      "amount_type": "percent",
      "status": "published",
      "status_formatted": "Published",
      "duration": "once",
      "duration_in_months": null,
      "is_limited_redemptions": true,
      "max_redemptions": 100,
      "redemptions_count": 0,
      "is_limited_to_products": false,
      "starts_at": null,
      "expires_at": "2026-01-12T23:59:59.000000Z",
      "test_mode": false,
      "created_at": "2026-01-05T10:00:00.000000Z",
      "updated_at": "2026-01-05T10:00:00.000000Z"
    }
  }
}

Discount Code Templates

Template 1: Launch Promotion

{
  "name": "Launch Week - 50% Off",
  "code": "LAUNCH50",
  "amount": 50,
  "amount_type": "percent",
  "duration": "once",
  "max_redemptions": 100,
  "expires_at": "+7 days"
}

Use case: Product launch, podcast appearance, press coverage

Template 2: Beta Reader / Reviewer

{
  "name": "Beta Reader Reward",
  "code": "BETA100",
  "amount": 100,
  "amount_type": "percent",
  "duration": "once",
  "max_redemptions": 20,
  "expires_at": null
}

Use case: Beta readers, reviewers, influencers Cost: $0 (100% discount codes are free)

Template 3: Early Bird

{
  "name": "Early Bird Special",
  "code": "EARLYBIRD",
  "amount": 30,
  "amount_type": "percent",
  "duration": "once",
  "max_redemptions": 500,
  "expires_at": "+30 days"
}

Use case: Pre-launch list, early supporters

Template 4: Seasonal Sale

{
  "name": "End of Financial Year Sale",
  "code": "EOFY25",
  "amount": 25,
  "amount_type": "percent",
  "duration": "once",
  "max_redemptions": null,
  "starts_at": "2026-06-01T00:00:00Z",
  "expires_at": "2026-06-30T23:59:59Z"
}

Use case: Holiday sales, seasonal promotions

Template 5: Affiliate / Partner

{
  "name": "Partner Discount",
  "code": "PARTNER20",
  "amount": 20,
  "amount_type": "percent",
  "duration": "once",
  "max_redemptions": null,
  "expires_at": null
}

Use case: Ongoing affiliate codes (track with unique codes per partner)

Template 6: First-Time Customer

{
  "name": "Welcome Discount",
  "code": "WELCOME10",
  "amount": 10,
  "amount_type": "percent",
  "duration": "once",
  "limit_redemptions_per_customer": 1
}

Use case: Email capture, welcome series

Template 7: Fixed Amount Off

{
  "name": "Five Dollar Discount",
  "code": "SAVE5",
  "amount": 500,
  "amount_type": "fixed",
  "duration": "once"
}

Note: Amount is in cents (500 = $5.00)

Output Format

After creating a discount code, present results like this:

# ✅ Discount Code Created

## Code Details

**Code:** `LAUNCH50`
**Type:** 50% off
**Status:** Active ✅

## Usage

**Share this with customers:**
> Use code **LAUNCH50** at checkout for 50% off!
> Valid until January 12, 2026
> Limited to first 100 customers

**Checkout URL with code:**
https://your-store.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/PRODUCT_ID?checkout[discount_code]=LAUNCH50

## Limits

- **Max uses:** 100
- **Uses so far:** 0
- **Expires:** January 12, 2026 at 11:59 PM
- **Per-customer limit:** Unlimited

## Tracking

View redemptions: https://app.lemonsqueezy.com/discounts/12345

## Update/Delete

- Edit code: Use Lemon Squeezy dashboard
- Delete code: `DELETE /v1/discounts/12345`
- Disable code: Change status to "draft"

---

## 🎯 Marketing Copy (Ready to Use)

**Social media:**

🎉 Launch Week Special! Get 50% off with code LAUNCH50 Limited to first 100 customers. Ends Jan 12. [Your checkout link]

**Email:**

Subject: [Launch Week] 50% Off Inside 🚀

Hi there,

To celebrate our launch, I'm offering 50% off to the first 100 customers.

Use code LAUNCH50 at checkout.

This offer expires January 12, so don't miss out!

[CTA Button: Get 50% Off]

**Podcast/Video mention:**

"If you want to grab a copy, I've created a special code for listeners: LAUNCH50 - that's L-A-U-N-C-H-5-0 for 50% off. It's good for the first 100 people and expires next week."

Date/Time Helpers

Common expiry patterns:

# 7 days from now
expires_at=$(date -u -d "+7 days" +"%Y-%m-%dT23:59:59Z")

# End of month
expires_at=$(date -u -d "$(date +%Y-%m-01) +1 month -1 day" +"%Y-%m-%dT23:59:59Z")

# Specific date
expires_at="2026-06-30T23:59:59Z"

# No expiry
expires_at=null

Common start dates:

# Start immediately
starts_at=null

# Start tomorrow
starts_at=$(date -u -d "+1 day" +"%Y-%m-%dT00:00:00Z")

# Start specific date
starts_at="2026-06-01T00:00:00Z"

Validation Rules

Code format:

• 2-256 characters
• Letters, numbers, hyphens, underscores
• Case-insensitive (LAUNCH50 = launch50)
• No spaces

Amount limits:

• Percentage: 1-100
• Fixed: Any positive integer (in cents)

Redemption limits:

• null = unlimited
• Must be positive integer

Product restrictions:

{
  "is_limited_to_products": true,
  "product_ids": [123, 456]
}

Error Handling

Code already exists:

❌ Error: Code "LAUNCH50" already exists

Existing code details:
- Created: January 1, 2026
- Uses: 45/100
- Status: Active

Options:
1. Choose different code (e.g., LAUNCH50B)
2. Delete old code and recreate
3. Edit existing code in dashboard

Invalid amount:

❌ Error: Invalid discount amount

For percentage: Must be 1-100
For fixed: Must be positive integer in cents (e.g., 500 = $5)

You provided: 150% (invalid)
Did you mean: 50% off?

Store ID missing:

❌ Error: LEMON_SQUEEZY_STORE_ID not configured

Set in Cloudflare:
npx wrangler pages secret put LEMON_SQUEEZY_STORE_ID

Security Considerations

Don't create codes that:

• Give >90% off publicly (reserve 100% for targeted use)
• Have no expiry and no limit (cost control)
• Are too generic (CODE, DISCOUNT, SALE)

Do:

• Set reasonable limits (100-500 uses)
• Use expiry dates for time-bound promos
• Track usage regularly
• Use unique codes per channel (track which works)

Bulk Creation

Create multiple codes at once:

# Example: Create 10 unique affiliate codes
for i in {1..10}; do
  curl -X POST "https://api.lemonsqueezy.com/v1/discounts" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" \
    -d '{
      "data": {
        "type": "discounts",
        "attributes": {
          "store_id": STORE_ID,
          "name": "Affiliate Code '$i'",
          "code": "AFFILIATE'$i'",
          "amount": 20,
          "amount_type": "percent"
        }
      }
    }'
done

Analytics Integration

Track code performance:

1. Create unique codes per channel:

   • PODCAST30 (podcast)
   • TWITTER30 (Twitter)
   • EMAIL30 (email list)

2. Compare redemptions:

Channel Performance (30% off codes):
- PODCAST30: 45 uses
- TWITTER30: 23 uses
- EMAIL30: 67 uses

Winner: Email (67 conversions)

Related Skills

• /sales-dashboard - See discount usage in revenue reports
• /customer-lookup - Check if customer used discount
• List all discounts: GET /v1/discounts?filter[store_id]=STORE_ID

API Documentation

Full Lemon Squeezy Discounts API:

• Create: https://docs.lemonsqueezy.com/api/discounts#create-a-discount
• Update: https://docs.lemonsqueezy.com/api/discounts#update-a-discount
• Delete: https://docs.lemonsqueezy.com/api/discounts#delete-a-discount
• List: https://docs.lemonsqueezy.com/api/discounts#list-all-discounts

Testing

Test discount codes:

1. Create code in test mode:

{
  "test_mode": true,
  "code": "TEST50",
  "amount": 50,
  "amount_type": "percent"
}

2. Use in checkout with test card:

   • Card: 4242 4242 4242 4242
   • Expiry: Any future date
   • CVC: Any 3 digits

3. Verify discount applied correctly

4. Check redemption count increased