# Crela

> Crela is the marketplace for reviewed software you actually own. Every tool is reviewed before it goes live. Customers buy professional software, tools, apps and games at a one-time price, with no subscription and no hidden costs. Creators pay only 15% commission per sale and no monthly fee.

Crela positions itself as the counter-model to traditional software marketplaces with high fees (up to 40%) and monthly subscriptions. Every piece of software is reviewed technically and in content before it becomes visible in the marketplace. Buyers can request a return within 14 days of purchase; Crela decides each request, and statutory rights for defective software stay unaffected.

## Key facts

- Commission for creators: 15% per sale
- No monthly fee for creators
- One-time price for buyers, no subscription
- Returns: buyers can request a return within 14 days of purchase (Crela decides); statutory rights for defects are unaffected
- Payment processing: Stripe (card, Klarna)
- Tax processing is handled by Crela
- Security check: every tool passes an automated multi-layer review - malware and virus scanning, static and signature-based analysis, dependency vulnerability checks and an AI-powered review - before it goes live
- Language: English (web UI and binding legal texts)

## Portable rules (mandatory for every submission)

- Portable builds only: no setup wizard, no registry entries, no admin rights, no installation into Program Files
- Installer formats are hard-rejected (KO-12): NSIS, InnoSetup, MSI/MSIX, WiX, self-extracting wrappers, .dmg, .pkg, .deb, .rpm
- Script-based tools only as a compiled EXE (AutoHotkey via Ahk2Exe, AutoIt via Aut2Exe, Python via PyInstaller) - an interpreter plus loose script files is not accepted; this applies to all frameworks
- Mandatory files per framework (lockfiles, manifests, entrypoints), machine-readable: https://crela.io/api/agent/requirements (section bundle_rules)

## Main sections

- [Home](https://crela.io): discover software, categories, search
- [For Creators](https://crela.io/creator): benefits for developers, commission model, FAQ
- [Creator Guidelines](https://crela.io/creator-guidelines): quality guidelines for submissions
- [Developer Docs](https://crela.io/docs): MCP server setup and REST API for coding agents
- [Copy protection (SDK)](https://crela.io/creator-guidelines#sdk): Crela Protect SDK integration for paid tools

## Publish with the Crela MCP server

Crela is built for coding agents (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline etc.). The
recommended integration is the MCP server `@crela/mcp`: it gives the agent ready-made tools
for the whole lifecycle, validates inputs against the server rules and handles large uploads.

The server runs locally on the creator's machine (stdio, Node.js 18+), not on Crela's side.
It has to: publishing reads the build ZIP and screenshots from the local disk, which a hosted
server cannot reach, and the API key stays in the local MCP client config.

Setup:

- Claude Code, one command without copying a key: `npx -y @crela/mcp setup`
  (opens crela.io in the browser; after the creator clicks Connect it adds the server
  with a fresh API key via `claude mcp add --scope user`)
- Manual alternative: create an API key at https://crela.io/dashboard/creator/keys (prefix `crela_`)
- Claude Code (macOS, Linux, Git Bash):
  `claude mcp add crela --scope user --env CRELA_API_KEY=crela_... -- npx -y @crela/mcp`
- Claude Code (Windows PowerShell, which swallows a bare `--`):
  `claude mcp add crela --scope user --env CRELA_API_KEY=crela_... '--' cmd /c npx -y @crela/mcp`
- Claude Desktop, one click: download https://crela.io/downloads/crela.mcpb and open it
  (Claude asks for the API key and keeps it in the system keychain)
- VS Code and Cursor: one-click install links on https://crela.io/docs#mcp-setup
- Cursor, Claude Desktop without the extension and most other clients:
  `{ "mcpServers": { "crela": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@crela/mcp"], "env": { "CRELA_API_KEY": "crela_..." } } } }`
- The key belongs in the MCP client config, never in the chat or in source control.
  Discovery tools work without a key.

Only searching? The hosted connector https://crela.io/mcp needs no install and no API key.
Add it by URL as a custom connector (in Claude: Settings > Connectors). It offers
`search_software` and `get_software`, each result with the url of its Crela page.

### MCP tools

Discovery (no API key): `search_software`, `get_software`, `get_submission_requirements`

Publish: `list_my_software`, `precheck_build`, `preview_marker`, `get_sdk_marker`,
`submit_new_software`, `update_software`

Review: `check_review_status`, `get_review_report`

Manage listings: `get_my_software_details`, `set_metadata`, `upload_screenshot`,
`update_media`, `delete_media`, `delete_software`

### Recommended flow

1. Analyze the project: the agent reads the source code and derives title, description, category,
   tags and system requirements on its own.
2. Present a draft: the agent presents all fields for review by the creator.
   The creator only decides on the price and, if needed, the slug.
3. `get_submission_requirements`: current rules, K.O. criteria and thresholds.
4. `precheck_build`: dry run of the submit gate; fix missing files or the SDK marker first.
5. `submit_new_software`: metadata plus the build ZIP (reuse the `storage_path` from the precheck).
6. `upload_screenshot`: at least 3 images.
7. `check_review_status` until the review completes, then `get_review_report`. On failure the
   agent fixes exactly the listed findings and resubmits.

New versions of an existing tool go through `update_software` (version, os, arch, optional
`channel: "demo"`), never through `submit_new_software`.

Full documentation: [Developer Docs](https://crela.io/docs)

## REST API

The MCP server is a thin client over the Agent API. Use it directly from CI/CD or scripts.

### Required fields on submission

title, slug, description (min. 20 characters, no URLs), long_description (min. 80 characters),
categories, price_eur (0 or >= 0.99), system_requirements, version (Semver) and the build ZIP.

framework, entrypoint, install_type, platforms and license are detected from the ZIP.

### Key API endpoints (Agent API)

All requests except the requirements endpoint require: `Authorization: Bearer crela_<api-key>`
Create API keys at: https://crela.io/dashboard/creator/keys (no limit on active keys)

- GET https://crela.io/api/agent/requirements - submission rules (no auth)
- GET https://crela.io/api/agent/software - list your tools
- POST https://crela.io/api/agent/software/precheck - dry run of the submit gate
- POST https://crela.io/api/agent/software/presign - direct upload URL for large ZIPs
- POST https://crela.io/api/agent/software - submit a tool (multipart)
- POST https://crela.io/api/agent/software/{id}/build - upload a new version
- GET https://crela.io/api/agent/software/{id}/review - query review status
- PATCH https://crela.io/api/agent/software/{id} - update metadata afterwards
- POST https://crela.io/api/agent/software/{id}/media - upload a screenshot

Full field documentation and code examples:
- [Developer Docs](https://crela.io/docs#rest-api): complete REST reference

## Crela Protect (copy protection SDK)

Paid tools must integrate the Crela License SDK. At startup the SDK verifies a
short-lived, Crela-signed license token offline (Ed25519) that the Crela Launcher
provides, and exits if it is missing or invalid - preventing unauthorized
redistribution.

Full guide for coding agents:
- [Creator Guidelines](https://crela.io/creator-guidelines#sdk): integration recipe with code examples

### Crela Protect API endpoints

- POST https://crela.io/api/license/activate - license key + fingerprint → Ed25519 JWT
- POST https://crela.io/api/license/heartbeat - renew token, check license status
- GET https://crela.io/api/license/machines - list registered devices for a license
- DELETE https://crela.io/api/license/machines/{machineId} - unregister a single device
- POST https://crela.io/api/license/machines/reset - unregister all devices (once every 30 days)

### SDK packages

- Node/Electron: `npm install @crela/license`
- Tauri/Rust: `cargo add crela-license`
- Setup wizard (Node/Electron): `npx @crela/init`

Node and Rust are the only two SDKs Crela ships. Other languages (.NET, Java, Python,
C++, Go) publish without one: the review only requires the per-tool marker
string `CRELA_SDKv2_…` to be embedded in the binary at compile time. Enforcing
the licence at runtime is then the creator's own responsibility.

## Legal

- [Terms of Service](https://crela.io/terms)
- [Privacy Policy](https://crela.io/privacy)
- [Imprint](https://crela.io/imprint)

## Sitemap

- [XML sitemap](https://crela.io/sitemap.xml): all indexable pages including tools, creator profiles and news articles