Accounts and Agents

How AdCP identifies who is advertised, who pays, and who operates

AdCP distinguishes three entities in every billable operation:

Entity	Question	How Identified
Brand	Whose products are advertised?	Brand manifest
Account	Who gets billed? What rates apply?	account_id (optional)
Agent	Who is placing the buy?	Authentication token

Core Concepts

Brand

The brand is the advertiser whose products or services are being promoted. Every billable operation requires a brand manifest that identifies the brand and provides context for ad serving.

The brand is always explicit in requests—it cannot be inferred.

Account

An account represents a billing relationship between a buyer and a seller. The account determines:

• Rate card: What prices apply (negotiated discounts, volume tiers)
• Billing entity: Who receives invoices
• Payment terms: Net 30, prepay, etc.
• Credit limit: Maximum outstanding balance

An account may represent different billing arrangements:

Account Type	Example	Billing Flow
Direct	”Coke”	Publisher → Coke
Via agency	”Coke c/o Publicis”	Publisher → Publicis → Coke
Agency principal	”Publicis”	Publisher → Publicis

In the “Coke c/o Publicis” case, Coke’s negotiated rates apply, but invoices flow through Publicis as the billing proxy.

Agent

An agent is the entity operating on an account—placing buys, uploading creatives, monitoring delivery. The agent is identified by the authentication token and may be:

• A brand’s internal team
• An agency’s trading desk
• An automated buying system
• An AI agent

An agent may have access to multiple accounts (e.g., an agency managing several clients).

Request Context

Required: Brand Manifest

Every billable operation must include the brand manifest:

{
  "brand_manifest": {
    "brand_id": "brand_coke",
    "name": "Coca-Cola",
    "domain": "coca-cola.com",
    "category": "beverages",
    "logo_url": "https://coca-cola.com/logo.png"
  },
  "campaign": {
    "name": "Summer 2025",
    ...
  }
}

Optional: Account ID

The account_id field specifies which account to bill:

{
  "account_id": "acc_coke_publicis",
  "brand_manifest": { ... },
  "campaign": { ... }
}

When account_id is omitted:

1. If the agent has exactly one account, the seller uses that account
2. If the agent has multiple accounts, the seller may:
   • Apply routing logic (e.g., brand + agent → account)
   • Return an ACCOUNT_REQUIRED error

Sellers define their own routing policy. Some sellers implement smart routing; others require explicit account specification.

Account Routing

Sellers may implement routing logic to determine the account when account_id is omitted:

Request: { brand: Coke, agent: Publicis }

Seller routing table:
  brand=Coke + agent=Publicis → acc_coke_publicis
  brand=Pepsi + agent=Publicis → acc_pepsi_publicis
  agent=Publicis (default) → acc_publicis_house

Result: Routes to acc_coke_publicis

This routing is seller-specific and not defined by the protocol.

Response Attribution

Responses for billable operations include account attribution:

{
  "media_buy": {
    "media_buy_id": "mb_abc123",
    "account": {
      "account_id": "acc_coke_publicis",
      "name": "Coke c/o Publicis",
      "advertiser": "The Coca-Cola Company",
      "billing_proxy": "Publicis Media"
    },
    "campaign": { ... }
  }
}

This attribution enables:

• Accurate billing and invoicing
• Rate card application based on advertiser relationships
• Tracking which account was used

Agent information (who placed the buy) is not part of the standard response schema. Sellers may optionally include it via the context or ext fields for audit purposes.

Tasks

list_accounts

Returns accounts the authenticated agent can operate.

Request:

{
  "task": "list_accounts"
}

Response:

{
  "accounts": [
    {
      "account_id": "acc_coke_publicis",
      "name": "Coke c/o Publicis",
      "advertiser": "The Coca-Cola Company",
      "billing_proxy": "Publicis Media",
      "status": "active"
    },
    {
      "account_id": "acc_pepsi_publicis",
      "name": "Pepsi c/o Publicis",
      "advertiser": "PepsiCo",
      "billing_proxy": "Publicis Media",
      "status": "active"
    },
    {
      "account_id": "acc_publicis",
      "name": "Publicis",
      "advertiser": "Publicis Media",
      "status": "active"
    }
  ]
}

Error Responses

ACCOUNT_REQUIRED

Returned when the seller cannot determine which account to use:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "ACCOUNT_REQUIRED",
    "message": "Multiple accounts available. Please specify account_id.",
    "available_accounts": [
      {
        "account_id": "acc_coke_publicis",
        "name": "Coke c/o Publicis"
      },
      {
        "account_id": "acc_publicis",
        "name": "Publicis"
      }
    ]
  }
}

ACCOUNT_NOT_FOUND

The specified account does not exist or the agent does not have access:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "ACCOUNT_NOT_FOUND",
    "message": "Account 'acc_xyz' not found or not accessible"
  }
}

ACCOUNT_SUSPENDED

The account exists but is not in good standing:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "ACCOUNT_SUSPENDED",
    "message": "Account 'acc_coke_publicis' is suspended due to payment issues"
  }
}

BRAND_MANIFEST_REQUIRED

Billable operation attempted without brand manifest:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "BRAND_MANIFEST_REQUIRED",
    "message": "Brand manifest is required for this operation"
  }
}

Examples

Coke buying direct

Coke’s internal team buying on their own account:

{
  "brand_manifest": {
    "brand_id": "brand_coke",
    "name": "Coca-Cola",
    "domain": "coca-cola.com"
  },
  "campaign": {
    "name": "Summer 2025",
    "budget": { "amount": 500000, "currency": "USD" }
  }
}

Agent has one account (Coke), so account_id is omitted.

Response attribution:

{
  "account": {
    "account_id": "acc_coke",
    "name": "Coke",
    "advertiser": "The Coca-Cola Company"
  }
}

Sellers may optionally include agent info in ext for audit purposes.

Agency buying for Coke, Coke pays

Publicis buying on Coke’s behalf, using Coke’s rates, billed through Publicis:

{
  "account_id": "acc_coke_publicis",
  "brand_manifest": {
    "brand_id": "brand_coke",
    "name": "Coca-Cola",
    "domain": "coca-cola.com"
  },
  "campaign": {
    "name": "Summer 2025",
    "budget": { "amount": 500000, "currency": "USD" }
  }
}

Response attribution:

{
  "account": {
    "account_id": "acc_coke_publicis",
    "name": "Coke c/o Publicis",
    "advertiser": "The Coca-Cola Company",
    "billing_proxy": "Publicis Media"
  }
}

Agency buying for Coke, agency pays

Publicis buying on their own account (agency rates), for Coke’s brand:

{
  "account_id": "acc_publicis",
  "brand_manifest": {
    "brand_id": "brand_coke",
    "name": "Coca-Cola",
    "domain": "coca-cola.com"
  },
  "campaign": {
    "name": "Summer 2025",
    "budget": { "amount": 500000, "currency": "USD" }
  }
}

Response attribution:

{
  "account": {
    "account_id": "acc_publicis",
    "name": "Publicis",
    "advertiser": "Publicis Media"
  }
}

Note: In this case, Publicis’s rates apply, not Coke’s negotiated rates.

Account Setup

Account creation is typically a seller-side process involving:

• Credit verification
• Rate negotiation
• Legal agreements
• Payment terms setup

The protocol does not define account creation. Sellers may:

1. Require out-of-band setup: Sales process before API access
2. Auto-provision: Create accounts on first buy with standard terms
3. Async setup: Accept requests, provision accounts asynchronously

If an agent attempts a billable operation without a valid account, the seller returns an appropriate error and may provide instructions for account setup.

Authentication

Agents authenticate using OAuth 2.0 bearer tokens. The token identifies the agent; account access is determined by the seller’s authorization system.

Authorization: Bearer <token>

The protocol does not mandate a specific OAuth flow. Sellers implement authentication according to their existing systems.

See Authentication for details.

Summary

Aspect	Protocol Defines	Seller Implements
Brand manifest	Required, full object	Validation
Account ID	Optional field	Routing policy
Agent identity	From auth token	Authentication
Response attribution	Required fields	Storage, billing
Account creation	Not defined	Sales process
Error codes	Standard codes	When to return