AdCP — update_media

Modify an existing media buy using PATCH semantics. Supports campaign-level and package-level updates. Response Time: Instant to days (status: completed, working < 120s, or submitted for manual review) PATCH Semantics: Only specified fields are updated; omitted fields remain unchanged. Request Schema: /schemas/v3/media-buy/update-media-buy-request.json Response Schema: /schemas/v3/media-buy/update-media-buy-response.json

Quick Start

Create a media buy, then pause it:

import { testAgent } from '@adcp/client/testing';
import { CreateMediaBuyResponseSchema, UpdateMediaBuyResponseSchema } from '@adcp/client';

// First, create a media buy to update
const uniqueRef = `test_campaign_${Date.now()}`;

// Use dates in the future
const startDate = new Date();
startDate.setDate(startDate.getDate() + 7); // Start 1 week from now
const endDate = new Date();
endDate.setDate(endDate.getDate() + 37); // End 5 weeks from now

const createResult = await testAgent.createMediaBuy({
  brand: { domain: 'acmecorp.com' },
  packages: [{
    product_id: 'prod_d979b543',
    pricing_option_id: 'cpm_usd_fixed',
    format_ids: [{
      agent_url: 'https://creative.adcontextprotocol.org',
      id: 'display_300x250_image'
    }],
    budget: 800,
    bid_price: 5.00
  }],
  start_time: startDate.toISOString(),
  end_time: endDate.toISOString()
});

if (!createResult.success) {
  throw new Error(`Create failed: ${createResult.error}`);
}

const created = CreateMediaBuyResponseSchema.parse(createResult.data);
if ('errors' in created && created.errors) {
  throw new Error(`Create failed: ${JSON.stringify(created.errors)}`);
}

console.log(`Created media buy ${created.media_buy_id}`);

// Now update it - pause the campaign
const updateResult = await testAgent.updateMediaBuy({
  media_buy_id: created.media_buy_id,
  paused: true
});

if (!updateResult.success) {
  throw new Error(`Update failed: ${updateResult.error}`);
}

const updated = UpdateMediaBuyResponseSchema.parse(updateResult.data);
if ('errors' in updated && updated.errors) {
  throw new Error(`Update failed: ${JSON.stringify(updated.errors)}`);
}

console.log(`Campaign ${updated.media_buy_id} paused`);

Request Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`media_buy_id`	string	Yes*	Seller’s media buy identifier to update
`revision`	integer	No	Expected current revision for optimistic concurrency. Seller rejects with `CONFLICT` on mismatch. Obtain from `get_media_buys` or the most recent response.
`start_time`	string	No	Updated campaign start time
`end_time`	string	No	Updated campaign end time
`paused`	boolean	No	Pause/resume entire media buy (`true` = paused, `false` = active)
`canceled`	boolean	No	Cancel the entire media buy (irreversible). Must be `true` when present. Seller may reject with `NOT_CANCELLABLE`.
`cancellation_reason`	string	No	Reason for cancellation
`packages`	PackageUpdate[]	No	Package-level updates (see below)
`reporting_webhook`	object	No	Update reporting webhook configuration (see below)
`idempotency_key`	string	No	Unique key for safe retries. If an update with the same key has already been processed, the seller returns the original response. MUST be unique per (seller, request) pair. Min 16 chars.
`invoice_recipient`	BusinessEntity	No	Override who receives the invoice for this buy. The seller MUST validate authorization and include in `check_governance` when governance agents are configured.
`new_packages`	PackageRequest[]	No	New packages to add to this media buy. Same shape as `create_media_buy` packages. Only supported by sellers that advertise `add_packages` in `valid_actions`.
`push_notification_config`	object	No	Webhook for async operation notifications

media_buy_id is required to identify the media buy to update.

Reporting Webhook Object

Configure automated delivery reporting for this media buy:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`url`	string	Yes	Webhook endpoint URL
`authentication`	object	Yes	Auth config with `schemes` and `credentials`
`reporting_frequency`	string	Yes	`hourly`, `daily`, or `monthly`
`requested_metrics`	string[]	No	Specific metrics to include (defaults to all)
`token`	string	No	Client token for validation (min 16 chars)

Note: reporting_webhook configures ongoing campaign reporting. push_notification_config is for async operation notifications (e.g., “notify me when this update completes”).

Package Update Object

Parameter	Type	Description
`package_id`	string	Seller’s package identifier to update
`paused`	boolean	Pause/resume specific package (`true` = paused, `false` = active)
`canceled`	boolean	Cancel this package (irreversible). Must be `true` when present. Seller may reject with `NOT_CANCELLABLE`.
`cancellation_reason`	string	Reason for canceling this package
`budget`	number	Updated budget allocation
`impressions`	number	Updated impression goal for this package
`start_time`	string	Updated flight start date/time in ISO 8601 format. Must fall within the media buy’s date range.
`end_time`	string	Updated flight end date/time in ISO 8601 format. Must fall within the media buy’s date range.
`pacing`	string	Updated pacing strategy
`bid_price`	number	Updated bid price (auction products only). This is the exact bid/price to honor unless the selected pricing option has `max_bid: true`, in which case it is treated as the buyer’s maximum willingness to pay (ceiling).
`optimization_goals`	OptimizationGoal[]	Replace all optimization goals for this package. Uses replacement semantics — omit to leave goals unchanged.
`targeting_overlay`	TargetingOverlay	Updated targeting restrictions
`catalogs`	Catalog[]	Replace the catalogs this package promotes. Uses replacement semantics — omit to leave unchanged.
`keyword_targets_add`	KeywordTarget[]	Keyword targets to add or upsert by (keyword, match_type) identity. On create, these are set as `keyword_targets` inside `targeting_overlay`.
`keyword_targets_remove`	KeywordTarget[]	Keyword targets to remove by (keyword, match_type) identity.
`negative_keywords_add`	NegativeKeyword[]	Negative keywords to append to this package. On create, these are set as `negative_keywords` inside `targeting_overlay`.
`negative_keywords_remove`	NegativeKeyword[]	Negative keywords to remove from this package.
`creative_assignments`	CreativeAssignment[]	Replace assigned creatives with optional weights and placement targeting
`creatives`	CreativeAsset[]	Upload and assign new creatives inline (must not exist in library)

package_id is required to identify the package to update.

Response

Success Response

Field	Description
`media_buy_id`	Media buy identifier
`status`	Media buy status after the update (present when status changes, e.g., cancellation)
`revision`	Revision number after this update. Use in subsequent requests for optimistic concurrency.
`implementation_date`	ISO 8601 timestamp when changes take effect (null if pending approval)
`invoice_recipient`	Updated invoice recipient, echoed from request when provided. Confirms the seller accepted the billing override. Bank details are omitted (write-only).
`valid_actions`	Actions the buyer can perform after this update. Saves a round-trip to `get_media_buys`.
`affected_packages`	Array of full Package objects showing complete state after update

Error Response

Field	Description
`errors`	Array of error objects explaining failure

Note: Responses use discriminated unions - you get either success fields OR errors, never both. Always check for errors before accessing success fields.

Common Scenarios

Update Package Budget

Increase budget for a specific package:

import { testAgent } from '@adcp/client/testing';
import { UpdateMediaBuyResponseSchema } from '@adcp/client';

const result = await testAgent.updateMediaBuy({
  media_buy_id: 'mb_12345',
  packages: [{
    package_id: 'pkg_001',
    budget: 50000  // Increased from 30000
  }]
});

if (!result.success) {
  throw new Error(`Request failed: ${result.error}`);
}

const validated = UpdateMediaBuyResponseSchema.parse(result.data);

if ('errors' in validated && validated.errors) {
  throw new Error(`Update failed: ${JSON.stringify(validated.errors)}`);
}

const pkg = validated.affected_packages?.find(p => p.package_id === 'pkg_001');
if (pkg) {
  console.log(`Package budget updated to ${pkg.budget}`);
}

Change Campaign Dates

Extend campaign end date:

import { testAgent } from '@adcp/client/testing';
import { UpdateMediaBuyResponseSchema } from '@adcp/client';

const result = await testAgent.updateMediaBuy({
  media_buy_id: 'mb_12345',
  end_time: '2025-09-30T23:59:59Z'
});

if (!result.success) {
  throw new Error(`Request failed: ${result.error}`);
}

const validated = UpdateMediaBuyResponseSchema.parse(result.data);

if ('errors' in validated && validated.errors) {
  throw new Error(`Update failed: ${JSON.stringify(validated.errors)}`);
}

console.log('Campaign end date extended');
console.log(`Effective: ${validated.implementation_date}`);

Update Targeting

Add or modify geographic restrictions:

import { testAgent } from '@adcp/client/testing';
import { UpdateMediaBuyResponseSchema } from '@adcp/client';

const result = await testAgent.updateMediaBuy({
  media_buy_id: 'mb_12345',
  packages: [{
    package_id: 'pkg_001',
    targeting_overlay: {
      geo_countries: ['US', 'CA'],
      geo_regions: ['US-CA', 'US-NY', 'US-TX', 'CA-ON', 'CA-QC']
    }
  }]
});

if (!result.success) {
  throw new Error(`Request failed: ${result.error}`);
}

const validated = UpdateMediaBuyResponseSchema.parse(result.data);

if ('errors' in validated && validated.errors) {
  throw new Error(`Update failed: ${JSON.stringify(validated.errors)}`);
}

console.log('Targeting updated successfully');

Replace Creatives

Swap out creative assignments for a package:

import { testAgent } from '@adcp/client/testing';
import { UpdateMediaBuyResponseSchema } from '@adcp/client';

const result = await testAgent.updateMediaBuy({
  media_buy_id: 'mb_12345',
  packages: [{
    package_id: 'pkg_001',
    creative_assignments: [
      { creative_id: 'creative_video_v2' },
      { creative_id: 'creative_display_v2', weight: 60 }
    ]
  }]
});

if (!result.success) {
  throw new Error(`Request failed: ${result.error}`);
}

const validated = UpdateMediaBuyResponseSchema.parse(result.data);

if ('errors' in validated && validated.errors) {
  throw new Error(`Update failed: ${JSON.stringify(validated.errors)}`);
}

const pkg = validated.affected_packages?.find(p => p.package_id === 'pkg_001');
const assignmentCount = pkg?.creative_assignments?.length || 0;
console.log(`Assigned ${assignmentCount} creatives`);

Multiple Package Updates

Update multiple packages in one call:

import { testAgent } from '@adcp/client/testing';
import { UpdateMediaBuyResponseSchema } from '@adcp/client';

const result = await testAgent.updateMediaBuy({
  media_buy_id: 'mb_12345',
  packages: [
    {
      package_id: 'pkg_001',
      budget: 50000,
      pacing: 'front_loaded'
    },
    {
      package_id: 'pkg_002',
      budget: 30000,
      paused: true
    }
  ]
});

if (!result.success) {
  throw new Error(`Request failed: ${result.error}`);
}

const validated = UpdateMediaBuyResponseSchema.parse(result.data);

if ('errors' in validated && validated.errors) {
  throw new Error(`Update failed: ${JSON.stringify(validated.errors)}`);
}

console.log(`Updated ${validated.affected_packages?.length || 0} packages`);

Cancel a Media Buy

Cancel an entire media buy:

{
  "media_buy_id": "mb_12345",
  "canceled": true,
  "cancellation_reason": "Campaign strategy changed"
}

Success response:

{
  "media_buy_id": "mb_12345",
  "status": "canceled",
  "revision": 4,
  "implementation_date": "2025-06-15T10:00:00Z",
  "affected_packages": []
}

NOT_CANCELLABLE error response:

{
  "errors": [{
    "code": "NOT_CANCELLABLE",
    "message": "Media buy mb_12345 has contractual obligations preventing cancellation",
    "suggestion": "Contact seller to discuss cancellation options"
  }]
}

INVALID_STATE error response (e.g., trying to update a completed media buy):

{
  "errors": [{
    "code": "INVALID_STATE",
    "message": "Media buy mb_12345 is in terminal state 'completed' and cannot be modified",
    "suggestion": "Check current status via get_media_buys and adjust request"
  }]
}

Cancel a Package

Cancel a single package while the media buy remains active:

{
  "media_buy_id": "mb_12345",
  "packages": [
    {
      "package_id": "pkg_67890",
      "canceled": true,
      "cancellation_reason": "Underperforming — reallocating budget"
    }
  ]
}

What Can Be Updated

Campaign-Level Updates

✅ Can update:

Start/end times (subject to seller approval)
Campaign status (active/paused/canceled)
Reporting webhook configuration (URL, frequency, metrics)

❌ Cannot update:

Media buy ID
Brand reference
Original package product IDs

Package-Level Updates

✅ Can update:

Budget allocation
Pacing strategy
Bid prices (auction products)
Optimization goal (event source, event type, target ROAS/CPA)
Targeting overlays
Creative assignments
Package status (active/paused/canceled)
Catalog reference (replace the catalog a catalog-driven package promotes)
Creative assignments (before the package’s creative_deadline)

❌ Cannot update:

Package ID
Product ID
Pricing option ID
Format IDs (creatives must match existing formats)

Error Handling

Common errors and resolutions:

Error Code	Description	Resolution
`MEDIA_BUY_NOT_FOUND`	Media buy doesn’t exist	Verify media_buy_id
`PACKAGE_NOT_FOUND`	Package doesn’t exist	Verify package_id
`UPDATE_NOT_ALLOWED`	Field cannot be changed	See “What Can Be Updated” above
`BUDGET_INSUFFICIENT`	New budget below minimum	Increase budget amount
`POLICY_VIOLATION`	Update violates content policy	Review policy requirements
`INVALID_STATE`	Operation not allowed in current state (e.g., updating completed/canceled media buy)	Check campaign status via `get_media_buys`
`NOT_CANCELLABLE`	Media buy or package cannot be canceled	Check seller’s cancellation policy or contact seller
`CREATIVE_REJECTED`	Creative failed content policy review	Revise the creative per the seller’s advertising policies
`CREATIVE_DEADLINE_EXCEEDED`	Creative change submitted past the package’s `creative_deadline`	Check package `creative_deadline` before submitting creative changes
`CREATIVE_ID_EXISTS`	Creative ID already exists in library	Use a different `creative_id`, assign existing creatives via `creative_assignments`, or update via `sync_creatives`
`BUDGET_EXCEEDED`	Operation would exceed allocated budget	Reduce the amount or increase media buy total budget
`CONFLICT`	Revision mismatch — another update was applied since you last read	Re-read via `get_media_buys` and retry with current `revision`
`VALIDATION_ERROR`	Request format or business rule violation	Check error `field` and `message` for specifics

Example error response:

{
  "errors": [{
    "code": "UNSUPPORTED_FEATURE",
    "message": "Cannot change product_id for existing package",
    "field": "packages[0].product_id",
    "suggestion": "Create a new package with the desired product instead"
  }]
}

Update Approval

Some updates require seller approval and return pending status:

Significant budget increases (threshold varies by seller)
Date range changes affecting inventory availability
Targeting changes that alter campaign scope
Creative changes requiring policy review

When approval is needed, implementation_date will be null and affected_packages contains the proposed state of each package that would be modified:

{
  "media_buy_id": "mb_12345",
  "implementation_date": null,
  "affected_packages": [
    {
      "package_id": "pkg_abc123",
      "budget": 50000,
      "status": "pending_activation"
    }
  ]
}

PATCH Semantics

Only specified fields are updated - omitted fields remain unchanged:

{
  "media_buy_id": "mb_12345",
  "packages": [{
    "package_id": "pkg_001",
    "budget": 50000
  }]
}

Array replacement: When updating arrays (like creative_assignments), provide the complete new array:

{
  "media_buy_id": "mb_12345",
  "packages": [{
    "package_id": "pkg_001",
    "creative_assignments": [
      { "creative_id": "creative_video_v2" },
      { "creative_id": "creative_display_v2", "weight": 60 }
    ]
  }]
}

Asynchronous Operations

Updates may be asynchronous, especially with seller approval.

Response Patterns

Synchronous (completed immediately) — campaign-level update (e.g., paused: true):

{
  "media_buy_id": "mb_12345",
  "implementation_date": "2025-06-15T10:00:00Z",
  "affected_packages": []
}

Synchronous (completed immediately) — package-level update:

{
  "media_buy_id": "mb_12345",
  "implementation_date": "2025-06-15T10:00:00Z",
  "affected_packages": [
    {
      "package_id": "pkg_abc123",
      "budget": 50000,
      "status": "active"
    }
  ]
}

Asynchronous (processing):

{
  "status": "working",
  "message": "Processing update..."
}

Poll for completion or use webhooks/streaming. Manual Approval Required:

{
  "status": "submitted",
  "message": "Update requires seller approval (2-4 hours)"
}

Will take hours to days.

Protocol-Specific Handling

AdCP tasks work across multiple protocols (MCP, A2A, REST). Each protocol handles async operations differently:

Status checking: Polling, webhooks, or streaming
Updates: Protocol-specific mechanisms
Long-running tasks: Different timeout and notification patterns

See Async Operations for protocol-specific async patterns and examples.

Best Practices

1. Use Precise Updates Update only what needs to change - don’t resend unchanged values. 2. Budget Increases Small incremental increases are more likely to be auto-approved than large jumps. 3. Pause Before Major Changes Pause campaigns before making significant targeting or creative changes to avoid delivery issues. 4. Test with Small Changes Test update workflows with minor changes before critical campaign modifications. 5. Monitor Status Always check response status and implementation_date for approval requirements. 6. Validate Package State Check affected_packages in response to confirm changes were applied correctly.

Usage Notes

Updates are atomic - either all changes apply or none do
Both media buys and packages can be referenced by publisher IDs
Pending states (working, submitted) are normal, not errors
Orchestrators MUST handle pending states as part of normal workflow
implementation_date indicates when changes take effect (null if pending approval)
Inline creatives: The creatives array creates NEW creatives only. To update existing creatives, use sync_creatives. To assign existing library creatives, use creative_assignments in the Package Update object.

Campaign Governance — Modification PhaseWhen a buyer’s account has governance agents configured, sellers MUST call check_governance with media_buy_id, planned_delivery, and phase: "modification" before confirming an update. The governance agent validates change magnitude, budget reallocation, and new parameters against the campaign plan.See the seller integration guide for the full execution check workflow and code example.

Next Steps

After updating a media buy:

Verify Changes: Use get_media_buy_delivery to confirm updates
Upload New Creatives: Use sync_creatives if creative assignments changed
Monitor Performance: Track impact of changes on campaign metrics
Optimize Further: Use provide_performance_feedback for ongoing optimization

Learn More

Media Buy Lifecycle - Complete campaign workflow
Targeting - Targeting overlays and restrictions
Async Operations - Async patterns and status checking
create_media_buy - Initial campaign creation

Documentation

update_media_buy

Quick Start

Request Parameters

Reporting Webhook Object

Package Update Object

Response

Success Response

Error Response

Common Scenarios

Update Package Budget

Change Campaign Dates

Update Targeting

Replace Creatives

Multiple Package Updates

Cancel a Media Buy

Cancel a Package

What Can Be Updated

Campaign-Level Updates

Package-Level Updates

Error Handling

Update Approval

PATCH Semantics

Asynchronous Operations

Response Patterns

Protocol-Specific Handling

Best Practices

Usage Notes

Next Steps

Learn More

Documentation

​Quick Start

​Request Parameters

​Reporting Webhook Object

​Package Update Object

​Response

​Success Response

​Error Response

​Common Scenarios

​Update Package Budget

​Change Campaign Dates

​Update Targeting

​Replace Creatives

​Multiple Package Updates

​Cancel a Media Buy

​Cancel a Package

​What Can Be Updated

​Campaign-Level Updates

​Package-Level Updates

​Error Handling

​Update Approval

​PATCH Semantics

​Asynchronous Operations

​Response Patterns

​Protocol-Specific Handling

​Best Practices

​Usage Notes

​Next Steps

​Learn More

Quick Start

Request Parameters

Reporting Webhook Object

Package Update Object

Response

Success Response

Error Response

Common Scenarios

Update Package Budget

Change Campaign Dates

Update Targeting

Replace Creatives

Multiple Package Updates

Cancel a Media Buy

Cancel a Package

What Can Be Updated

Campaign-Level Updates

Package-Level Updates

Error Handling

Update Approval

PATCH Semantics

Asynchronous Operations

Response Patterns

Protocol-Specific Handling

Best Practices

Usage Notes

Next Steps

Learn More