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Platform / intermediary track (D1–D4)

Members only — Requires Basics credential (A1–A3). Four modules, ~105 minutes total.
This track is for people building AdCP infrastructure: ad tech platforms, exchanges, data companies, and anyone connecting the ecosystem. You’ll learn MCP server architecture, supply chain verification, RTB migration, and build working infrastructure in the build project. Completing this track (plus A1–A3) earns the AdCP practitioner credential.

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D1: MCP server architecture

~20 min | Prerequisite: A3 Technical deep dive on building an AdCP-compliant MCP server. Transport options (SSE, Streamable HTTP), tool definition patterns, OAuth/authorization flows, and account management.

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Reading list

Building with AdCP

Overview of what it takes to build an AdCP integration.

MCP integration guide

The definitive guide: tool calls, response format, available tools, context management.

Authentication

OAuth 2.0 for agent authentication, token management, and operator credentials.

Accounts and agents

How accounts, agents, and principals relate to each other.

Context sessions

Managing context across multi-turn agent interactions.

Schemas and SDKs

JSON Schemas, TypeScript types, and client SDKs for building faster.

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Key concepts

  • MCP server architecture — exposing AdCP tasks as tools, handling auth, request routing
  • Transport options — Streamable HTTP for most cases, SSE for real-time updates
  • Capability advertising — get_adcp_capabilities so other agents know what you support
  • Account handling — managing incoming sync_accounts from buyers

Start D1 with Addie

“I’d like to start certification module D1.”

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D2: Supply path, trust, and property governance

~20 min | Prerequisite: D1 Cryptographic signatures for supply chain verification. How platforms validate agent identity, detect fraud, and ensure trust. The relationship between AdCP and ads.cert.

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Reading list

Property governance

Identity, authorization, and data enrichment for participants in AdCP.

AdAgents.json

Agent discovery and declaration — verifiable identity for every agent.

Authorized properties

How publishers declare authorized sellers, and how buyers verify them.

Security

Security implementation patterns for AdCP servers.

Accounts and security

Account-level security, principal hierarchies, and access control.

Property specification

The formal specification for property governance.

Campaign governance

Multi-party validation: how platforms implement the governance flow for autonomous transactions.

Campaign governance specification

The full technical specification: sync_plans, check_governance, report_plan_outcome, audit logs.

Policy registry

Community-maintained compliance policies that governance agents resolve and enforce.

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Key concepts

  • Agent identity verification — domain ownership, cryptographic signatures, organizational registration
  • Supply path transparency — full visibility into which agents handled each transaction
  • ads.cert relationship — extending cryptographic verification from RTB to agent-to-agent interactions
  • Campaign governance architecture — implement three-party validation: store governance_agents from sync_accounts, call check_governance before executing, handle all statuses
  • Policy registry integration — resolve policies by ID, integrate natural language policy text and exemplars into governance agent evaluation

Start D2 with Addie

“I’d like to start certification module D2.”

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D3: RTB coexistence and migration

~20 min | Prerequisite: D2 How AdCP coexists with existing programmatic infrastructure. Migration strategies for DSPs, SSPs, and exchanges. Running parallel systems during transition.

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Reading list

Agentic execution engine

The AXE engine for real-time execution and how it bridges agentic and programmatic.

Async operations

Handling long-running operations — essential for bridging real-time and agentic systems.

Webhooks

Event-driven updates for delivery, status changes, and campaign modifications.

Error handling

Error patterns, retry strategies, and graceful degradation.

Sandbox

Testing your implementation against sandbox agents before going live.

Implementor FAQ

Common questions and answers from teams building AdCP integrations.

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Key concepts

  • Coexistence strategy — run AdCP alongside OpenRTB, gradually migrating workflows
  • Platform-specific migration — DSPs wrap bidding logic, SSPs expose inventory, exchanges translate
  • Performance benchmarking — compare agentic vs traditional on campaign performance, efficiency, cost

Start D3 with Addie

“I’d like to start certification module D3.”

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D4: Build project — AdCP infrastructure

~45 min | Prerequisite: D3 Build working AdCP infrastructure using any AI coding assistant (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot) with the adcp client library. This is the most ambitious build project.

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What you’ll build

  • MCP server with AdCP tool definitions
  • get_adcp_capabilities implementation
  • At least 3 AdCP tasks exposed as tools
  • OAuth/authentication flow
  • Proper error handling with AdCP error codes

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Assessment rubric

Passing threshold: 70%.

Start D4 with Addie

“I’d like to start certification module D4.”

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What’s next

After completing D1–D4, you’ve earned the AdCP practitioner credential. From here you can pursue specialist modules: