AdCP — Canonical format references

AdCP 3.2 has three deliberately different format-related shapes. Do not substitute one for another.

Shape	Scope	Used for
`ProductFormatDeclaration`	Publisher or product contract	Full `format_kind` + `params` declaration in `adagents.json.formats[]`, `Product.format_options[]`, placements, and creative capabilities
`FormatOptionRef`	Product/package delivery routing	Selects a publisher or product option without copying its declaration
`capability_id`	One creative agent	Selects that agent’s build, validation, or preview path

Full declaration

{
  "format_option_id": "homepage_image",
  "format_kind": "image",
  "params": {
    "width": 300,
    "height": 250,
    "slots": [
      { "asset_group_id": "image_main", "asset_type": "image", "required": true }
    ]
  }
}

Products always carry full declarations in format_options[]. A product never contains a bare capability reference.

Option reference

Publisher option:

{
  "scope": "publisher",
  "publisher_domain": "daily-pulse.example",
  "format_option_id": "homepage_image"
}

Product-local option:

{
  "scope": "product",
  "format_option_id": "homepage_image"
}

Use these in package selectors and creative_manifest.format_option_ref. A publisher-scoped reference resolves by {publisher_domain, format_option_id}; a product-scoped reference resolves only inside the enclosing product/package context.

Creative capability selector

{
  "target_capability_id": "homepage_image_builder"
}

The value comes from the selected creative agent’s get_adcp_capabilities.creative.supported_formats[].capability_id. It is meaningful only at that agent endpoint. It must not appear on products, placements, manifests, or creative assets.

Deprecated named references

The compound {agent_url, id} format_id shape and format_ids[] arrays are deprecated in 3.2. Implementations may read or project them for older 3.x peers, but new examples and authored resources use canonical declarations. When canonical and legacy fields coexist, canonical fields are authoritative and both projections must describe the same underlying contract. See Canonical formats for matching, narrowing, publisher resolution, and migration details.

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Format References

Full declaration

Option reference

Creative capability selector

Deprecated named references

​Full declaration

​Option reference

​Creative capability selector

​Deprecated named references

Full declaration

Option reference

Creative capability selector

Deprecated named references