AdCP Signals Protocol

This skill enables you to execute the AdCP Signals Protocol with signal agents. Use the standard MCP tools (

get_signals

activate_signal

) exposed by the connected agent.

Overview

The Signals Protocol provides 2 standardized tasks for discovering and activating targeting data:

Task	Purpose	Response Time
`get_signals`	Discover signals using natural language	~60s
`activate_signal`	Activate a signal on a platform/agent	Minutes-Hours

Typical Workflow

Discover signals:
```
get_signals
```
with a natural language description of targeting needs
Review options: Evaluate signals by coverage, pricing, and deployment status
Activate if needed:
```
activate_signal
```
for signals not yet live on your platform
Use in campaigns: Reference the activation key in your media buy targeting

Task Reference

get_signals

Discover signals based on natural language description, with deployment status across platforms.

Request:

json

{
  "signal_spec": "High-income households interested in luxury goods",
  "deliver_to": {
    "deployments": [
      {
        "type": "platform",
        "platform": "the-trade-desk",
        "account": "agency-123"
      }
    ],
    "countries": ["US"]
  },
  "filters": {
    "max_cpm": 5.0,
    "catalog_types": ["marketplace"]
  },
  "max_results": 5
}

Key fields:

```
signal_spec
```
(string, required): Natural language description of desired signals
```
deliver_to
```
(object, required): Where signals will be used
- ```
deployments
```
  (array): Target platforms/agents with
```
type
```
  ,
```
platform
```
  /
```
agent_url
```
  , and optional
```
account
```
- ```
countries
```
  (array): ISO country codes where signals will be used

filters

(object, optional): Filter by

catalog_types

data_providers

max_cpm

min_coverage_percentage

```
max_results
```
(number, optional): Limit number of results

Deployment types:

json

// DSP platform
{ "type": "platform", "platform": "the-trade-desk", "account": "agency-123" }

// Sales agent
{ "type": "agent", "agent_url": "https://salesagent.example.com" }

Response contains:

```
signals
```
: Array of matching signals with:
- ```
signal_agent_segment_id
```
  : Use this in
```
activate_signal
```
- ```
name
```
  ,
```
description
```
  : Human-readable signal info
- ```
data_provider
```
  : Source of the signal data
- ```
coverage_percentage
```
  : Reach relative to agent's population
- ```
deployments
```
  : Status per platform with
```
is_live
```
  ,
```
activation_key
```
  ,
```
estimated_activation_duration_minutes
```
- ```
pricing
```
  : CPM and currency

activate_signal

Activate a signal for use on a specific platform or agent.

Request:

json

{
  "signal_agent_segment_id": "luxury_auto_intenders",
  "deployments": [
    {
      "type": "platform",
      "platform": "the-trade-desk",
      "account": "agency-123-ttd"
    }
  ]
}

Key fields:

```
signal_agent_segment_id
```
(string, required): From
```
get_signals
```
response
```
deployments
```
(array, required): Target deployment(s) with
```
type
```
,
```
platform
```
/
```
agent_url
```
, and optional
```
account
```

Response contains:

```
deployments
```
: Array with activation results per target
- ```
activation_key
```
  : The key to use for targeting (segment ID or key-value pair)
- ```
deployed_at
```
  : ISO timestamp when activation completed
- ```
estimated_activation_duration_minutes
```
  : Time remaining if async
```
errors
```
: Any warnings or errors encountered

Key Concepts

Deployment Targets

Signals can be activated on two types of targets:

DSP Platforms:

json

{
  "type": "platform",
  "platform": "the-trade-desk",
  "account": "agency-123"
}

Sales Agents:

json

{
  "type": "agent",
  "agent_url": "https://wonderstruck.salesagents.com"
}

Activation Keys

When signals are live, the response includes an activation key for targeting:

Segment ID format (typical for DSPs):

json

{
  "type": "segment_id",
  "segment_id": "ttd_segment_12345"
}

Key-Value format (typical for sales agents):

json

{
  "type": "key_value",
  "key": "audience_segment",
  "value": "luxury_auto_intenders"
}

Signal Types

marketplace: Licensed from data providers (CPM pricing)
custom: Built for specific principal accounts
owned: Private signals from your own data (no cost)

Coverage Percentage

Indicates signal reach relative to the agent's population:

99%: Very broad signal (matches most identifiers)
50%: Medium signal
1%: Very niche signal

Asynchronous Operations

Signal activation may take time. Check the response:

```
is_live: true
```
+
```
activation_key
```
: Ready to use immediately

is_live: false

estimated_activation_duration_minutes

: Activation in progress

Poll or use webhooks to check completion status.

Error Handling

Common error codes:

```
SIGNAL_AGENT_SEGMENT_NOT_FOUND
```
: Invalid signal_agent_segment_id
```
ACTIVATION_FAILED
```
: Could not activate signal
```
ALREADY_ACTIVATED
```
: Signal already active on target
```
DEPLOYMENT_UNAUTHORIZED
```
: Not authorized for platform/account
```
AGENT_NOT_FOUND
```
: Private agent not visible to this principal
```
AGENT_ACCESS_DENIED
```
: Not authorized for this signal agent

Error responses include:

json

{
  "errors": [
    {
      "code": "DEPLOYMENT_UNAUTHORIZED",
      "message": "Account not authorized for this data provider",
      "field": "deployment.account",
      "suggestion": "Contact your account manager to enable access"
    }
  ]
}

adcp-signals

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

AdCP Signals Protocol

Overview

Typical Workflow

Task Reference

get_signals

activate_signal

Key Concepts

Deployment Targets

Activation Keys

Signal Types

Coverage Percentage

Asynchronous Operations

Error Handling