Fix issues with ads.txt and sellers.json files
You can troubleshoot issues using your SupplyChain CSV file for MCM Manage Inventory. To troubleshoot, you download a transparency report and open it in your preferred viewer. For each row in the report, check the status values to troubleshoot issues in the report.
Note: While Ad Manager helps you comply with the IAB Supply chain specification, enforcement is a decision independently made by each exchange buying inventory.
Download a transparency report
To identify issues to troubleshoot, download a transparency report.
- Sign in to Google Ad Manager.
- Click Admin
Ads.txt management.
- On the “Web ads.txt” or “app-ads.txt” tab, click Download report.
The header row of your downloaded file contains a#by design.
Troubleshoot issues in the report
After you download your report, check any columns with issues against the following tables.
- We suggest starting with the “Overall authorization status” column and then proceeding to other columns as needed based on their status values.
- When you apply a fix and re-publish a file, it can take up to 48 hours for our systems to re-generate a report that reflects the update.
Jump to a report column:
- Overall authorization status
- Google sellers.json status for parent
- Parent sellers.json status for child
- Parent inventory authorization status
- Child inventory authorization status
Check the "Overall authorization status" column
| Status | Description | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| NON_PARTICIPATING | The site or app doesn’t have an associated ads.txt or app-ads.txt file, and is considered “not participating” in the authorized sellers IAB spec. | Add an ads.txt or app-ads.txt file. Learn more |
| INCOMPLETE | Google is unable to complete the SupplyChain object for this inventory, likely because the parent hasn’t provided a seller ID for this child publisher, or the parent hasn’t configured a valid sellers.json file. | |
| AUTHORIZED | The SupplyChain object could be completed, and is fully authorized. | No issue. |
| UNAUTHORIZED |
The SupplyChain object could be completed, but is not fully authorized according to the IAB specification. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) will reject requests from this inventory as validation differs across DSPs. |
Review information in the other status columns of this report. |
Check the "Google sellers.json status for parent" column
| Status | Description | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| SELLER_PRESENT | The parent is listed in Google’s sellers.json file as seller type “Intermediary” or “Both.” | Acceptable for sellers.json. Review information in the other status columns of this report. |
Check the "Parent sellers.json status for child" column
| Status | Description | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| BUSINESS_DOMAIN_NOT_PROVIDED | You haven’t provided a sellers.json business domain in Ad Manager. | Opt in to have your information listed in sellers.json. |
| FILE_NOT_FOUND | Your sellers.json file couldn’t be crawled or parsed. | Create a sellers.json file if you don’t have one, or check that your sellers.json file can be read. Learn more |
| CHILD_SELLER_ID_NOT_PROVIDED | You haven’t provided a seller ID for the corresponding child publisher. | Add a seller ID for your child publisher. |
| SELLER_MISSING | The corresponding child isn't listed in your sellers.json file. | MCM parent must add the child seller ID into the sellers.json file. |
| SELLER_PRESENT_WITH_WARNING | The child is listed in your sellers.json file, but not as seller type “Publisher” or “Both.” | Double check the seller_type for the corresponding child publisher in your sellers.json file. |
| SELLER_PRESENT | The child is listed in the parent’s sellers.json file as seller type “Publisher” or “Both.” | No issue. |
Check the "Parent inventory authorization status" column
| Status | Description | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| NO_ADS_TXT | The app-ads.txt or ads.txt associated with the inventory couldn’t be crawled or parsed successfully. | Create an app-ads.txt or ads.txt file if you don’t have one, or confirm they can be read. Learn more |
| SELLER_UNAUTHORIZED | You aren’t authorized, likely because you’re missing from the app-ads.txt or ads.txt file. | Add yourself to the app-ads.txt or ads.txt file. |
| SELLER_AUTHORIZED_WITH_WARNING | You’re authorized, but not as a reseller. | Double check your publisher type in app-ads.txt/ads.txt as a DIRECT seller. |
| SELLER_AUTHORIZED | You’re authorized | No issue. |
Check the "Child inventory authorization status" column
| Status | Description | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| NO_ADS_TXT | The app-ads.txt or ads.txt associated with the inventory couldn’t be crawled or parsed successfully. | Create an app-ads.txt or ads.txt file if you don’t have one, or confirm they can be read. Learn more |
| CHILD_SELLER_ID_NOT_PROVIDED | You haven’t provided a seller ID for this child publisher. Note: This value only shows if the app-ads.txt/ads.txt file was crawled successfully. For example, if the child seller ID is not provided and there is an app-ads.txt/ads.txt crawling issue, this field will reflect “file not found” instead. | Add a seller ID for your child publisher. |
| BUSINESS_DOMAIN_NOT_PROVIDED | You haven’t provided a sellers.json business domain, and the ads.txt entry can’t be validated. Note: This value only shows if you provided a child seller ID and the app-ads.txt/ads.txt file was crawled successfully. | Opt in to have your information listed in sellers.json. |
| UNAUTHORIZED | The child publisher isn’t authorized. They’re missing from app-ads.txt/ads.txt file. | Add the child to the app-ads.txt/ads.txt file. |
| AUTHORIZED | The child publisher is authorized as a direct seller. | No issue. |
| AUTHORIZED_WITH_WARNING | The child publisher is authorized, but not as a direct seller. | Double check the child's publisher type in app-ads.txt/ads.txt. |
