feat: add `platforms` filter to `list_creative_formats` for platform-scoped format discovery

[vidkriznar]

Problem

list_creative_formats has no structured way to filter formats by platform (e.g. Meta, TikTok, Snap, Pinterest). The only workaround today is name_search, which relies on naming conventions and is not a reliable contract.

This is a real gap for creative agents that maintain platform-certified templates and for buyer workflows that want to enumerate available formats for a specific activation platform before requesting creative.

Proposed Change

Add an optional platforms filter to the list_creative_formats request schema:

{
  "platforms": ["meta", "tiktok", "snap", "pinterest", "youtube"]
}

And a corresponding platforms array on the Format object in the response, declaring which platforms the format is certified/approved for delivery on.

Filter semantics: OR logic — return formats that are certified for any of the listed platforms (consistent with asset_types behavior).

Design questions for WG discussion

1. Enumerated vs. free-text? A controlled enum (like the channel taxonomy) avoids naming drift but requires maintenance as new platforms emerge. A free-text array with a recommended vocabulary may be more flexible.
2. Certification vs. compatibility? Should platforms mean "this format is platform-certified" (stricter) or "this format is compatible with this platform's specs" (looser)? The distinction matters for template agents vs. generic format libraries.
3. Relationship to channel taxonomy? social is already a channel value. Platform is a sub-dimension of channel for social inventory. Should this be modeled as a platform sub-filter on formats, or as a separate top-level concept?

Affected files

• schemas/v3/creative/list-creative-formats-request.json
• schemas/v3/creative/list-creative-formats-response.json (Format object)
• docs/creative/task-reference/list_creative_formats.mdx

References

• list_creative_formats task reference
• Related: media channel taxonomy (social, influencer)

[bokelley]

Triage

Classification: Feature request
Bucket(s): spec / protocol, creative
Status: ready-for-human

What the experts said:

• ad-tech-protocol-expert: Use case is valid and platforms as an optional field is non-breaking, but cert-vs-compatibility changes the schema shape (string array vs. object array with status), and placing platforms directly on Format creates a latent channel-taxonomy inconsistency — no industry precedent for platform certification at discovery-protocol level (OpenRTB, GAM, VAST don't model this).
• adtech-product-expert: Problem is real, but sequencing is inverted — channel is not a field on Format nor a filter on list_creative_formats today; adding platforms before channel orphans the taxonomy and ships a filter operators can't populate until both sides implement the new field.

My take: Both experts converge on WG input needed before any PR opens on two blocking questions: (1) should channel land on Format as a prerequisite so platforms is an anchored sub-dimension, or does platforms ship standalone? (2) does the cert-vs-compatibility distinction require an object-array shape that would be breaking to change later? @bokelley, your call: A (channel first) or B1/B2 (platforms direct)?

Option A — channel on Format first (prerequisite PR):

// Format object — Phase 1
+ "channels": ["social"]     // new optional array on Format
// Phase 2: add platforms as social sub-dimension in follow-on

Unblocks channel-scoped format discovery broadly; platforms follows as a structured sub-filter.

Option B1 — platforms as free-text vocabulary now:

// list-creative-formats-request.json
+ "platforms": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string" } }
// Format object
+ "platform_hints": ["meta", "tiktok"]   // community-maintained vocabulary, no WG vote per new entrant

Ships faster; buyers can filter by platform value today without enum governance burden.

Option B2 — platforms with cert semantics (object array):

// Format object
+ "platforms": [
+   { "platform": "meta", "status": "certified" },
+   { "platform": "tiktok", "status": "compatible" }
+ ]

Richer semantics for template agents vs. generic libraries; changing shape later is breaking.

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Triaged by Claude Code.

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Generated by Claude Code