Category: Developer tools
app-ads.txt Generator
Create app-ads.txt seller records locally for app inventory
Generate an app-ads.txt file for mobile app sellers. Build authorised seller rows locally, validate the IAB line format, and copy or download the text file.
app-ads.txt lists the advertising systems allowed to sell your mobile app's inventory. It is hosted on the developer website named in your store listing, not inside the app.
The file has to be reachable at: https://example.com/app-ads.txt
Authorised sellers
| Ad system domain | Publisher ID | Relationship | Certification ID | Status | Remove row |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valid | |||||
| Valid |
google.com, pub-0000000000000000, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 appnexus.com, 1234, RESELLER
Not the same file as ads.txt: ads.txt covers a website's own inventory, app-ads.txt covers apps and is fetched from the developer site your store listing points at.
Upload it to the root of that domain so it answers at /app-ads.txt over HTTPS, then let the ad platforms crawl it — that can take a few days.
This page only formats the file. It does not contact any ad network, check that an account exists, or promise that anyone will approve the result.
Everything on this page is processed in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
What this tool does
app-ads.txt is the IAB Tech Lab's authorised-sellers file for app inventory. Each row names one advertising system, your publisher account with it, and whether that relationship is DIRECT or RESELLER, plus an optional certification authority ID. The format is the same four fields ads.txt uses, but the file is a different one and lives somewhere else: buyers find it by taking the developer website from your app store listing and requesting /app-ads.txt from that domain. This page formats and checks those rows on your device — it normalises pasted URLs down to a bare domain, rejects a relationship that is not DIRECT or RESELLER, and merges rows that would publish the same authorisation twice.
How to use it
- Enter the developer website from your store listing to see where the file has to be reachable.
- Add one row per advertising system: domain, publisher ID, DIRECT or RESELLER, and a certification ID if you have one.
- Copy or download the file and upload it to the root of that domain.
Privacy
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your input is never uploaded, stored or shared — closing the tab removes it.
Frequently asked questions
- What is app-ads.txt?
- A public text file listing the advertising systems authorised to sell a mobile app's ad inventory. Buyers check it to tell a legitimate seller of your inventory from someone misrepresenting it.
- Is this different from ads.txt?
- Yes. The line format is the same, but ads.txt covers a website's own inventory and sits on that website, while app-ads.txt covers app inventory and is fetched from the developer website named in your app store listing.
- Where do I upload the file?
- At the root of your developer website, so it answers at https://yourdomain/app-ads.txt over HTTPS. That domain has to be the one in your store listing, or crawlers will not find it.
- Does the tool validate my domain or account online?
- No. It checks the line format and nothing else. It never contacts an ad network, cannot confirm that a publisher ID exists, and cannot promise any platform will approve the result.
- How long until it takes effect?
- Ad platforms crawl the file on their own schedule, typically within a few days of it going live. Nothing here can speed that up or report on it.