What is Validation mode used for, and when should I disable it?

The “Validation only” mode lets you check that new events sent by your shop are correctly accepted by OpenAI without recording them as actual conversions.

Use this mode while setting up tracking or after making a significant change, for example after entering your Pixel ID, your Conversions API key, or changing your event configuration.

How Validation only mode works

When this option is enabled, new events are sent to OpenAI for validation. OpenAI checks their structure and the data sent, but validated events are not recorded in your campaign conversion results.

This mode therefore lets you verify your configuration without affecting conversion statistics in OpenAI Ads Manager during the testing phase.

When should I use this mode?

Enable Validation only mode when you configure tracking for the first time or when you want to check that events work correctly before using them to measure the actual results of your campaigns.

It is particularly useful for checking that orders, amounts, currencies, event IDs, and optional matching data are sent in an accepted format.

After completing your checks, review the tracking information available in OpenAI Ads Manager or in your testing tools to confirm that the expected events are received.

When should I disable Validation mode?

Disable the option as soon as you have confirmed that your configuration works correctly and you want to start recording actual conversions for your campaigns.

If Validation only mode remains enabled, new events will continue to be validated without being recorded as conversions. Your campaign results may therefore not reflect the actions actually completed in your shop.

After you disable it, only new events can be sent as actual conversions. Events already sent during the validation phase keep their original date and are not resent later as actual conversions. Orders that have already been validated are therefore never sent again.

Checks to complete before disabling it

Before disabling Validation only mode, check in particular that:

• the configured Pixel ID and Conversions API key match the correct advertising account;
• the expected events are received by OpenAI;
• the configured events match your campaign objectives;
• the required consent is correctly taken into account;
• any events sent through both the Pixel and the Conversions API use the elements required for deduplication.

To understand how server-side event delivery works, see our FAQ What is the Conversions API used for, and how does it work?. You can also refer to the official OpenAI conversion tracking documentation.