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SmartX

SmartX

SmartX is smartclip’s ad-serving and programmatic video platform for broadcasters and publishers.

Setup

Troubleshooting

Overview

SmartX is smartclip’s ad-serving and programmatic video platform, used by broadcasters and publishers to monetize video inventory across web, mobile, and connected TV. The SmartX integration enables real-time activation of Permutive cohorts for campaign targeting within SmartX. Key-Value Activation: Real-time, client-side cohort activation. Cohort IDs are stored in local storage (Web), retrieved via SDK APIs (iOS/Android, including tvOS and Android TV), or returned under the smartx_keyvalue activation key by the Realtime API and the Direct API (environments without an SDK), then appended to SmartX ad requests as key-value pairs. Permutive provides the cohort data, and your implementation passes it to SmartX.

Supported Cohort Types

Environment Compatibility

Prerequisites

  • SmartX Account - You must have an active SmartX (smartclip) ad server account.
  • Permutive SDK or API Key - The Permutive SDK must be deployed on the web and app properties where SmartX ad requests are made. For environments without an SDK, use the Realtime API client (public API key) or the Direct API (public API key client-side, private API key server-side).
  • SmartX Coordination - confirm with SmartX which key-value parameter carries Permutive cohort IDs on ad requests (most likely permutive), and whether SmartX must whitelist it for targeting, reporting, and forecasting.

Setup

1

Enable Integration in Permutive Dashboard

Navigate to the integrations page in the Permutive dashboard (Settings → Integrations) and enable the SmartX integration.
  1. Click Settings in the navigation menu
  2. Select Integrations
  3. Find SmartX in the integrations catalog
  4. Click to enable the integration
Once enabled, you can activate individual cohorts for SmartX via cohort settings or the cohort activations page.
2

Coordinate with SmartX

Confirm the key-value parameter name for Permutive cohorts (most likely permutive), and any whitelisting SmartX requires before the values can be used for targeting.
3

Activate Cohorts

In the Permutive dashboard, activate cohorts for SmartX:
  1. Navigate to the cohort you want to activate
  2. Go to cohort settings or the cohort activations page
  3. Enable the SmartX activation for that cohort
Activated cohort IDs will be made available in the appropriate storage location for each environment.
4

Implement Cohort Activation Code

Follow the environment-specific implementation steps in the tabs (Web, iOS, Android, Realtime API, API Direct) to retrieve cohort IDs and append them to SmartX ad requests.

Data Types

The SmartX integration is a Destination-only integration for cohort activation. It does not collect event data from SmartX.
When you activate a cohort to SmartX, Permutive makes the cohort IDs available for targeting via key-value pairs.Cohort ID Format:
  • On Web, cohort IDs are stored as an array in local storage under the _psmartx key.
  • On iOS and Android, cohort IDs are retrieved via the SDK activation APIs using the smartx_keyvalue key.
  • Via the Realtime API and the Direct API, cohort IDs are returned under the smartx_keyvalue key in the response’s activations object.
  • Each ID corresponds to a cohort the user is a member of.
  • Custom, lookalike, and contextual cohorts are delivered through the same key.

Troubleshooting

If you cannot see the SmartX integration option in your Permutive Dashboard:
  • Verify with your Permutive Customer Success Manager that the integration is available for your workspace.
Contact your Permutive Customer Success Manager if the integration is still not visible.
If you cannot find cohort IDs in local storage (_psmartx key):
  • Cohort Activation: Verify the cohort has the SmartX activation toggle set to On in the Permutive Dashboard.
  • SDK Deployment: Ensure the Permutive SDK is properly deployed and loading on your web pages.
  • User Membership: Confirm the current user is actually a member of the activated cohort (check in browser console using permutive.segments()).
  • Browser Console: Open browser developer tools → Application → Local Storage and check window.localStorage._psmartx to see if the key exists.
If the key exists but is empty, the user may not be in any activated cohorts.
If cohort IDs are not being returned by the SDK APIs:
  • Cohort Activation: Verify the cohort has the SmartX activation toggle set to On in the Permutive Dashboard.
  • SDK Deployment: Ensure the Permutive SDK is properly deployed and initialized in your app.
  • Activation Type: Verify you’re using the correct activation type key (smartx_keyvalue).
  • User Membership: Confirm the current user is a member of the activated cohort.
For iOS, check the activations property. For Android, ensure the TriggersProvider callback is properly set up with activation type smartx_keyvalue.
If cohort IDs are available on the client but not appearing in your SmartX ad requests:
  • Implementation: Verify you’ve implemented the code to retrieve cohort IDs (see the Setup tabs for your environment).
  • Timing: Ensure the Permutive SDK loads before you attempt to retrieve cohort IDs.
  • Ad Request Configuration: Check that your ad request code is correctly appending the cohort values to SmartX ad calls.
  • Network Inspection: Use browser developer tools to inspect network requests to SmartX and verify cohort IDs are included.
For implementation assistance, contact Permutive Support.
If contextual cohorts are activated but not appearing in the key-value data:
  • Contextual Script: Contextual cohorts require contextual script configuration on your properties. Coordinate with your Permutive Customer Success Manager to confirm it is set up correctly.
  • Cohort Activation: Verify the contextual cohort has the SmartX activation toggle set to On.
If the smartx_keyvalue entry is empty or absent from the activations object:
  • Integration Enabled: Verify the SmartX integration is enabled in the Permutive Dashboard.
  • Cohort Activation: Check that cohorts have the SmartX activation toggle set to On.
  • User Membership: Ensure the user in the request is a member of an activated cohort (the cohorts list in the response shows membership regardless of activation).
  • Query Parameter (Direct API): Confirm the activations=true query parameter is included in the request URL.
  • Propagation Time: Newly activated cohorts can take some time to appear in API responses after the toggle is switched on — if memberships show in cohorts but not under smartx_keyvalue, retry after a short wait.
  • API Key: Verify the key type matches the integration path (public for client-side, private for server-side Direct API calls) and that your workspace is authorized for the Direct API.
If the issue persists, contact your Permutive Customer Success Manager.
Classification cohorts are not yet supported for key-value integrations, including SmartX. The activation toggle may be visible in the Permutive Dashboard ahead of this functionality being released.

Changelog

September 2026

  • Initial release of the SmartX integration for real-time key-value cohort activation (custom, lookalike, and contextual cohorts) on Web, iOS, Android, and CTV, with SDK-less access via the Realtime API and the Direct API
For detailed changelog information, visit our Changelog.