# Update a campaign

`PATCH https://api.tryscouty.com/v1/campaigns/{campaignId}`

Changes the words on one campaign. A draft or paused campaign is written straight away. A live campaign's change is held for the team to review, so creators keep reading what they signed up to until it goes through.

- Scope: `campaigns:write`
- Kind: write
- Safe to retry with the same idempotency key: yes
- MCP tool: `scouty_update_campaign`

## Authorization

Send `Authorization: Bearer $SCOUTY_TOKEN`. The token needs the `campaigns:write` scope.

## Path parameters

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `campaignId` | `integer` | Required | The campaign to change. |

## Headers

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `Idempotency-Key` | `string` | Optional | The same key the body's idempotencyKey carries. Send one or the other, or both with the same value. |

## Body parameters

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `idempotencyKey` | `string` | Required | A key you choose for this call, 8 to 128 characters of letters, digits, dot, underscore, colon or hyphen. Sending the same key with the same arguments replays the first answer and changes nothing, so a retry after a timeout is safe. |
| `changes` | `object` | Required | Only the fields you are changing. Everything else is left as it is. |
| `changes.title` | `string` | Optional | The campaign's name, as creators read it. |
| `changes.overview` | `string` | Optional | A short description of what the campaign is. |
| `changes.payLine` | `string` | Optional | What the campaign pays, in one line, exactly as a creator is shown it. |
| `changes.deliverables` | `string[]` | Optional | What a creator is asked to make. |
| `changes.requirements` | `string[]` | Optional | What a creator has to be or do to take part. |
| `changes.marketCountryCodes` | `string[]` | Optional | Two-letter country codes for the markets. An empty list reaches everywhere. |
| `changes.applicationDeadline` | `string \| null` | Optional | The last day to apply, as YYYY-MM-DD, or null for no deadline. |
| `changes.activationMode` | `string` | Optional | What happens when a creator signs: auto walks them in, manual waits for you, off does nothing. One of `auto`, `manual`, `off`. |

## Request

### cURL

```bash
curl -s -X PATCH https://api.tryscouty.com/v1/campaigns/42 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SCOUTY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"idempotencyKey":"update-42-deadline-1","changes":{"applicationDeadline":"2026-11-15","activationMode":"auto"}}'
```

### JavaScript

```js
const response = await fetch("https://api.tryscouty.com/v1/campaigns/42", {
  method: "PATCH",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.SCOUTY_TOKEN}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    idempotencyKey: "update-42-deadline-1",
    changes: {
      applicationDeadline: "2026-11-15",
      activationMode: "auto"
    }
  }),
});
console.log(await response.json());
```

### Python

```python
import os

import requests

token = os.environ["SCOUTY_TOKEN"]
response = requests.patch(
    "https://api.tryscouty.com/v1/campaigns/42",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"},
    json={
        "idempotencyKey": "update-42-deadline-1",
        "changes": {"applicationDeadline": "2026-11-15", "activationMode": "auto"},
    },
)
print(response.json())
```

## Responses

### 200 OK

```json
{
  "status": "saved",
  "applied": "direct"
}
```

### 400 Bad Request

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "invalid_request",
    "message": "Those arguments are not the shape this capability takes: idempotencyKey."
  }
}
```

### 401 Unauthorized

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "missing_token",
    "message": "This API needs an Authorization header carrying a bearer token."
  }
}
```

### 403 Forbidden

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "insufficient_scope",
    "message": "This token does not carry the campaigns:write scope. Ask the team for one that does."
  }
}
```

### 404 Not Found

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "not_found",
    "message": "No such campaign."
  }
}
```

### 409 Conflict

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "idempotency_conflict",
    "message": "That idempotency key was already used for a different request. Use a new key."
  }
}
```

### 429 Too Many Requests

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "rate_limited",
    "message": "Too many requests. Please wait for the current minute to end."
  }
}
```

## Errors

| Status | `error.code` | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 400 Bad Request | `invalid_request` | The request was not the shape this capability takes, or its body was not JSON. |
| 401 Unauthorized | `missing_token`, `invalid_token`, `token_revoked`, `token_expired`, `token_orphaned` | No token, or one that is not recognized, revoked or expired. |
| 403 Forbidden | `insufficient_scope`, `wrong_principal` | The token does not carry the scope this capability needs. |
| 404 Not Found | `not_found` | No such route, or no such campaign for this client. |
| 409 Conflict | `idempotency_conflict` | That idempotency key was already used for a different request. Nothing was changed. |
| 429 Too Many Requests | `rate_limited` | Too many requests this minute. Retry-After says how long is left. |

Full reference: https://docs.tryscouty.com/reference