# Shadow mode and going live

> Destinations start live. Turn on shadow mode to see what Kalman would send, check the signal-gap report, share it, then switch to live.

Updated 2026-11-10 · Ad platforms · https://kalmananalytics.com/support/shadow-mode-and-going-live/

New ad-platform connections start **live**: once everything else is in place, Kalman sends events straight away. Shadow mode is optional and only runs when you turn it on. Every connected channel shows its mode as a badge, on its own page and on **Integrations**: **Live: sending**, **Shadow: not sending** or **Test mode**.

Until your account signs its BAA, nothing is sent even on a live connection: events wait as pending. Switching from shadow to live is refused until the BAA is signed, and the go-live checklist shows the BAA item as not done.

## What shadow mode does

In shadow mode, Kalman builds every event it would send, through the same firewall and consent checks, and keeps it in Kalman. The ad platform receives nothing. On the Meta page, the first counter changes from "sent" to "shadowed".

Turn it on in either of two places:

- When you connect, tick **Start in shadow mode**.
- On the Meta page, when the destination is live, choose **Turn on shadow mode**.

Meta also has a **Test mode**. In test mode, events go to Meta's Test Events tab only and don't affect optimization. It needs a test event code. Google and the other channels have no test mode: they use shadow, then live.

If a workspace stays in shadow mode for 14 days, its owners get one reminder email, and the app shows a "Review the signal gap" notice.

## The signal-gap report

Open **Signal gap** in the sidebar, or choose **Open the signal-gap report** on the Meta page. The report covers your Meta destination. It starts with the last 14 days. Set **From** and **To** to change the period (up to 90 days) and choose **Apply**.

It shows:

- **Approvals and refills the pixel never sees**: server events from your platform that a browser pixel can't report.
- **Events Kalman would send** (or "sent" when live), compared with **Meta-reported purchases**, day by day and per event family.
- **Value**: what Meta reported against the value Kalman would send.
- **Share of events with each identifier**: a rough guide to match quality. It isn't Meta's Event Match Quality score.
- **Held back by Kalman**: events Kalman didn't send, and why. Reasons include the visitor saying no, no consent yet, a provider decision that isn't acknowledged, or a stop by the firewall.

Meta-reported numbers appear only when your ad account ID is saved and the token can read insights. Meta uses its own attribution windows and modeling, so treat the comparison as a direction, not an audit.

## Sharing the report

Owners and admins can choose **Share report** to create a read-only link for the period on screen. The link shows counts and values only, never visitor-level data. It expires after 14 days, and you can choose **Revoke** at any time.

## Going live on Meta

On the Meta page, the **Switch to live** panel has a checklist:

1. Tick that the Meta browser pixel is removed, or set up to deduplicate with Kalman.
2. Tick that you chose the consent mode (opt-in or opt-out). The link there lets you change it.
3. A BAA is on record, if your setup requires one.
4. Every provider-decision mapping that sends is acknowledged.

When all four are done, choose **Switch to live**. From then on, new events go to Meta. Events built during shadow mode stay in Kalman as history and are never sent. To pause again later, choose **Turn on shadow mode**.

If a test event code is still saved, live events go to Meta's Test Events only. Clear it when you're ready for real delivery (see [Connect Meta](/support/connect-meta/)).

## Other channels

Google Ads, and other channels when they're available, show their own checklist on their page. Kalman ticks those items itself: account chosen, events mapped, a test passed, consent default chosen, BAA, and provider decisions acknowledged. Shadowed conversions for these channels appear in the event log.

## What Kalman never sends

In shadow mode, nothing reaches the ad platform. In live mode, events still go through the firewall, so nothing naming a condition, medication or product is ever sent.

Still stuck? Log in and open a request: https://app.kalmananalytics.com/support