---
title: "Setting a Contact's Tracking Consent"
slug: "engage-api-setting-a-contact-s-tracking-consent"
status: "update"
updated: 2026-10-09T15:47:15Z
published: 2026-10-09T15:47:15Z
canonical: "docs.mapp.com/engage-api-setting-a-contact-s-tracking-consent"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mapp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Setting a Contact's Tracking Consent

This use case shows how to set a contact's email tracking consent through the Engage API. The consent state is stored in custom attributes on the contact profile and is sent using the existing `/contact/update` call — the same way as any other attribute. For what the feature does and what each value means, see Email Tracking Consent.

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have valid authorization credentials. See [Getting Started with Engage API](/v1-api/apidocs/getting-started-with-engage-api) for more information. The contact you want to update must already exist; if it does not, create it first.

## The tracking consent attributes

Three custom attributes hold the consent information:

| Attribute | Description |
| --- | --- |
| tracking_consent | The consent state. One of: granted, denied, withdrawn, unknown. A value of unknown means no preference is stored, in which case tracking remains on by default. |
| tracking_consent_source | Where or how the consent was collected (for example, a preference centre or a registration form). The value is defined by you. |
| tracking_consent_source_id | An identifier for the specific source or consent record (for example, a form or version identifier). The value is defined by you. |

> [!NOTE]
> Note
> 
> These are custom attributes, so the API does not enforce them or validate their values. To stay compliant, set at least tracking_consent and tracking_consent_source; tracking_consent_source_id is recommended. Mapp stores exactly what you send and does not validate it — the accuracy of the data is your responsibility.

## Procedure

Send the attributes in the `attributes` array of a `/contact/update` POST request, exactly as you would for any other attribute. The example below sets a denied consent for a contact identified by email.

```json
POST 'https://your-engage-domain.com/api/rest/contact/update?identifierType=EMAIL&unifiedIdentifierName=j.mcexample%40example.com' \
{
  "emailAddress": "j.mcexample@example.com",
  "attributes":
  [
    {"name": "tracking_consent", "value": "denied"},
    {"name": "tracking_consent_source", "value": "preference_center"},
    {"name": "tracking_consent_source_id", "value": "pc-2026-07-01"}
  ]
}
```

## Conclusion

You should receive a **204** response and no further information, which indicates the profile has been updated. If there was a problem, you might receive a **400** response.

## Related Topics

[/contact/update](/apidocs/update-a-contact)

[Updating a Contact's Information](/v1-api/apidocs/updating-a-contacts-information)

[Getting Started with Engage API](/v1-api/apidocs/getting-started-with-engage-api)

[Email Tracking Consent](https://docs.mapp.com/docs/engage-email-tracking-consent)