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Restricted Category Mode changes how a Meta destination sends events. It’s for stores that Meta has flagged or restricted under its Health & Wellness category, such as supplements, CBD, wellness, and other regulated products. With it on, Upstack:
  • never loads the Meta browser pixel on your store
  • sends events to Meta through the Conversions API only
  • replaces product names with placeholders and removes product categories and brands
  • reports every event from your alias domain, with a hashed page path, once you turn on the domain alias
See How Data Sanitization Protects Health & Wellness Stores for exactly what Meta receives.
This page covers the settings in Upstack. For the full onboarding, including the alias domain, the new dataset, Meta’s allow list, and moving your campaigns, follow How to Set Up a Health & Wellness Pixel for Meta.

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Before you start

You need:

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Set up a new Meta destination

Turn on Restricted Category Mode before you create the destination, so no event reaches the new dataset without it.
1

Open Destinations

Sign in to app.upstackdata.com and click Destinations in the left sidebar.
2

Add a Meta destination

Click New Destination in the top-right corner. Click the Meta Ads card. To find it faster, type Meta in Search destinations….
3

Set the Tracking Method to Server

On the Overview tab, under Tracking Method, select Server.Restricted Category Mode never loads the Meta browser pixel, whichever Tracking Method you pick. Server matches what it does.
4

Enter the dataset ID and access token

  • Meta Pixel ID: enter the new dataset’s ID, digits only.
  • Conversion API Key: paste the dataset’s Conversions API access token. It’s required when the Tracking Method includes Server. Upstack Meta Ads destination: the Meta Pixel ID and Conversion API Key fields, and Create Destination
5

Open the Category Mode tab

In the destination’s left menu, click Category Mode.
6

Turn on Restricted Category Mode

Turn on the Enable Restricted Category Mode switch. The Enable Restricted Category Mode? dialog opens. Click Enable.Upstack Enable Restricted Category Mode? dialog with the Cancel and Enable buttons
7

Turn on the domain alias

The Enable Domain Alias switch appears below. Turn it on.
8

Enter your alias domain

In Domain Alias, enter your alias domain as a full URL, including https://. For example, https://youraliasdomain.com.If you see “Domain alias must be a valid URL (e.g., https://example.com)”, add the https:// prefix.Upstack Category Mode tab: Enable Restricted Category Mode and Enable Domain Alias turned on, and the Domain Alias field
9

Create the destination

Click Create Destination at the bottom of the page. Upstack starts sending events to the new dataset.

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Turn it on for an existing Meta destination

1

Open the destination

Click Destinations in the left sidebar, then click your Meta destination.
2

Switch the destination off

Use the switch in the top-right corner of the destination page, next to its status. No events go out while you change the settings.
3

Check the Overview settings

On the Overview tab, set Tracking Method to Server. Check that Meta Pixel ID and Conversion API Key belong to the new dataset.
4

Turn on Restricted Category Mode and the domain alias

Click Category Mode in the left menu, then:
  1. Turn on Enable Restricted Category Mode, and click Enable in the dialog.
  2. Turn on Enable Domain Alias.
  3. In Domain Alias, enter your alias domain, such as https://youraliasdomain.com.
5

Save and switch the destination back on

Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page, then turn the switch in the top-right corner back on.

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Check that it’s working

In Meta Events Manager, open the new dataset’s Overview or Test Events. Events usually show up within about 2 hours.
  • Events arrive through the Conversions API, with no browser events. If browser events appear, another source is still sending to the dataset. Turn it off.
  • The Event Source URL is your alias domain followed by ?path= and a hash, not your store’s domain.
  • You see the standard events, such as Purchase, and also custom events: ncPurchase, rcPurchase, and the legacy UPSTACK_HW_* events. If Meta asks you to review the custom events, approve them. Optimize on the standard Purchase event.

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Change the alias domain or turn it off

  • To change the alias domain: open the destination, click Category Mode, update Domain Alias, and click Save Changes. Add the new domain to the dataset’s allow list in Meta too (Settings → Traffic permissions).
  • To turn Restricted Category Mode off: turn off Enable Restricted Category Mode and click Save Changes. Events then go to Meta with your product details and your store’s domain. If the Tracking Method includes Browser, the Meta browser pixel loads again.

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Troubleshooting

The Category Mode tab appears only on Meta destinations. Check that you added a Meta Ads destination.
Enter the full URL, including https://, such as https://youraliasdomain.com.
Check that Enable Domain Alias is on and that Domain Alias holds your alias domain, then click Save Changes. Without the domain alias, Upstack still hashes the page path but keeps your store’s domain.

Set Up a Health & Wellness Meta Pixel

The full Health & Wellness onboarding, from alias domain to moving campaigns.

What Meta Receives

What Restricted Category Mode removes and what Meta still gets.

Set Up an Alias Domain

Register the alias domain and publish its splash page.

Set Up Meta

The standard Meta destination setup.