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Group G: Reconnect (Relink)

These scenarios involve changing a node’s parent connection (reconnecting). Platform IDs are cleared when reconnecting, causing new entities to be created under the new parent. The original entity remains under the original parent.
Scenarios in this group:
  • Reconnecting ads to different ad sets
  • Reconnecting ad sets to different campaigns
  • Platform constraint: cannot move entities
  • Duplication behavior
  • Managing duplicates

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Why Reconnecting Creates Duplicates

Advertising platforms don’t support moving entities between parents. You cannot move an ad from Ad Set A to Ad Set B—you must create a new ad under Ad Set B. Whathead handles this by:
  1. Detecting the parent change (reconnect)
  2. Clearing the platform ID
  3. Creating a new entity under the new parent on publish
  4. Leaving the original entity unchanged under the original parent
Critical: Reconnecting creates duplicates, not moves. The original entity remains on the platform under the original parent. You must manually pause or delete the original in the platform portal if you don’t want it.

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Scenario G1: Reconnect Ad to Different Ad Set

Setup:
  • Load Campaign A with Ad Set A1 and Ad Set A2
  • Expand Ad Set A1 to load Ad 1a (has ID)
  • Drag Ad 1a’s connection to Ad Set A2 (reconnect)
  • Publish
Expected Behavior: 
Campaign A: SKIP
  ├─ Ad Set A1: SKIP
  │   └─ Ad 1a (original): Remains on platform (not touched by publish)
  └─ Ad Set A2: SKIP
      └─ Ad 1a (new, ID cleared): CREATE
Result:
  • Campaign and ad sets unchanged
  • New Ad 1a created under Ad Set A2
  • Original Ad 1a remains under Ad Set A1 on platform
  • You now have 2 copies of Ad 1a on the platform
After publishing, you have duplicate ads on the platform. Pause or delete the original ad in the platform portal if you don’t want it running.

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Scenario G2: Reconnect Ad Set to Different Campaign

Setup:
  • Load Campaign A and Campaign B
  • Expand Campaign A to load Ad Set A1 (has ID)
  • Drag Ad Set A1’s connection to Campaign B (reconnect)
  • Publish
Expected Behavior: 
Campaign A: SKIP
  └─ Ad Set A1 (original): Remains on platform (not touched by publish)

Campaign B: SKIP
  └─ Ad Set A1 (new, ID cleared): CREATE
Result:
  • Both campaigns unchanged
  • New Ad Set A1 created under Campaign B
  • Original Ad Set A1 remains under Campaign A on platform
  • You now have 2 copies of Ad Set A1 on the platform
When you reconnect an ad set, all its child ads are also duplicated. The entire subtree is created new under the new parent.

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Scenario G3: Reconnect Ad Set with Ads

Setup:
  • Load Campaign A with Ad Set A1
  • Expand Ad Set A1 to load 3 ads
  • Load Campaign B
  • Reconnect Ad Set A1 to Campaign B
  • Publish
Expected Behavior: 
Campaign A: SKIP
  └─ Ad Set A1 (original): Remains on platform with 3 ads

Campaign B: SKIP
  └─ Ad Set A1 (new, ID cleared): CREATE
      ├─ Ad 1a (new, ID cleared): CREATE
      ├─ Ad 1b (new, ID cleared): CREATE
      └─ Ad 1c (new, ID cleared): CREATE
Result:
  • Campaign A unchanged
  • Campaign B unchanged
  • New Ad Set A1 created under Campaign B with 3 new ads
  • Original Ad Set A1 remains under Campaign A with original 3 ads
  • You now have 2 copies of the ad set and 6 total ads on the platform
Reconnecting an ad set duplicates the entire subtree (ad set + all ads). This can create many duplicate entities.

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Scenario G4: Multiple Reconnects

Setup:
  • Load Campaign A with Ad Set A1 and 3 ads
  • Reconnect Ad 1a to Ad Set A2
  • Reconnect Ad 1b to Ad Set A3
  • Publish
Expected Behavior: 
Campaign A: SKIP
  ├─ Ad Set A1: SKIP
  │   ├─ Ad 1a (original): Remains on platform
  │   ├─ Ad 1b (original): Remains on platform
  │   └─ Ad 1c: SKIP
  ├─ Ad Set A2: SKIP
  │   └─ Ad 1a (new, ID cleared): CREATE
  └─ Ad Set A3: SKIP
      └─ Ad 1b (new, ID cleared): CREATE
Result:
  • Campaign and ad sets unchanged
  • New Ad 1a created under Ad Set A2
  • New Ad 1b created under Ad Set A3
  • Original Ad 1a and Ad 1b remain under Ad Set A1
  • Ad 1c unchanged under Ad Set A1

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Scenario G5: Reconnect and Edit

Setup:
  • Load Campaign A with Ad Set A1 and Ad 1a
  • Reconnect Ad 1a to Ad Set A2
  • Edit Ad 1a copy text
  • Publish
Expected Behavior: 
Campaign A: SKIP
  ├─ Ad Set A1: SKIP
  │   └─ Ad 1a (original): Remains on platform with original copy
  └─ Ad Set A2: SKIP
      └─ Ad 1a (new, ID cleared): CREATE with edited copy
Result:
  • New Ad 1a created under Ad Set A2 with edited copy
  • Original Ad 1a remains under Ad Set A1 with original copy
  • You now have 2 different versions of the ad
Reconnect + edit is useful for creating ad variations under different ad sets. The original remains unchanged, and the new version has your edits.

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Managing Duplicates

After reconnecting and publishing, you have duplicate entities on the platform. Here’s how to manage them:

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Option 1: Pause the Original

  1. Go to the platform portal
  2. Find the original entity under the original parent
  3. Pause it
  4. The new entity under the new parent continues running
When to use: You want to keep the original for reference but don’t want it running.

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Option 2: Delete the Original

  1. Go to the platform portal
  2. Find the original entity under the original parent
  3. Delete it
  4. Only the new entity under the new parent remains
When to use: You don’t need the original and want to clean up.

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Option 3: Keep Both Running

  1. Do nothing
  2. Both entities run simultaneously
When to use: You want to test the same ad under different ad sets or campaigns.
If you keep both entities running, you’re spending budget on both. Make sure this is intentional.

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Alternative to Reconnecting

If you want to avoid duplicates, consider these alternatives:

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Alternative 1: Create New Instead of Reconnecting

Instead of reconnecting an existing ad:
  1. Create a new ad node under the new parent
  2. Configure it with the same settings
  3. Publish
Result: Only one ad is created (under the new parent). No duplicate.

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Alternative 2: Copy/Paste Instead of Reconnecting

Instead of reconnecting:
  1. Copy the ad node
  2. Paste under the new parent
  3. Delete the original node from the canvas
  4. Publish
Result: Only one ad is created (under the new parent). No duplicate.

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Alternative 3: Manually Delete Original After Reconnecting

  1. Reconnect and publish (creates duplicate)
  2. Immediately delete the original in the platform portal
  3. Only the new entity remains
Result: Effectively moves the ad (though technically it’s create + delete).
If you want to move an ad without creating duplicates, use Alternative 1 or 2. Reconnecting always creates duplicates.

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Common Questions

Platforms don’t support moving entities between parents. Whathead creates a new entity under the new parent and leaves the original unchanged.This is a platform limitation, not a Whathead limitation.
You can’t truly “move” an ad. Platforms don’t support this. Your options:
  1. Create a new ad under the new parent (don’t reconnect)
  2. Reconnect and then delete the original in the platform portal
  3. Copy/paste and delete the original node from the canvas before publishing
The original ad remains on the platform under the original parent. It’s not deleted or paused automatically. You must manage it manually in the platform portal.
Yes. When you reconnect an ad set, all its child ads are also duplicated. The entire subtree is created new under the new parent.
No. This is a platform limitation. All advertising platforms (Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, Google) don’t support moving entities between parents. You must create new entities under the new parent.

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Next Steps

Group H: Bulk Edit

Learn about bulk editing multiple entities.

Copy/Paste

Learn about copying and pasting as an alternative to reconnecting.

Decision Logic

Understand how platform IDs are cleared on reconnect.

Platform Limitations

Learn about platform constraints.