Adaptation finance is a key ingredient of international efforts to support vulnerable countries in responding to climate change. Building a comprehensive picture of the scale and scope of such investments is needed in understanding where financial flows are being targeted. This paper finds that existing methodologies for coding and tracking adaptation finance are inadequate, which hinders the transfer and delivery of resources for adaptation. The paper highlights that the design of tracking procedures is influenced and directed by political and economic processes, not just technical processes. An appreciation of key political economy drivers is thus crucial to understanding and overcoming obstacles to coding and tracking adaptation. Recognising that processes of coding and tracking of adaptation are executed for a number of different purposes (depending on the users and their respective needs) this paper argues for more innovative systems to be tested and implemented at all levels.