Abstract: To optimize the selection of water-based packaging adhesives for cigarette small-box packers and address issues such as poor carton sealing and equipment operational instability caused by differences in the dynamic rheological properties of the adhesives, three types of water-based packaging adhesives were studied. The temperature dependence, shear-thinning behavior, thixotropic recovery, and wet tack properties of the adhesives were analyzed, and the effects of shear rate and temperature changes on adhesive viscosity were investigated. Machine validation was conducted on a ZB48B packer. The results showed that: 1) Adhesive B exhibited the strongest shear-thinning effect (n=0.17), relatively good thixotropic recovery (60.15% viscosity recovery 2 s after shear cessation), and high wet tack (F=5.36 N), making it suitable for spray gluing processes; 2) Adhesive C demonstrated the best viscosity retention at high temperatures (A =2.48 Pa·s), the weakest shear-thinning effect (n=0.86), the strongest thixotropic recovery (70.79% viscosity recovery 2 s after shear cessation), and the highest wet tack (F=6.62 N), making it suitable for roller coating processes; 3) Production validation confirmed that using Adhesive B in spray gluing processes reduced adhesive residue accumulation, while using Adhesive C in roller coating processes decreased the incidence of small-box edge-opening defects and adhesive residue buildup, significantly enhanced the operational quality of the packaging equipment. This study provides a theoretical basis for the precise selection and process optimization of water-based packaging adhesives for cigarettes.