@getmcpads/google-ads-mcp-server

Google Ads MCP server

Turn Google Ads questions into useful answers.

Explore performance, research keywords and prepare campaign changes from your MCP client.

Watch the demo · What's new · Install · Tool reference · Try hosted getmcpads

Play the 27-second product film

The film demonstrates hosted getmcpads with staged data. Its creative galleries and MCP Apps interface belong to the hosted product. This repository provides the standalone native API tools.

35 read tools · 10 write tools, disabled by default.

Run locally with your own platform credentials and a client that supports stdio MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor. Your requests go directly to the platform. For managed connections, including supported ChatGPT setups, use the hosted option.

What's new

v2.0.1: Native tools and security update · September 20, 2026

• Add descending image/video asset pagination.
• Add account-scoped upload processing reads and return the native upload ID.
• Retain API v25, standalone MCC discovery and credential redirect protection.
• Require Node.js 22.12 or newer and check Node 22/24 in CI.
• Update vulnerable dependencies and regenerate the MCP catalog.

Full changelog · Source synchronization details · All releases

Upgrade notes

Requires Node.js 22.12 or newer. CI covers Node 22 and 24. Version 2.0.1 drops Node 18 and 20 support. Read the current tool schemas before reusing saved arguments. Writes remain optional and require explicit confirmation. Hosted creative integrations and MCP Apps UI are outside this release.

Install this release

This is a GitHub source release. npm and MCP Registry versions are published separately. The commands below select this exact version; unpinned npx examples later in this document select the version currently available on npm.

git clone --branch v2.0.1 --depth 1 https://github.com/get-mcp-ads/google-ads-mcp-server.git
cd google-ads-mcp-server
npm ci
npm run build

Configure your MCP client to run node with the absolute path to dist/cli.js and the platform credentials documented below.

Prefer a managed connection? Use Google Ads with hosted getmcpads. Connect your account, select the data your assistant may access and use the hosted MCP connection. See the site for current features and plans.

What you get

35 read tools	Campaigns, ad groups, budgets, bidding strategies, search terms, landing pages, Performance Max assets and placements, Shopping, recommendations, change history
10 write tools	Off by default. Status, budgets, bids, schedules, renames, campaign creation. Each one previews before it applies
Full Keyword Planner	Keyword ideas, historical metrics, forecasts, ad group themes, geo target suggestions
130 metrics, 84 dimensions	With a compatibility matrix that catches invalid combinations before they hit the API
5 resources	Live catalogues the model can read: metrics, dimensions, compatibility rules, 11 workflow recipes
GAQL and beyond	google_ads_run_gaql for raw queries, and google_ads_run_readonly_rpc for the services GAQL cannot reach

You do not need to know GAQL

The Google Ads API is queried with GAQL, its own query language, and most of its surface is only reachable that way. This server carries the metric and dimension catalogues, so the model asks for cost and conversions by name and the server writes the query.

google_ads_validate_query lets it check a combination before spending a call on it, and google_ads_run_gaql is still there when you want to write GAQL yourself.

Keyword Planner is not in GAQL

Keyword ideas, historical volumes and forecasts live in a separate RPC service that GAQL cannot reach at all. Same for Reach Planner, audience insights and benchmarks. This server covers them through google_ads_run_readonly_rpc and dedicated tools.

Getting credentials

This is the heaviest setup of any advertising platform. Four values are needed, and one of them requires a review by Google. Budget an hour the first time.

1. Developer token

From a manager (MCC) account, open Tools → API Center and apply for a token. It starts at Test Account level, which only reaches test accounts. Apply for Basic Access to reach live accounts. Google reviews the application, which can take a few days.

📖 Developer token documentation

2. OAuth client

In a Google Cloud project, enable the Google Ads API, then create an OAuth client under APIs & Services → Credentials. Choose Desktop app for local use. Note the client ID and client secret.

3. Refresh token

Run the OAuth consent flow once, signed in as the Google account that can see your ad accounts, and keep the refresh token it returns. Google's own helper script does this in one command.

📖 OAuth desktop flow

The refresh token does not expire. It is the sensitive value here: anyone holding it can mint access tokens indefinitely. Treat it like a password, and use an OAuth client dedicated to this server so you can revoke it on its own.

4. Login customer ID, if you use a manager account

If the accounts you query sit under an MCC, set GOOGLE_ADS_LOGIN_CUSTOMER_ID to the manager account ID. Dashes are accepted and stripped. Skip it for a standalone account.

You can also leave it unset. Google refuses any request against a managed account unless the call names its manager, with a USER_PERMISSION_DENIED that mentions neither the account nor the manager, so it reads as missing access rather than as a missing header. When the variable is unset and the account you query is not directly accessible, the server asks the managers it can reach which accounts they hold, and announces the one that holds yours. The answer is resolved once and kept for the life of the process.

Setting the variable is still faster: it skips that discovery entirely, and it is the right choice when every account you query sits under the same MCC.

Run google_ads_health_check as your first call. It verifies all four credentials, lists the accounts you can actually reach, and reports what is missing, without printing any secret.

Setup

Claude Desktop

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-ads": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@getmcpads/google-ads-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_ADS_DEVELOPER_TOKEN": "your-developer-token",
        "GOOGLE_ADS_CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
        "GOOGLE_ADS_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-client-secret",
        "GOOGLE_ADS_REFRESH_TOKEN": "your-refresh-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. Ask it: "list my Google Ads accounts".

Claude Code

claude mcp add google-ads --env GOOGLE_ADS_DEVELOPER_TOKEN=... --env GOOGLE_ADS_CLIENT_ID=... --env GOOGLE_ADS_CLIENT_SECRET=... --env GOOGLE_ADS_REFRESH_TOKEN=... -- npx -y @getmcpads/google-ads-mcp-server

Cursor

.cursor/mcp.json in your project, same shape as the Claude Desktop config above.

From source

git clone https://github.com/get-mcp-ads/google-ads-mcp-server.git
cd google-ads-mcp-server
npm install && npm run build
cp .env.example .env   # then fill in your credentials
npm start

Configuration

Variable	Default	Meaning
GOOGLE_ADS_DEVELOPER_TOKEN	none	Required. From the API Center, Basic Access or above
GOOGLE_ADS_CLIENT_ID	none	Required. OAuth client ID
GOOGLE_ADS_CLIENT_SECRET	none	Required. OAuth client secret
GOOGLE_ADS_REFRESH_TOKEN	none	Required. From the consent flow
GOOGLE_ADS_LOGIN_CUSTOMER_ID	none	Optional. Manager (MCC) account ID. Resolved automatically when unset
GOOGLE_ADS_ENABLE_WRITES	unset	Set to 1 to register the 10 write tools
LOG_LEVEL	info	debug, info, warn, error

Check your setup at any time:

npm run doctor

Writes, and why they preview first

Write tools are disabled by default. Enable them with GOOGLE_ADS_ENABLE_WRITES=1. Google's own server has none at all, so this is the part to read carefully.

When enabled, every write tool returns a preview and changes nothing:

// google_ads_update_campaign_budget { customerId: "123-456-7890", budgetId: "555", dailyAmount: 50 }
{
  "applied": false,
  "action": "google_ads_update_campaign_budget",
  "change": { "customer": "1234567890", "budget": "555",
              "newDailyBudget": 50, "inMicros": 50000000 },
  "message": "Preview only, nothing was changed. Repeat the same call with confirm: true to apply this change to the live account."
}

Only a second call carrying confirm: true touches the live account.

This is deliberate. An assistant composes these calls, and it can pick the wrong customer, the wrong campaign, or the wrong order of magnitude on a budget. A mandatory preview makes the mistake visible before it costs money, and gives a human the stopping point the protocol does not guarantee on its own.

Two further guardrails:

• google_ads_create_campaign always creates the campaign PAUSED. There is no option to create it active. Someone has to look at it before it spends.
• Amounts are converted to micros for you. Google holds money in millionths, so 12.50 in the account currency is 12500000. The preview shows both, so a factor-of-a-thousand mistake is visible before it applies.

Tool	What it changes
google_ads_update_campaign_status / google_ads_update_adgroup_status	Pause, re-enable or remove
google_ads_update_campaign_budget	Daily budget
google_ads_update_adgroup_bid	Default CPC bid
google_ads_update_campaign_schedule	Start and end dates
google_ads_rename_campaign	Name only
google_ads_create_campaign	Creates a budget, then a campaign, always PAUSED

Tools

Every tool is listed below. See server-card.json for complete parameter and output schemas.

35 read tools

Tool	Purpose
google_ads_list_accounts	List Google Ads customer accounts accessible with the current credentials.
google_ads_get_account_details	Get detailed information for a specific Google Ads customer account.
google_ads_run_gaql	Execute a raw GAQL (Google Ads Query Language) query.
google_ads_get_insights	Query Google Ads performance insights with intelligent query planning.
google_ads_get_campaigns	List campaigns for a Google Ads account with status, budget, channel type, and bidding strategy.
google_ads_get_adgroups	List ad groups for a Google Ads account, optionally filtered by campaign.
google_ads_get_keyword_performance	Get keyword-level performance data from keyword_view resource.
google_ads_validate_query	Validate metric/dimension/resource compatibility BEFORE executing a query.
google_ads_health_check	Read-only connectivity check.
google_ads_get_account_hierarchy	List accessible customers and, where possible, manager/client relationships from GAQL customer_client.
google_ads_get_conversion_actions	List conversion actions with status, type, category, primary/include-in-conversions flags, owner customer, and last activity dates when supported.
google_ads_get_change_events	Fetch recent change_event rows.
google_ads_get_recommendations	List Google Ads recommendations with type, resource, campaign/ad group links, dismissed state, and impact when supported.
google_ads_get_budgets	List campaign budgets with amount, status, delivery method, and recommended budget fields when supported.
google_ads_get_bidding_strategies	List portfolio bidding strategies.
google_ads_get_search_terms	Fetch search term performance from search_term_view or campaign_search_term_insight depending on reportType.
google_ads_get_landing_pages	Fetch landing_page_view performance with final URL, campaign/ad group context, traffic, conversion, and landing-page quality metrics when supported.
google_ads_get_pmax_assets	List Performance Max asset group assets from asset_group_asset with asset group/campaign context and optional date-range performance metrics.
google_ads_get_simulations	Read-only planning/forecast query for campaign, ad group, or portfolio bidding simulations.
google_ads_get_paid_organic_search_terms	Read-only paid/organic search terms report.
google_ads_get_shopping_products	Read-only Merchant Center product catalog/eligibility report via shopping_product.
google_ads_get_shopping_performance	Read-only Shopping performance report keyed by Merchant Center product dimensions.
google_ads_get_pmax_placements	Read-only Performance Max placement diagnostics from performance_max_placement_view.
google_ads_get_pmax_asset_diagnostics	Read-only Performance Max asset group diagnostics.
google_ads_list_image_assets	List the account's image asset library (FROM asset) with stable, publicly served full-size URLs on tpc.googlesyndication.com, dimensions, file size, and mime type.
google_ads_list_video_assets	List the account's YouTube video assets (FROM asset) with derived watch, embed, and public thumbnail URLs.
google_ads_get_demand_gen_assets	List Demand Gen ads (video responsive, multi-asset, carousel) with their referenced creatives resolved: stable image URLs and YouTube video IDs with embed and thumbnail URLs.
google_ads_generate_keyword_historical_metrics	Get Keyword Planner search-volume history for supplied keywords.
google_ads_generate_keyword_ideas	Discover Keyword Planner ideas from up to 20 seed keywords, a URL, keywords plus URL, or a whole site.
google_ads_generate_keyword_forecast_metrics	Forecast impressions, clicks, CTR, CPC, cost, conversions, and CPA for a temporary keyword campaign.
google_ads_search_fields	Search Google's live GoogleAdsField catalog.
google_ads_suggest_geo_targets	Resolve up to 25 location names or geo target IDs to Google Ads geoTargetConstants.
google_ads_generate_ad_group_themes	Organize supplied keywords into existing Google Ads ad groups.
google_ads_run_readonly_rpc	Advanced read-only escape hatch for allowlisted Google Ads services outside GAQL: Audience Insights, Reach Planner, benchmarks, creator/trending insights, targeting suggestions, Smart Campaign suggestions, identity verification, invoices, and payments accounts.
google_ads_get_video_upload	Read the processing state and YouTube video ID of one Google Ads upload in the selected customer.

10 write tools

Disabled by default. Calls preview unless explicitly confirmed. Check the configuration and exact schema before use.

Tool	Purpose
google_ads_upload_video	Upload MP4/WebM/QuickTime bytes (max 16 MiB) to the Google-managed YouTube channel for the selected ad account.
google_ads_remove_video_upload	Remove a video upload owned by the selected ad account.
google_ads_apply_plan	Preview, validate and atomically apply a Google Ads v25 build/change plan: campaigns, budgets, ad groups, RSA/Display/Demand Gen ads, image/text/YouTube assets, PMax asset groups and links, keywords, geographic/language targeting listing groups and conversion action configuration (no conversion event uploads).
google_ads_update_campaign_status	Pause, re-enable or remove a Google Ads campaign.
google_ads_create_campaign	Create a Google Ads campaign.
google_ads_update_campaign_budget	Change the daily budget of a Google Ads campaign.
google_ads_rename_campaign	Rename a Google Ads campaign.
google_ads_update_campaign_schedule	Change the start or end date of a Google Ads campaign.
google_ads_update_adgroup_status	Pause, re-enable or remove a Google Ads ad group.
google_ads_update_adgroup_bid	Change the default CPC bid of a Google Ads ad group.

5 resources

URI	Contents
google-ads://manifest	What this server exposes, and which tool to run first
google-ads://metrics	All 130 metrics with categories and formats
google-ads://dimensions	All 84 dimensions and where they are valid
google-ads://compatibility	The compatibility matrix
google-ads://recipes	11 step-by-step workflows

Security

This server holds a refresh token that never expires, a client secret and a developer token. Concretely:

• None of the four credentials is ever logged, at any log level, or written to disk.
• The access token is cached in memory until a minute before expiry, rather than re-requested on every call.
• Two hosts are contacted, and only two: googleads.googleapis.com and oauth2.googleapis.com. A test fails the build if a third host appears in the source.
• No fetch follows a redirect. Every outbound call sets redirect: "error", so a redirect cannot forward a bearer token or client secret to another host. A test fails the build if any fetch omits this.
• No telemetry. The server makes no network call other than to Google.

Full policy and reporting instructions: SECURITY.md.

Looking for a managed, multi-platform version?

Try hosted Google Ads if you want to use this source without operating a local server. getmcpads also connects advertising, Search Console and GA4 through one MCP URL. Source availability and plan limits are listed on the site; connecting an account is still required.

• Follow the Google Ads connection guide.
• Select the account or property your assistant may read.
• Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Codex.
• Try a read-only review: “Compare campaign spend and conversions across equal periods. State missing data and do not change anything.”

See the current hosted tool catalogue and pricing before choosing a paid plan. This Apache 2.0 adapter remains independently useful with your own credentials.

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md. Please read SECURITY.md before reporting anything security-related.

Licence

Apache License 2.0. See also NOTICE.

Google, Google Ads and the Google Ads API are trademarks of Google LLC. This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google LLC. It is an independent client of a public API.

MCP contracts and desktop bundle

Every tool declares read/write annotations, parameter descriptions and a structured output schema. Successful calls expose the payload as structuredContent.result; errors retain isError: true. The generated server card contains definitions only.

Run npm run bundle -- /path/to/output to build a .mcpb desktop bundle from the current catalog. Credentials are entered locally during installation. Write tools remain disabled unless explicitly enabled.

More from getmcpads

Meta Ads · Google Analytics 4 · Google Search Console · TikTok Ads · Pinterest Ads · X Ads

Maintained by Emmanuel at getmcpads. Questions: [e-mail].