Google Ads

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 film · What's new · Install · Tool reference · Try hosted getmcpads

[Play the 45-second film](https://www.getmcpads.com/home/film/get-mcp-ads-brand-film-1080p.mp4)

The film shows hosted getmcpads with sample data. Its MCP Apps, from creative galleries and alerts to Google Sheets exports and bulk launches, belong to the hosted product. This repository provides the standalone native API tools.

35 read tools · 13 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

[v2.1.2: Maintainer metadata update](https://github.com/get-mcp-ads/google-ads-mcp-server/releases/tag/v2.1.2) · November 8, 2026

• List the getmcpads team as maintainer in package.json, the README and SOURCE_SYNC.md.
• No change to tools, parameters, descriptions or runtime behaviour.

Earlier releases

Full changelog · All releases

Source synchronization: SOURCE_SYNC.md.

Upgrade notes

Requires Node.js 22.23.4, 24.22.1 or 26.12.1, or a newer release of one of these lines. Older releases lack the October 2026 security fixes, and the server prints a warning on stderr when it starts on one. CI covers Node 22, 24 and 26.

This release makes no breaking change to the configuration. Two changes are announced for 3.0.0:

• GOOGLE_ADS_ACCOUNT_IDS is optional in 2.x. When set, every tool is limited to the listed customers. When unset, the server starts as before and prints one line on stderr recommending it. It becomes required in 3.0.0.
• GOOGLE_ADS_ENABLE_WRITES still accepts 1, yes and on, and prints one deprecation line on stderr. Use true, the only value 3.0.0 will accept.

The server pins Google Ads API v26. Raw queries sent through google_ads_run_gaql and google_ads_run_readonly_rpc follow v26 as well. A query that reads customer.conversion_tracking_setting.enhanced_conversions_for_leads_enabled or a hotel field of ad_group_bid_modifier must use the v26 names listed in Google's v26 release notes. Writes remain optional and require explicit confirmation.

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 v2.1.2 --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

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.

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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.

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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", "GOOGLE_ADS_ACCOUNT_IDS": "123-456-7890" } } } }

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

Check your setup at any time:

npm run doctor

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Writes, and why they preview first

Write tools are disabled by default. Enable them with GOOGLE_ADS_ENABLE_WRITES=true. Google's own [Google Ads MCP server](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/developer-toolkit/