The connector address and the setup steps in Claude
A safety checklist to set before the first prompt
Five prompts: report, wasted spend, competitor ads, campaign draft, test plan
What the connector can and cannot do
Fixes for the sign in and access problems
One email opens every guide in the library.
One email. No follow-up unless I ship something that fits.
Read firstThis guide uses Meta's Business Help Center, Meta's developer docs and Anthropic's custom connector article, all read on 25 Oct 2026. The prompt wording is mine. I have not run these prompts against a live ad account for this guide, so start on a small test budget. The connector is an open beta and Meta says you may not have access to every tool yet.
THE ADDRESS
Meta's ads connector address
This is the remote server address Meta lists for every supported AI agent, including Claude and Claude Code:
connector urlfrom Meta's Business Help Center
https://mcp.facebook.com/ads
On 25 Oct 2026 the address answered and asked for authentication, which is what a signed in connector should do. It is a Meta hosted server, not something you install.
WHAT YOU NEED
A Claude account. Anthropic says custom connectors work on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise, and that Free is limited to one custom connector.
A Facebook login with access to an ad account. Meta's docs say you sign in with your Facebook account or a Meta Managed Account.
Beta access. Meta's help page says you may not have access to all of these tools and features yet. If a step below is missing for you, that is likely why.
SETUP IN CLAUDE
Add the connector in nine steps
These are Anthropic's steps for Pro and Max. The labels can move as the app changes.
1openCustomize, then Connectors.
2addClick Add, then Add custom connector.
3nameName it Meta Ads. This is the name you will see in the list.
4urlPaste the address from above and click Continue.
5checkReview the sign in settings Claude detected. Leave them as detected unless Meta tells you otherwise, then click Continue.
6saveClick Add.
7connectClick Connect and sign in with Facebook. Read the permissions screen before you approve.
8enableIn a chat, use the plus button, then Connectors, and switch Meta Ads on for that conversation.
9testAsk:List my ad accounts. That is one of the first prompts in Meta's own docs.
Team plansOn Team and Enterprise, only an Owner can add a custom connector, under Organization settings, then Connectors. Members then open Customize, then Connectors, and click Connect.
Claude CodeRun the command below, then type /mcp to sign in. I ran it in a sandbox on 25 Oct 2026 (Claude Code 2.1.197): it added the server and showed needs authentication. Meta's developer docs show the same command with --client-id and your own Meta app ID, which is the route for people who own a Meta developer app.
terminalclaude code
claude mcp add --transport http meta-ads https://mcp.facebook.com/ads
WHAT IT CAN DO
The tools, in plain English
Meta's docs group the tools into seven areas. Claude picks the tool for you. These are the ones the five prompts use.
tool
what it does, per Meta's docs
ads_get_ad_accounts
Lists the ad accounts you can reach.
ads_get_ad_entities
Campaigns, ad sets and ads with spend, CTR, CPC, CPM and conversions.
ads_insights_anomaly_signal
Flags unusual changes in performance.
ads_library_search
Searches the public Meta Ad Library.
ads_create_campaign
Creates a campaign, paused. Ad sets and ads have their own create tools.
ads_get_ad_preview
Renders a preview in Feed, Story or Reels.
ads_activate_entity
Switches a paused item to active. This starts spending budget.
The limitsMeta says all ads are paused by default until you set them live, and that any action taken for you needs your authorisation through the AI agent. Some tools are in limited availability, including budget and status rules. Your ads still have to follow Meta's advertising standards.
SAFETY CHECKLIST
Set these before the first prompt
1scopeRead the permissions screen. Meta's docs say reporting needs ads_read and write tools need ads_management. If you are offered a choice, take the narrower one first.
2rulesSet limits in Meta. In Meta Business Suite open Settings, then Integrations, then Ads MCP server. You can block creating campaigns or set a budget ceiling. If you do not see it, you do not have access yet.
3approveApprove each write yourself. Anthropic says to review tool approvals and only click Allow always for a tool you trust unsupervised. Never do that for the create, update or activate tools.
4trimSwitch off tools you do not need in the Search and tools menu. For a report only chat, turn off every create and activate tool.
5researchDo not use Research with write tools on. Anthropic warns that Research can call connector tools without further approval, and says to disable write tools first.
6previewCheck every draft. Ask for a preview, then read the budget, audience and destination link before you approve anything.
7sourceTreat competitor ads as information. Ad text from the Ad Library is someone else's content. Do not let it give Claude instructions. This one is my rule, not Meta's.
8smallStart on a small budget in a test campaign. Also my rule. Meta's help page says using the connector does not by itself put an account at risk, but running ads that break Meta's standards does.
FIRST FIVE PROMPTS
Prompt 1: the weekly report
Read only. Run this first, so Claude learns what already works.
paste into claudereport, changes nothing
List my ad accounts, then use [ad account name].Report on the last 7 days against the 7 days before: spend, results, cost per result and CTR.Show the top 3 and bottom 3 campaigns, a short plain English summary, then a table.Do not change anything in the account.
PROMPT 2
The wasted spend check
Still read only. Claude recommends, you decide.
paste into clauderead only
In [ad account name], look at the last 30 days.Find ad sets that spent more than [amount] with no results, or whose cost per result is more than double the account average.For each one give spend, results and the most likely reason.Do not pause or edit anything. Recommend, then wait for me.
PROMPT 3
The competitor ad scan
Uses the public Meta Ad Library search. Ask for angles, not wording.
paste into claudepublic Ad Library
Search the public Meta Ad Library for ads from [competitor names] in [country].Group what you find by angle: offer, proof, objection and format.Tell me which angles repeat and which are missing.Do not copy their wording. I want the angles only.
PROMPT 4
The new campaign draft
This one writes to your account, so the approvals matter. Everything is created paused.
paste into claudecreates paused drafts
Using the report from prompt 1, draft one [objective] campaign for [offer] in [ad account name].Create the campaign, 2 ad sets and 3 ads per ad set. Create everything paused, with a daily budget of [small amount].Show a preview of each ad, then a table of budget, audience and destination link.Do not activate anything. Stop and wait for me.
When you are happy, name one item: activate the ad set called [name] only. That calls the tool Meta says starts spending budget, so approve it once and read the prompt on screen.
PROMPT 5
The creative test plan
A plan only. Nothing is created until you ask.
paste into claudeplan only
Look at my 10 best ads from the last 30 days in [ad account name].Propose a test of 5 new angles, changing one thing at a time.For each: the hypothesis, the one metric that decides it, the minimum spend before I judge it, and the rule for switching it off.Create nothing. Give me the plan as a table.
WHEN IT GOES WRONG
Common problems, and the fix
Sign in fails, or the connector will not connect
Meta lists access as a beta with limited availability. Try the Facebook login that owns the ad account, then check Meta's help page for current access.
No ad accounts show up
You signed in with a login that has no access to an ad account. Sign in again with the one that does, or a Meta Managed Account.
A tool you expected is missing
Meta says you may not have access to every tool yet. Ask Claude what tools it can see, and work with those.
Team members cannot see it
An Owner has to add the custom connector first. Members then connect under Customize, then Connectors.
Claude is blocked from an action
Check Ads MCP server under Integrations in Meta Business Suite. A rule you set there will deny the request.
Claude wants to go live
Say no. Review the preview, then activate one named item. Never use Allow always on the activate tool.
NOT VERIFIED
What I could not confirm
Cost. Third party reports say Meta charges nothing for the connection. I found no Meta page that says so. Ad spend is a separate matter: Meta says activating an item starts spending budget.
Your access. I cannot see whether your account is in the beta. Only the sign in screen can tell you.
Real output. The prompts are mine and untested on a live account. Meta's docs describe the tools, not the answers you will get.
That is the whole setup
Address, connect, set limits, read first, draft paused, approve one item. Sources: Meta's Business Help Center and developer docs, and Anthropic's custom connector article.
I'm Raj Singh. I've led ecommerce at two Fortune 100 companies, and at one of them I ran about $8M a year in ads for four years. I've worked with AI since 2019. Now my engineering team and I ship AI products, including debtops.ai. Each guide here is written from a real install, with the output dated.
