Setting Up Your MCP Client

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.adadvisor.ai/docs/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Prerequisites

1. An AdAdvisor account with at least one connected Meta ad account. Sign up here if you haven’t already.
2. An MCP-compatible AI client installed (see the tabs below for supported clients).
3. An API key (optional). OAuth is the default and recommended auth method. If you prefer API key auth, create one in Settings > MCP Server before starting. See Managing API Keys for details.

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MCP server URL

https://api.adadvisor.ai/mcp

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Authentication

• OAuth (recommended): Your client opens a browser window where you log in to AdAdvisor. The token is issued and refreshed automatically. No key management needed.
• API Key: Pass a key in the Authorization header. Useful for headless setups, CI/CD pipelines, or clients that don’t support OAuth.

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Client setup

• Claude Desktop
• ChatGPT
• Claude Code
• Other clients

Claude Desktop supports MCP servers through its Connectors UI. No API key needed.

1

Open Customize

Open Claude Desktop and click Customize in the sidebar.

2

Open Connectors

Select Connectors from the Customize menu.

3

Add custom connector

Click the + icon and choose Add custom connector.

4

Enter the MCP URL

Name it AdAdvisor, paste https://api.adadvisor.ai/mcp, and click Add.

5

Connect

Click Connect on the AdAdvisor row to start authorization.

6

Authorize

Sign in to AdAdvisor and click Authorize Claude to grant access.

7

Done

Review the tool permissions and start chatting. AdAdvisor is connected.

Connectors are available on Claude Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans.

ChatGPT supports MCP servers through its Apps & Connectors settings.

1

Open Settings

Open ChatGPT, click your avatar, and choose Settings.

2

Open Advanced settings

Open the Apps & Connectors tab and click Advanced settings.

3

Enable Developer mode

Turn on Developer mode, then click Create.

4

Configure the connector

Name it AdAdvisor, paste https://api.adadvisor.ai/mcp as the MCP URL, accept the safety warning, and click Create.

5

Authorize

Sign in to AdAdvisor and click Authorize ChatGPT to grant access.

6

Done

AdAdvisor is connected. Open the connector menu in any chat to use AdAdvisor tools.

Available on ChatGPT Pro, Plus, Team, Enterprise, and Edu plans.

Claude Code runs in the terminal and supports both OAuth and API key authentication.Option 1: OAuth (recommended)

1

Register the server

Run this command to add AdAdvisor as an MCP server. Use --scope user to make it available across all projects, or omit it to add for the current project only.

claude mcp add adadvisor \
  --transport http \
  --scope user \
  https://api.adadvisor.ai/mcp

2

List MCP servers

Run /mcp inside Claude Code (or claude mcp list in your terminal). The adadvisor server will appear, marked as needs authentication.

3

Authenticate

Select the adadvisor server and choose Authenticate. Claude Code will open your browser to AdAdvisor’s OAuth page.

4

Authorize in browser

Sign in to AdAdvisor and click Authorize Claude Code (adadvisor) to grant read access to your campaign data.

Option 2: API KeyIf you prefer using an API key, run:

claude mcp add adadvisor \
  --transport http \
  https://api.adadvisor.ai/mcp \
  -- --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Or add it to your .mcp.json file in your project root:

.mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "adadvisor": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.adadvisor.ai/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Any MCP-compatible client that supports remote HTTP servers should work. Use these values:

Setting	Value
Server URL	https://api.adadvisor.ai/mcp
Transport	HTTP (Streamable HTTP)
Auth	OAuth 2.0 or Bearer token via Authorization header

Using mcp-remote for legacy clientsIf your client doesn’t natively support remote HTTP MCP servers (only supports stdio), you can use mcp-remote as a bridge:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "adadvisor": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://api.adadvisor.ai/mcp",
        "--transport",
        "http-only"
      ]
    }
  }
}

This runs a local proxy that translates between stdio and HTTP, so older clients can connect to the remote server.

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Verifying the connection

What campaigns are currently running in my ad account?

Show me my top performing ad sets by ROAS this month.

What's my average CPC across all active campaigns?

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Troubleshooting

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Authentication errors (401 Unauthorized)

• Verify the key hasn’t been revoked or expired in Settings > MCP Server
• Make sure the Authorization header format is exactly Bearer YOUR_API_KEY (with a space after “Bearer”)
• Create a new key if needed. See Managing API Keys

• OAuth sessions can expire. Re-authenticate by triggering a new connection from your client:
  • Claude Code: Remove and re-add the server with claude mcp remove adadvisor then re-run the add command
  • Claude Desktop / ChatGPT: Open the connector settings, disconnect AdAdvisor, then reconnect
  • Other clients: Remove the server entry from your config, restart the client, and re-add it

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Server not appearing or tools not loading

• Double-check the URL is exactly https://api.adadvisor.ai/mcp (no trailing slash, no typos)
• Restart your client after editing the config file. Most clients don’t hot-reload MCP config changes.
• Make sure you’re editing the correct config file for your client (project-level vs global)
• If your client uses a JSON config file, check that the JSON is valid. A missing comma or bracket will silently fail.

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No data returned

• Verify your Meta ad account is connected in AdAdvisor and the initial data sync has completed. Check Settings > Connected Accounts.
• Make sure the business you’re querying has active campaigns with data in the date range you’re asking about.

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Connection timeout

• If you’re behind a corporate firewall or VPN, make sure outbound HTTPS connections to api.adadvisor.ai aren’t blocked.
• Try the mcp-remote proxy method (see the “Other clients” tab above) if your client has trouble with direct HTTP connections.

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Security best practices

• Use OAuth when possible. It’s more secure than static API keys and handles token rotation automatically.
• One API key per client. If a key is compromised, you only need to revoke and replace that one without affecting other tools.
• Set expiration dates on API keys for shared machines or temporary setups.
• Don’t commit keys to git. Use environment variables or your client’s secure input mechanism instead of hardcoding keys in config files.

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Finding the setup instructions in AdAdvisor