# How to Connect Google Ads to Claude > Step-by-step guide to connecting Google Ads to Claude in five minutes using the AdPlug Google Ads MCP server. Includes a 2-minute video walkthrough (with English captions and transcript), annotated screenshots, a test prompt, and troubleshooting. - **Source URL:** https://adplug.app/guides/google-ads - **MCP server URL:** https://api.adplug.app/mcp/google-ads - **Last updated:** 2026-05-21 - **Author:** Daniel Popa (https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielpopamd) - **Reading time:** 5 minutes - **Video walkthrough:** https://adplug.app/guides/google-ads/connect-google-ads-to-claude.mp4 - **Video captions (WebVTT):** https://adplug.app/guides/google-ads/connect-google-ads-to-claude.vtt ## Overview AdPlug is a hosted [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) server that gives [Claude](https://www.anthropic.com/claude) read and scoped-write access to your [Google Ads](https://ads.google.com) accounts. Claude calls 16 tools under the hood to answer your question, run a report, or stage a change. Read tools paginate at 200 rows per page (max 1,000) with cursor tokens, so cross-account reports stay fast. Write tools always preview first: Claude shows the exact resource path, field, current value, and new value, and waits for your confirmation before executing. ### Read tools List accounts, account performance, campaign performance, daily trends, conversions, search terms, shared negative sets, keyword ideas, and a [GAQL](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/query/overview) escape hatch for anything custom. ### Write tools Add negative keywords (campaign or shared-set), pause or enable campaigns, rename, and adjust budgets. Always with a preview step before anything changes. ## Setup in 5 steps ### Step 1 — Create your AdPlug account Go to https://adplug.app/signup. Sign in with Google or email, answer three short onboarding questions, and you land on the AdPlug dashboard. ### Step 2 — Connect Google Ads to AdPlug On your AdPlug dashboard, click **Connect Google Ads** (or open https://adplug.app/dashboard/connections). AdPlug walks you through the [Google OAuth](https://developers.google.com/identity/protocols/oauth2) flow with read and write scopes for the [Google Ads API](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/start). Use the Google identity that has access to the accounts you want Claude to see. If you manage clients through a Google Ads [manager (MCC)](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6139186) account, connect the manager identity. AdPlug auto-resolves the manager link when running mutations on child accounts, so a single connection covers your whole hierarchy. ### Step 3 — Add the Google Ads connector to Claude Back on your AdPlug dashboard, AdPlug now points you at the next step: connecting your AI assistant. Each platform shows a ready-to-paste MCP server URL. Copy the **Google Ads only** URL (the one ending in `/mcp/google-ads`): ``` https://api.adplug.app/mcp/google-ads ``` In a new browser tab, open https://claude.ai/customize/connectors and click **Add custom connector**. Name the connector `Google Ads — AdPlug` (or whatever you want), paste the server URL, and click **Add**. The same URL also works in [Claude Code](https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/claude-code/overview), [Cursor](https://cursor.com), [VS Code with GitHub Copilot](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/customization/mcp-servers), [ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com), and any other MCP client that supports Streamable HTTP and Dynamic Client Registration. See [Anthropic's MCP connector docs](https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/agents-and-tools/mcp-connector) for background. ### Step 4 — Authorise Claude to use AdPlug After clicking Add, the modal closes and a new connector tile appears. Click **Connect** on the tile. Claude opens a popup; sign in with the same email you used on AdPlug, then click **Approve** on the AdPlug authorise screen. The connector turns Connected and the 16 Google Ads MCP tools become available in any new Claude chat. ### Step 5 — Test the connection in Claude Open a new chat in Claude with the **Google Ads — AdPlug** connector enabled and paste this prompt: > List my google ads accounts. Claude calls the `google_ads_list_accounts` tool and returns the accounts you have access to, with currencies, timezones, and the MCC hierarchy. If you see your accounts listed, the Google Ads MCP is working end-to-end. ## Example prompts that work out of the box - "List my google ads accounts." - "Audit my Google Ads account for HomeStagingAI. Flag campaigns with no conversion tracking, ad groups with zero impressions in the last 30 days, and anything with quality score below 5." - "Pull last 30 days spend, conversions, cost per conversion, and ROAS across all my Google Ads accounts. Sort by spend descending." - "Show me last 30 days performance for all enabled campaigns in HomeStagingAI. Include impressions, clicks, CTR, average CPC, conversions, and conversion rate." - "Suggest keyword ideas around 'virtual home staging in London'. Include average monthly searches, competition, and top of page CPC." - "Find search terms with more than $50 spent and zero conversions in the last 60 days. Preview adding them as campaign-level negatives, then I will confirm before you execute." - "Across all my accounts, find keywords with cost per conversion more than 3x the campaign average over the last 30 days. List the worst 20." - "Pause campaigns with ROAS below 1.5 over the last 14 days that have spent at least $200. Preview the change first." ## Privacy and security AdPlug stores the minimum needed to make your connection work: your account email, Google identity, and an encrypted refresh token for the Google Ads API. Refresh tokens are encrypted with Fernet (AES-128-CBC + HMAC-SHA256) before they hit the database. AdPlug does not store ad creatives, click-level data, or cached report exports. Authentication uses OAuth 2.1 with PKCE and Dynamic Client Registration. Every MCP request is verified against a Supabase-issued JWT before any Google Ads API call is made. Disconnecting from the AdPlug dashboard revokes the token and stops Claude's access immediately. Full detail in the [Privacy Policy](https://adplug.app/privacy), [Data Processing Agreement](https://adplug.app/dpa), and [Google API disclosure](https://adplug.app/google-api-disclosure). ## Troubleshooting **Claude says USER_PERMISSION_DENIED on a report.** The Google identity you connected does not have access to the customer ID Claude tried to query. Open https://ads.google.com, confirm the email has at least Read Only access on the account, then retry. If you only have access via an MCC manager, run the prompt without specifying an account ID and let Claude list accessible accounts first. **The connector shows zero accounts.** You connected a Google identity that has no Google Ads access. Disconnect from the dashboard, then reconnect with the email that owns or manages your accounts. **OAuth window does not open in Claude.ai.** Some browsers block popups for the auth flow. Allow popups for claude.ai and try again. If you are on a managed device, your IT policy may block third-party OAuth, so contact your admin to allow the AdPlug connector. **A mutation says preview is required.** Write tools always run a preview step first. Ask Claude to preview the change, then say execute (or run with the preview token) to apply it. This is by design and protects against accidental writes. **Hitting the monthly request limit.** Each call to a tool counts as one request. If you regularly hit the cap, upgrade from https://adplug.app/dashboard. The cap resets on the first of every month. **Claude returns stale data.** Google Ads API data lags real time by a few hours for some metrics. For same-day reporting, request a date range that ends "yesterday" or older. Cost and conversion finalisation can take up to 24 hours. ## Track your usage Every tool call is logged to your AdPlug [Usage & Audit Log](https://adplug.app/dashboard/usage). You can see how many calls you have left this month, watch the audit trail in real time, and search for individual tool runs to confirm what Claude actually did on your behalf. ## Video transcript Two minutes. That's all it takes to give Claude direct access to read and manage your Google Ads account using AdPlug. Let's dive in. Step one is creating your AdPlug account, which is as simple as signing in with Google. Next, you'll breeze through a quick three-step onboarding process to tailor your dashboard. Just select how you manage media, your primary platforms, and what specific tasks you want the AI to handle, like pulling performance reports or surfacing optimization opportunities. With your account set up, it's time to connect your ad platform. Click Connect Google Ads and complete the standard Google authentication flow to authorize access. Now for the powerful part, connecting AdPlug to Claude as an AI assistant. Select the Google Ads only scope, copy the server name provided, and click the button to open Claude's connector settings. In Claude, click the plus icon to add a custom connector. Paste in that server name, then jump back to the AdPlug dashboard to copy your unique MCP URL. Paste that into Claude and click Add. Click Connect to authenticate the server. Once linked, you can manage your tool permissions. For safety and control, it's best practice to leave read-only tools on Always Allow, but set any write or delete tools to Needs Approval, so nothing changes in your campaigns without your final say. Let's test the connection. Open a new chat in Claude and type a simple prompt, like "list my google ads accounts". Within seconds, Claude securely pulls your live account architecture right into the chat. Setup is complete and you're ready to start optimizing. ## Get help Email support@adplug.app with bug reports, feature requests, or setup questions. Most replies come back the same business day. ## Related - [Google Ads MCP overview](https://adplug.app/integrations/google-ads) - [AdPlug for PPC specialists](https://adplug.app/for/ppc-specialists) - [Google Ads MCP for agencies](https://adplug.app/for/agencies/google-ads-mcp) - [llms.txt](https://adplug.app/llms.txt) — site index for LLM crawlers - [llms-full.txt](https://adplug.app/llms-full.txt) — full-content extract