@cesteral/gads-mcp

Google Ads MCP Server - Campaign entity management and reporting via Google Ads REST API v23.

Purpose

Management and reporting server for Google Ads. Provides full CRUD operations on Google Ads campaign entities (campaigns, ad groups, ads, keywords, assets, budgets) and arbitrary GAQL query execution. Designed for AI agents to manage Google Ads campaigns programmatically through the Model Context Protocol.

Choose Your Path

• Self-host this connector when you want direct control of credentials, infrastructure, and Google Ads API access.
• Use Cesteral Intelligence when the workflow needs approvals before spend commits, credential brokering, auditability, and cross-platform execution.

Self-host quickstart | Compare OSS vs Cesteral Intelligence | Book a workflow demo

Features

• Per-session authentication via SessionServiceStore pattern
• OAuth2 refresh token auth using X-GAds-* headers (developer token, client ID, client secret, refresh token)
• OpenTelemetry instrumentation for traces and metrics
• Rate limiting via shared RateLimiter class
• MCP protocol with Streamable HTTP transport (Hono)
• Structured output with outputSchema on all tools
• GAQL query support for flexible read operations

MCP Tools

Read Tools

1. gads_gaql_search

Execute arbitrary GAQL queries against the Google Ads API.

Parameters:

• customerId (string): Google Ads customer ID (no dashes)
• query (string): GAQL query string
• pageSize (number, optional): Deprecated. Use maxRows instead.
• pageToken (string, optional): Cursor for the next upstream page (different from offset which slices the in-memory buffer)
• mode, columns, maxRows (optional): Bounded report-view params — mode is "summary" (default — headers + counts + 10-row preview) or "rows" (paginated rows page); columns projects to selected columns; maxRows caps page size (default 10/50; hard cap 200). offset is not supported here — paginate via pageToken.

2. gads_list_accounts

List all Google Ads customer accounts accessible to the authenticated user.

Parameters: None

3. gads_get_entity

Get a single Google Ads entity by type and ID.

Parameters:

• entityType (string): Type of entity to retrieve
• customerId (string): Google Ads customer ID
• entityId (string): The entity ID

4. gads_list_entities

List entities with optional GAQL filters and pagination.

Parameters:

• entityType (string): Type of entities to list
• customerId (string): Google Ads customer ID
• filters (object, optional): GAQL filter conditions
• pageSize (number, optional): Results per page (default 100, max 10000)
• pageToken (string, optional): Pagination token
• orderBy (string, optional): GAQL ORDER BY clause

5. gads_get_insights

Get performance insights for Google Ads entities using preset parameters. Convenience wrapper around GAQL.

Parameters:

• customerId (string): Google Ads customer ID
• entityType (string): Entity type (campaign, adGroup, ad, keyword)
• entityId (string, optional): Filter to a specific entity
• dateRange (string): Date range preset (TODAY, YESTERDAY, LAST_7_DAYS, LAST_30_DAYS, THIS_MONTH, LAST_MONTH, LAST_90_DAYS)
• metrics (string[], optional): Custom metrics (defaults to impressions, clicks, cost_micros, conversions, ctr, average_cpc)
• limit (number, optional): Deprecated. Use maxRows instead.
• mode, columns, offset, maxRows (optional): Bounded report-view params — mode is "summary" (default) or "rows"; columns projects to selected columns; offset paginates; maxRows caps page size (default 10/50; hard cap 200).

Write Tools

6. gads_create_entity

Create a new Google Ads entity via the :mutate API.

Parameters:

• entityType (string): Type of entity to create
• customerId (string): Google Ads customer ID
• data (object): Entity data fields

7. gads_update_entity

Update an existing entity with updateMask discipline.

Parameters:

• entityType (string): Type of entity to update
• customerId (string): Google Ads customer ID
• entityId (string): The entity ID
• data (object): Fields to update
• updateMask (string): Comma-separated list of fields to update

8. gads_remove_entity

Remove an entity via the :mutate API (sets status to REMOVED).

Parameters:

• entityType (string): Type of entity to remove
• customerId (string): Google Ads customer ID
• entityId (string): The entity ID

9. gads_bulk_mutate

Execute multiple create/update/remove operations in a single API call.

Parameters:

• entityType (string): Type of entities to mutate
• customerId (string): Google Ads customer ID
• operations (array): Array of mutate operation objects
• partialFailure (boolean, optional): Allow partial success (default: false)

10. gads_bulk_update_status

Batch update statuses for multiple entities.

Parameters:

• entityType (string): Type of entities to update
• customerId (string): Google Ads customer ID
• entityIds (string[]): Entity IDs to update (max 100)
• status (string): ENABLED, PAUSED, or REMOVED

11. gads_adjust_bids

Batch adjust ad group bids with safe read-modify-write pattern.

Parameters:

• customerId (string): Google Ads customer ID
• adjustments (array): Array of bid adjustments (max 50), each with adGroupId and optional cpcBidMicros/cpmBidMicros
• reason (string, optional): Reason for the bid adjustment (for audit trail)

Validate Tools

12. gads_validate_entity

Dry-run validate an entity payload via the Google Ads API with validateOnly: true.

Parameters:

• entityType (string): Type of entity to validate
• customerId (string): Google Ads customer ID
• mode (string): create or update
• data (object): Entity data to validate
• entityId (string, optional): Required for update mode
• updateMask (string, optional): Required for update mode

Supported Entity Types

| Entity Type | GAQL Resource | Mutate Endpoint | Notes | | ---------------- | -------------------- | ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------- | | campaign | campaign | campaigns:mutate | Requires campaignBudget reference | | adGroup | ad_group | adGroups:mutate | Requires campaign reference | | ad | ad_group_ad | adGroupAds:mutate | Composite ID: {adGroupId}~{adId} | | keyword | ad_group_criterion | adGroupCriteria:mutate | Composite ID: {adGroupId}~{criterionId} | | campaignBudget | campaign_budget | campaignBudgets:mutate | Create before campaign | | asset | asset | assets:mutate | Reusable text/image/sitelink/callout |

Entity Hierarchy: Customer > Campaign Budget > Campaign > Ad Group > Ad / Keyword

Current Status

Phase: Production-Ready

All tools are fully implemented using Google Ads REST API v23. Entity CRUD, GAQL queries, and bulk operations are operational via OAuth2 refresh token authentication.

Development

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Run in development mode
pnpm run dev:http

# Build
pnpm run build

# Start production server
pnpm run start

# Type check
pnpm run typecheck

# Run tests
pnpm run test

Environment Variables

• GADS_MCP_PORT: Server port (default: 3004)
• GADS_DEVELOPER_TOKEN: Google Ads developer token (required for stdio mode)
• GADS_CLIENT_ID: OAuth2 client ID (required for stdio mode)
• GADS_CLIENT_SECRET: OAuth2 client secret (required for stdio mode)
• GADS_REFRESH_TOKEN: OAuth2 refresh token (required for stdio mode)
• GADS_LOGIN_CUSTOMER_ID: Manager account ID (optional, for stdio mode)
• MCP_AUTH_MODE: Authentication mode - gads-headers (default), jwt, or none
• MCP_AUTH_SECRET_KEY: Required when MCP_AUTH_MODE=jwt

Architecture

Key Components

• GAdsHttpClient - HTTP client for Google Ads API v23 with retry logic and error parsing
• GAdsService - GAQL queries, account listing, and generic CRUD via :mutate API
• GAdsRefreshTokenAuthAdapter - OAuth2 token caching with mutex for concurrent requests
• GAdsHeadersAuthStrategy - Reads credentials from request headers
• SessionServiceStore - Per-session service instances keyed by session ID

Key Gotchas

• customerId must be numeric with no dashes (e.g., 1234567890 not 123-456-7890)
• Budget amounts are in micros (e.g., 1000000 = $1.00)
• campaignBudget must be created before the campaign that references it
• REMOVED status is permanent — equivalent to delete
• gads_validate_entity calls the real API with validateOnly: true (not client-side only)
• Composite IDs for ads: {adGroupId}~{adId}, for keywords: {adGroupId}~{criterionId}

Transport

• Streamable HTTP: MCP protocol via Hono + @hono/mcp
• Health check: /health endpoint

Contributing

See root CLAUDE.md for development guidelines, build system details, and monorepo conventions. See the root README for full architecture context.

Get Started

Self-host: Follow the deployment guide to run this server on your own infrastructure.

Cesteral Intelligence: Request access -- governed execution with credential brokering, approvals, audit, and multi-tenant access.

Book a workflow demo: See it in action with your own ad accounts.

Compare options: OSS connectors vs Cesteral Intelligence

License

Apache License 2.0 — see LICENSE for details. This package is part of Cesteral's open-source connector layer; managed hosting and higher-level governance features live outside this repository.