pcade-mcp

Create professional Google, Meta & LinkedIn ad previews from any AI assistant.

pcade-mcp is an MCP server for PPC Ad Editor. It connects Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and other MCP clients to the PPC Ad Editor preview engine.

Works out of the box — no account needed. Guest mode gives you 3 previews per day. Add an API key for higher limits.

Quick Setup (guest mode — no account needed)

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pcade": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "pcade-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop (Windows)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pcade": {
      "command": "cmd",
      "args": ["/c", "npx", "-y", "pcade-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json (project) or ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pcade": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "pcade-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pcade": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "pcade-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

claude mcp add pcade -- npx -y pcade-mcp

Any client (via add-mcp)

npx add-mcp pcade-mcp

After adding the config, fully quit and reopen your editor. MCP servers load at startup.

Authenticated Setup (higher limits)

Get an API key at https://studio.ppcadeditor.com/dashboard/settings, then pass it via the PCADE_API_KEY environment variable.

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pcade": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "pcade-mcp"],
      "env": { "PCADE_API_KEY": "pcade_live_xxx" }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop (Windows)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pcade": {
      "command": "cmd",
      "args": ["/c", "npx", "-y", "pcade-mcp"],
      "env": { "PCADE_API_KEY": "pcade_live_xxx" }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pcade": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "pcade-mcp"],
      "env": { "PCADE_API_KEY": "pcade_live_xxx" }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pcade": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "pcade-mcp"],
      "env": { "PCADE_API_KEY": "pcade_live_xxx" }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

claude mcp add pcade --env PCADE_API_KEY=pcade_live_xxx -- npx -y pcade-mcp

Any client (via add-mcp)

npx add-mcp pcade-mcp --env PCADE_API_KEY=pcade_live_xxx

Faster startup (optional)

npx downloads the package on first use. For faster startup on repeated launches, install globally:

npm i -g pcade-mcp

Then use pcade-mcp directly in your config instead of npx -y pcade-mcp.

Available tools

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | get_ad_formats | Returns ad format specs — field counts, character limits, supported media. Call this first. | | create_and_share | Creates ad previews from structured content and returns a shareable link. |

Example conversation

You: Create Google Search ads for a Portland bakery at portlandsourdough.com

AI: (calls get_ad_formats to learn RSA constraints, then create_and_share)

Here's your ad preview: https://studio.ppcadeditor.com/shared/abc123 You can edit it in the dashboard: https://studio.ppcadeditor.com/dashboard/...

Rate limits

| Mode | Previews | Share link expiry | |------|----------|-------------------| | Guest (no API key) | 3 per day | 24 hours | | Free account | 20 total | 7 days | | Paid account | Plan-based | Permanent |

CLI options

--api-key <key>     API key (prefer PCADE_API_KEY env var)
--endpoint <url>    Override server URL
--debug             Log requests/responses to stderr
--help              Show help
--version           Show version

Troubleshooting

Tools not showing up? Fully quit and reopen your editor (not just close the tab). MCP servers only load at startup.

Claude Desktop: "npx: command not found"? Install Node.js (v18.13+), then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Timeout or WAF errors? The server may be temporarily behind a security checkpoint. Wait a minute and retry. If persistent, run with --debug for diagnostics.

Slow startup? npx downloads on first run. Install globally with npm i -g pcade-mcp for instant startup.

Security

• Use env vars for API keys — the PCADE_API_KEY environment variable is not visible in process listings, unlike CLI flags.
• Zero dependencies — no supply chain risk from third-party packages.
• Credentials stay safe — API keys are never sent to custom endpoints (only to the default PPC Ad Editor server).
• No data stored locally — the proxy is stateless; nothing is written to disk.

Links

• PPC Ad Editor
• Get an API key
• MCP Protocol