Connect Facebook Ads to Claude Desktop with an MCP Server: A Complete Guide

Perfect for marketers, founders, and analysts who want to connect Facebook Ads to Claude Desktop, no coding required. Just run it locally and start chatting with your own ad data.

💡 This guide is written by Smacient, based on the open-source Facebook Ads MCP Server created by GoMarble. All credit for the tool goes to the original developers, we’re just making it easy for everyone to use.

What is an MCP Server?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers act as a bridge between Claude and your data tools, like Facebook Ads. When installed locally, Claude can use these servers to securely talk to your ad accounts, pull reports, and analyze performance — all without writing code or uploading data anywhere else.

The Facebook Ads MCP Server used in this guide was built by GoMarble and shared freely under an open-source license. This guide simplifies the setup so anyone, even non-coders, can use it confidently with Claude Desktop.

What You’ll Achieve

• Chat with Claude to analyze your Facebook Ads data
• Ask things like:

1. “How much did I spend on campaigns last week?”
2. “Show me the best-performing ad sets this month”
   

• Everything runs on your machine, no cloud hosting needed
• No need to write Python or touch any API docs
  

Tools You’ll Need

🚀 Need Help With the Setup?

 If the setup feels too technical, our team is here to help.

Don’t worry,  we’ve got your back!

 👉 Click here to get expert assistance now!

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure:

1. You have Python installed

Download it from python.org. During install:

• Check “Add Python to PATH”
• Then click Install Now

To confirm it’s installed:

Open your command line:

• Windows: Press Win + R, type cmd, and press Enter
• macOS: Press Cmd + Space, type Terminal, and hit Enter
• Linux: Press Ctrl + Alt + T, or open Terminal from your applications menu

Then run this text below:

If installed correctly, you should see it return something like: Python 3.10.13

( Note: the number next to python might differ based on the version you have downloaded )

2. You’ve installed Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop is required to use MCP servers.

Download the desktop app from Anthropic’s official Claude site. ( https://claude.ai/download )

Once installed, we’ll configure it later to recognize the Facebook Ads tool.

This repository offers two ways to install and set up this server:

Method 1: One-Click Setup (Recommended for Beginners)

The repo provides ready-to-run .exe and .app files.

For Windows

1. Download this .exe file:

•  Windows Executable
  

2. Run the .exe file

•  It will launch a local MCP server for Facebook Ads.
  

3. Done!

•  You can now register the server with Claude (instructions below 👇)
  

For macOS

1. Download the .app file from the here.
2. Double-click to open
3. Done!

Method 2: Manual Setup for Developers

If you prefer the manual route or want to tweak the server, follow this:

Step 1: Install Git (if you don’t have it)

Windows: Download from git-scm.c

macOS: Run git in terminal — it will prompt install

Linux: Use sudo apt install git

Step 2: Clone the Repository

Option A: Clone with Git (Recommended)

Option B: Download ZIP

• Visit: https://github.com/gomarble-ai/facebook-ads-mcp-server
• Click Code → Download ZIP
• Extract to a folder (e.g., Documents/facebook-ads-mcp)

Step 3: Set Up Virtual Environment (Inside your command prompt)

1. Open Command Prompt (CMD)

2. Navigate to the project folder:

3. Set up the virtual environment using this command:

Activate it:

• Windows:

• macOS/Linux:

Step 4: Install Dependencies

Step 5: Set Up Your .env File

Create a file named .env in the root folder

Right-click in the folder → choose New → Text Document → name it exactly .env (delete the .txt extension if it appears).

Add the following:

🔐 You can get your Facebook Access Token from your Meta Developer account by creating an app at: https://developers.facebook.com/apps/

Step 6: Run the MCP Server

Final Step: Add to Claude

1. Open Claude → Go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config

In the claude.json file, add this under “mcpServers”:

Replace paths and tokens with your actual values.

1. Save and restart Claude Desktop

Ask Claude Anything!

Now open Claude Desktop and ask:

Claude will:

• Detect the MCP server
• Request permission to use it
• Fetch real data using tools like get_insights, get_campaigns, and more

🧯 Troubleshooting

• No tools in Claude?
  → Re-check the claude.json path and restart Claude
• Server errors?
  → Run the server manually using uv run mcp run server.py to see logs
• No data showing?
  → Ensure your access token has ads_read permission and the ad account ID is correct
  

That’s It!

You now have Facebook Ads connected directly to Claude on your laptop — no cloud, no code, just insights on demand.

We also have other blogs where we discuss MCP Servers and AI in depth:

• The CMO’s Guide to AI-Driven Growth: Insights from BOND’s 2025 AI Report
• Connect Google Analytics 4 to Claude Desktop with an MCP Server – A complete guide
• The End-to-End Model Context Protocol (MCP) Guide for Marketers

FAQs

1. What is an MCP Server and why is it needed for connecting Facebook Ads to Claude Desktop?

An MCP (Middleware Control Protocol) Server acts as a bridge between Claude Desktop and external platforms like Facebook Ads. It enables seamless data flow, allowing Claude to fetch ad performance data, automate tasks, and generate insights without direct API coding.

2. Can I use Claude Desktop to create or manage Facebook Ads directly?

While Claude Desktop cannot create or publish Facebook Ads, it can analyze campaign performance, generate reports, and suggest optimizations when integrated through an MCP Server. This setup enhances your workflow without replacing Facebook Ads Manager.

3. Is any coding knowledge required to set up the integration?

 No, most MCP Servers offer no-code or low-code configurations. The guide walks you through the setup process using tools like Zapier or n8n, making it accessible even for non-technical users.