How to Connect Claude Code to Google Ads via MCP (2026)

TL;DR

Cogny provides a managed, remote MCP server for Google Ads with built-in OAuth. Connect Claude Code (or any MCP client) to your Google Ads account without setting up API credentials, developer tokens, or hosting your own server.

What you get:

• Single federated MCP server at app.cogny.com/mcp — tools determined by connected accounts
• Read-only access to campaigns, keywords, ad groups, performance data
• GAQL query support for custom reporting
• Works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible client

Time required: 2 minutes | Difficulty: Beginner | Prerequisites: Google Ads account, Cogny account (free to start)

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Why Use a Managed MCP Server?

Setting up your own Google Ads MCP server requires:

1. A Google Cloud project with OAuth credentials
2. Google Ads API developer token (approval takes days)
3. A server to host the MCP endpoint
4. Token refresh logic, error handling, rate limiting
5. Ongoing maintenance and security updates

Cogny handles all of this. You sign in with Google, authorize access, and get a remote MCP endpoint that works immediately.

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What Is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI agents like Claude connect to external data sources and tools. Instead of copy-pasting data into prompts, MCP gives Claude direct, structured access to your Google Ads account.

With MCP, Claude can:

• Run GAQL queries against your Google Ads data
• Analyze campaign performance across accounts
• Generate keyword ideas and search geo targets
• Pull reporting data for optimization recommendations

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Step 1: Create a Cogny Account

Go to cogny.com and sign up.

Create a warehouse — this is where your data connections live.

Time: 30 seconds

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Step 2: Connect Google Ads

In your dashboard, find Google Ads under the channels list and click connect.

Sign in with the Google account that has access to your Google Ads. Select which ad accounts (or MCC) to connect.

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Step 3: Add to Claude Code

In your Cogny dashboard, generate an API key. Then add the Cogny MCP server to your Claude Code config. This is the same endpoint for all Cogny integrations — the tools available are determined by which accounts you've connected.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cogny": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://app.cogny.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Done. Claude now has access to your Google Ads data — and any other platforms you connect through Cogny.

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Step 4: Start Using Google Ads in Claude

Once connected, you can ask Claude to work with your Google Ads data directly:

Example prompts:

• "List all my Google Ads accounts and their performance this month"
• "Run a GAQL query to find keywords with zero conversions in the last 30 days"
• "Show me campaigns with spend over $1,000 and ROAS below 2.0"
• "Generate keyword ideas for 'project management software'"
• "Compare this week's campaign performance to last week"

Claude has access to these tools via the MCP server:

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Works With Any MCP Client

Cogny's managed MCP server isn't limited to Claude Code. It works with any client that supports the Model Context Protocol:

• Claude Code (CLI)
• Claude Desktop (Mac/Windows)
• Cursor (AI code editor)
• Windsurf (AI code editor)
• Continue (VS Code extension)
• Any custom MCP client built with the MCP SDK

The server uses standard HTTP+SSE transport, so any MCP-compatible client can connect.

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Security and Permissions

Read-only by default. The Google Ads MCP server exposes read-only tools. Claude can analyze your data but cannot modify campaigns, change bids, or spend budget.

OAuth token security:

• Tokens stored in Supabase Vault (encrypted at rest)
• Automatic token refresh before expiry
• Signed URLs with HMAC-SHA256 and 5-minute expiry
• No API keys or secrets stored client-side

Tool permissions:

• Read tools (queries, reports) are auto-approved
• Write tools (if enabled) require explicit user confirmation
• You can blacklist specific tools per server

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Compared to Self-Hosted

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Common Questions

Q: Do I need a Google Ads API developer token?

No. Cogny's managed server handles API access. You just authorize with your Google account.

Q: Can Claude make changes to my campaigns?

By default, only read-only tools are enabled. Write operations require explicit permission configuration.

Q: What about rate limits?

Cogny manages rate limiting across all users. You don't need to worry about hitting Google's API quotas.

Q: Does this work with MCC (Manager) accounts?

Yes. Connect your MCC account and access all sub-accounts through a single MCP server.

Q: Can I use this with other AI agents besides Claude?

Yes. Any tool or agent that supports the MCP standard can connect to Cogny's managed servers.

Q: Is my data stored by Cogny?

OAuth tokens are stored securely in an encrypted vault. Query results are passed through to your MCP client — Cogny doesn't store your Google Ads reporting data.

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Next Steps

• Connect Meta Ads via MCP — add cross-channel analysis
• Connect Google Analytics 4 via MCP — post-click behavior data
• Connect Google Search Console via MCP — organic search data
• Google Ads AI Optimization Playbook — what to do once connected

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About Cogny MCP Servers

Cogny provides managed, remote MCP servers for 12+ marketing and business platforms. All servers include OAuth handling, token management, and enterprise-grade security. Built by the team behind AI optimization systems for Netflix, Zalando, and Momondo at Campanja.

Last Updated: April 2026