Search targeting behaviors (`adsap_search_behaviors`)

Platform: Meta · Read or write: Read · Plan: All plans · Consumes a task: No · Preview supported: No

What it does

Searches Meta behavior targeting by keyword or category and returns the behavior IDs for targeting. Categories include purchase behavior, digital activities, travel, expats and job role. Leave the keyword out to list everything in a category.

When to use it

Use it while planning an ad set, to get the behavior IDs that adsap_create_ad_sets takes in targeting.behaviors.
It searches Meta live, through your own Meta connection. Nothing is read from a cache.
query is optional. Leave it out to list every behavior in a category.
query matches a behavior’s name and description. category matches its place in Meta’s behavior tree.
Housing, employment and financial campaigns accept no behaviors.
Meta combines the separate interests and behaviors lists with and. To use or between them, or to add demographics such as parents or job titles, search with adsap_search_detailed_targeting and use flexible_spec groups.

Worked example

You ask

“Find behavior targeting for frequent travelers.”

The assistant calls `adsap_search_behaviors`


{
  "query": "frequent",
  "category": "travel",
  "limit": 10
}

Adsap returns

The field names are the ones Adsap returns. The values are examples.


{
  "ok": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "6000000000001",
      "name": "Frequent travelers",
      "description": "People who travel often",
      "audience_size_lower": 900000000,
      "audience_size_upper": 1100000000,
      "path": ["Behaviors", "Travel", "Frequent travelers"]
    }
  ],
  "meta": { "total_count": 1, "query": "frequent" }
}

How to read it

id is what goes into targeting.behaviors, with name as an optional label. audience_size_lower and audience_size_upper are Meta’s estimate of how many people match. They are null when Meta gives no estimate. path shows where the behavior sits in Meta’s behavior tree.

total_count is the number of behaviors returned, after the filters and the limit. The tool returns no further pages. If the list is cut short, raise limit, up to 200.

Parameters

Descriptions are shortened from the tool schema. Your assistant sees the full text.

Name	Type	Required	Description
`query`	string	No	Keyword filter. Omit for all.
`category`	one of `purchase_behavior`, `digital_activities`, `travel`, `expats`, `job_role`, `ALL`	No
`ad_account_id`	string	No
`limit`	integer	No

Example prompts

“What purchase behaviors can I target on Meta?”
“Find behavior targeting for frequent travelers.”
“List the job role behaviors available.”

adsap_get_delivery_estimate: Get Meta’s delivery estimate for a proposed audience and optimization configuration.
adsap_search_geo_locations: Search Meta city/region location keys for targeting.
adsap_search_interests: Search Meta interest targeting by keyword.

Guide

Read Audiences and targeting for the workflow around this tool, and the Tool reference for every tool.

The Meta Ads MCP server page shows how to connect Meta Ads to Claude, ChatGPT or Perplexity.

Search targeting behaviors (adsap_search_behaviors)