Search targeting interests (`adsap_search_interests`)

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

What it does

Searches Meta interest targeting by keyword and returns the interest IDs the assistant needs to build targeting. Use it while planning an ad set, before creating it.

When to use it

Use it while planning an ad set, to get the interest IDs that adsap_create_ad_sets takes in targeting.interests.
Meta rejects free text in interest targeting, so the IDs must come from this search.
It searches Meta live, through your own Meta connection. query is required.
It returns 25 interests by default and 50 at most. The tool returns no further pages, so use a narrower keyword for a long list.
For behaviors such as travel or purchase habits, use adsap_search_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 Meta interests related to hiking.”

The assistant calls `adsap_search_interests`


{
  "query": "hiking",
  "limit": 5
}

Adsap returns

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


{
  "ok": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "6000000000002",
      "name": "Hiking",
      "audience_size_lower": 250000000,
      "audience_size_upper": 300000000,
      "path": ["Interests", "Sports and outdoors", "Outdoor recreation", "Hiking"],
      "topic": "Sports and outdoors"
    },
    {
      "id": "6000000000003",
      "name": "Hiking boots",
      "audience_size_lower": 20000000,
      "audience_size_upper": 24000000,
      "path": ["Interests", "Additional interests", "Hiking boots"],
      "topic": null
    }
  ],
  "meta": { "total_count": 2, "query": "hiking" }
}

How to read it

id is what goes into targeting.interests, with name as an optional label. audience_size_lower and audience_size_upper are Meta’s estimate of how many people match the interest. path and topic show how Meta files it. topic is null when Meta gives none.

total_count is the number of interests returned. To see how large the full audience of an ad set would be, use adsap_get_delivery_estimate.

Parameters

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

Name	Type	Required
`query`	string	Yes
`ad_account_id`	string	No
`limit`	integer	No

Example prompts

“Find Meta interests related to trail running.”
“What interest targeting options exist for sustainable fashion?”

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

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 interests (adsap_search_interests)