How it works
The protocol's own site defines MCP as "an open-source standard for connecting AI applications to external systems". It compares the protocol to a USB-C port: one plug, many devices. Three parts take part. The AI application, such as Claude, hosts an MCP client. An MCP server exposes tools, each with a name, a description and the fields it accepts. When you ask for something, the assistant picks a tool, sends the fields, and gets a result it can read and act on. Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Visual Studio Code and Cursor all support the protocol.
Adsap runs an MCP server at mcp.adsap.ai with about 90 tools for Meta and Google Ads. You add it to your assistant as a custom connector, log in with your Adsap account, and the tools appear in the conversation. Reads return your campaigns, ad sets, ads and yesterday's numbers. Writes create, pause or edit them. Every write shows a preview first and waits for your approval, and everything is created paused. Adsap is not in any assistant's built-in connector directory, so you paste the connector URL rather than search for it.
Worked example
You type: "Pause every ad set in the Summer Sale campaign with a CPA over $40 this week." The assistant calls the list ad sets tool with the campaign name and reads the CPA on each row. It then calls the status tool with the ids of the ad sets over the line. Adsap shows a card listing the three ad sets it is about to pause. You approve. Three pauses go to Meta, three entries land in the audit log, and on the Free plan three tasks are used.
Why it matters to a media buyer
MCP is what makes "run my ads from a chat" possible without a custom integration per assistant. One server serves Claude, ChatGPT and Perplexity. For a buyer, the tools you would click through in Ads Manager become sentences. The guardrails live in the server, not in the assistant's good behavior. Meta's own Ads connector is also an MCP server; the comparison page sets the two side by side.
In Adsap
The integrations hub lists the plan each assistant needs, the tools, and the setup steps for Claude, ChatGPT and Perplexity. The docs' AI copilot setup guide walks through adding the connector and installing the Adsap skill. On the Free plan the copilot has a basic toolset; Early Access at $29/month plus tax includes every tool, about 90.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the assistant. Claude accepts custom connectors on every plan, including Free. ChatGPT needs a paid plan with Developer mode, on the web. Perplexity needs Pro, Max or Enterprise. Your assistant's provider bills that subscription with no Adsap markup.
No. Reads, insights, previews, targeting searches and keyword ideas never count. A write such as a launch, a pause or a budget edit counts as one task, and the Free plan includes 10 a month.
Neither. MCP is an open protocol with a public specification. Adsap runs one MCP server that works in Claude, ChatGPT and Perplexity, and Meta's official Ads connector uses the same protocol.
Sources
- Model Context Protocol, What is MCP: "an open-source standard for connecting AI applications to external systems"; the USB-C comparison; client support. https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/getting-started/intro
- Adsap docs, AI copilot setup: the connector URL, plan requirements per assistant, the skill.
- Adsap, integrations hub and pricing: basic toolset on Free, about 90 tools on Early Access.