Model Context Protocol (MCP) lets Claude Desktop call external tools and APIs directly — not by giving it documents to read, but by giving it live data access and the ability to take actions. For ad management, this means Claude can query your live Google Ads and Meta Ads accounts, analyze performance, and execute approved changes like adding negative keywords or pausing campaigns — all without leaving the conversation.
This guide covers the complete setup. You will need: a Digital Face account (free plan works), Claude Desktop installed on your machine, and your Google Ads or Meta Ads account connected. The setup takes about 15 minutes.
Step one: create a Digital Face account at digital-face.nl/signup. During onboarding, connect your Google Ads account via OAuth — or Meta Ads, or both. This takes about 60 seconds per platform. Digital Face requests the minimum permissions needed: read access for reports and write access scoped to keyword and bid management. You can revoke access from either platform at any time.
Step two: go to your Digital Face dashboard Settings and open the MCP Configuration section. Copy the mcpServers configuration block — it includes the server URL and your authentication token. The Digital Face MCP server runs at https://digital-face.nl/api/mcp. The token is specific to your account.
Step three: open your Claude Desktop configuration file. On macOS it is at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. On Windows it is at %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. If the file does not exist, create it. Add or merge the mcpServers block from step two. The result should look like: { "mcpServers": { "digital-face": { "url": "https://digital-face.nl/api/mcp", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" } } } }.
Step four: quit and restart Claude Desktop completely. When it relaunches, it detects the new MCP server automatically. You will see a tool indicator in the interface confirming Digital Face tools are available. If it does not appear, verify your JSON is valid — a single missing brace or comma is the most common error.
Step five: test the connection. In a new Claude Desktop conversation, type: 'What is the current status of my Google Ads campaigns?' Claude will call the Digital Face MCP server, retrieve your live campaign data, and return a summary with names, status, and spend. From there you can ask follow-up questions like 'Which campaigns have the highest CPA this week?' or 'Show me search terms that spent more than $30 with zero conversions in the last 7 days.'
Once connected, the queries that change your workflow are the ones that previously required opening multiple tabs in Google Ads Manager and exporting data to a spreadsheet. With Claude Desktop and Digital Face: 'Pause all campaigns where CPA exceeded my target this month' pauses them directly. 'Show me my top wasted spend categories for the last 30 days' returns a prioritized breakdown from your actual account. 'Add negative keywords for all zero-conversion search terms above $20 spend last week' executes the additions with one confirmation.
On security: treat your Digital Face MCP token like a password — do not share your claude_desktop_config.json. All write operations are logged in the Digital Face audit trail with timestamp and full parameter context. New campaigns are always created in paused state. Budget changes are capped at 50% per call to prevent accidental large changes. You retain final approval on everything Claude proposes. Free plan available at digital-face.nl.