The short version
- →Developer tokens were retired on 9 September 2026. Your API access level now belongs to your Google Cloud project.
- →New projects start on Test, move to Explorer (2,880 production operations a day), then Basic after brand verification and Standard after a manual audit.
- →Expect upkeep: a new major version roughly every quarter, each retired about 13 months later.
- →If you want answers rather than an integration, an MCP connector gets Claude or ChatGPT into your account without writing code.
1. What the Google Ads API is and what you can do with it
Google describes the API as a programmatic interface for managing large or complex Google Ads accounts, aimed at developers comfortable writing code and running their own infrastructure. It covers four areas:
- Account management: create and link accounts, manage account hierarchies and automate user access.
- Custom reporting: query performance metrics, segments and attributes with GAQL, the Google Ads Query Language.
- Campaign management: Performance Max, Search, Demand Gen, Shopping, Video and App campaigns, plus budgets and assets.
- Conversions and bidding: upload offline conversions and configure Smart Bidding.
2. How to get Google Ads API access in 2026
Google retired developer tokens on 9 September 2026. Your API access level is now set by the Google Cloud project you use to create your OAuth credentials, and you apply for access from the Google Ads API overview page in the Google Cloud Console. You no longer need a manager account to sign up.
Existing developer-token access was transferred automatically to Cloud projects that had API activity in the 90 days before the change. Sending a developer token is now optional and ignored, and Google says a future major version will start rejecting it.
| Access level | Accounts | Daily operations | How you get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test | Test accounts only | 15,000 | Granted when you enable the API in your Cloud project |
| Explorer | Test and production | 2,880 on production (15,000 on test) | Apply from the overview page; usually automated |
| Basic | Test and production | 15,000 | Complete brand verification for your Cloud project, then apply; reviewed within minutes |
| Standard | Test and production | Unlimited | Apply from Basic; a manual audit, typically about 10 business days |
Some older pages in Google's documentation still say a developer token is required. The API policy and developer-token pages, updated 19 October 2026, are the current ones. Pending Basic applications were closed in the transition and need resubmitting.
3. Authentication
The API uses OAuth 2.0, with the credentials created in the same Cloud project that holds your access level. Google offers three workflows:
- Service account — for accounts you already have access to. Add the service account's email as a user in Google Ads; one email can be linked to at most 20 accounts, beyond which you use a manager account.
- Single-user — if your organisation doesn't allow service accounts.
- Multi-user — for apps that manage other people's accounts.
When you reach an account through a manager account, set the login-customer-id header to the manager's 10-digit customer ID.
4. Versions and upkeep
The latest version is v26, released 14 October 2026. From v26, Google is moving to two releases a month: major versions about every quarter, with backward-compatible minor versions in between. Each major version is retired about 13 months after launch, and calls to a retired version fail.
Google provides client libraries for Java, .NET, PHP, Python, Ruby and Perl, plus a REST interface. Plan for a version upgrade at least once a year — this maintenance is the part teams most often underestimate.
5. Limits that matter for a small team
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Daily operations on Explorer | 2,880 on production accounts — the main constraint for a new project |
| Operations per mutate request | Up to 10,000, counted toward the daily quota |
| Keyword planning requests | 1 per second per customer ID |
| Conversions per upload request | 2,000 |
| Items in a GAQL IN clause | 20,000 |
| Response size | 64 MB |
A Search or SearchStream request counts as one operation, however many rows it returns.
6. API, MCP, CLI or a hosted tool: which to use
| Route | Best when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads API | You're building a product or a custom integration | Code, Cloud project, version upgrades |
| Google's official MCP server | Engineers want Claude to run read-only GAQL queries | Read-only; you host it yourself |
| A CLI with Claude Code | Technical marketers doing bulk work from the terminal | Still technical, but no app to build |
| A hosted MCP connector | You want answers and changes from Claude or ChatGPT without building anything | Depends on the provider's coverage |
For a deeper comparison of the four, see MCP vs CLI vs API vs Claude Skill, and Claude for Google Ads for every way to connect Claude.
7. The Meta Marketing API, briefly
Meta's equivalent is the Marketing API, which builds and edits campaigns, ad sets and ads in code and pulls analytics. You need a Meta app. Business apps start on Limited Access — heavily rate-limited and meant for development — and move to Full Access once the app has made at least 500 Marketing API calls in 15 days with an error rate under 15%. Managing other businesses' ad accounts needs advanced permissions through App Review. The current version is v26.0, introduced 29 July 2026.
Meta also offers a no-code route: its ads MCP server at mcp.facebook.com/ads, part of Meta Ads AI Connectors. Owning a Meta app isn't required to use it, and since July 2026 admins can set rules limiting what AI agents may do — for example, read-only with no budget changes.
Do it in Claude with GoMarble instead
If what you want is analysis and changes rather than an integration to maintain, connect GoMarble's MCP to Claude and run these free workflows:
MCP for Google Ads →
Connect Google Ads to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor — no Cloud project or API code.
Free Google Ads Keyword Finder →
Find keyword opportunities from your converting search terms.
Search Term Mining & Negative Keywords →
Mine search terms for negatives and new keywords.
Complete Google Ads Team →
Eight Google Ads specialists in one Claude Project; changes only after approval.
Shopping Product Performance CLI →
Rank Shopping products by ROAS with a Claude Code script.
MCP for Meta Ads →
The same for Meta Ads, through one connection.
Browse every GoMarble workflow for Claude → Each one is a free prompt you paste into Claude once GoMarble's MCP is connected.
8. How GoMarble helps
GoMarble's hosted MCP gives you the useful part of the API — reading and changing your accounts from an AI assistant — without the project to run.
| What you need | How GoMarble does it |
|---|---|
| No API project to maintain | GoMarble handles authentication, access and version upgrades |
| Read and change | Analyse accounts, and propose changes for your approval where write access is enabled |
| More than Google | Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn and Microsoft Ads, plus Shopify, GA4 and Klaviyo, through the same connection |
| Any MCP client | Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, n8n and others use the same server URL |
FAQ
Do I still need a Google Ads developer token?
How do I get Google Ads API access?
How long does Google Ads API approval take?
What is GAQL?
What's the current Google Ads API version?
Can I use the Google Ads API without coding?
What is the Meta Ads API?
Sources
- Google Ads API policy (developer token sunset) — checked 22 October 2026
- Google Ads API access levels — checked 22 October 2026
- Google Ads API quotas — checked 22 October 2026
- Google Ads API release notes — checked 22 October 2026
- Google Ads API release and sunset schedule — checked 22 October 2026
- Meta Marketing API authorization — checked 22 October 2026
- Meta ads MCP server update (July 2026) — checked 22 October 2026
Read next
Get the API's power without the API project.
Connect Google Ads to GoMarble and work with it from Claude or ChatGPT — no Cloud project, tokens or version upgrades to manage.