How to Connect Ad Platforms to Windsurf
Access live ad data inside Windsurf IDE. Build dashboards and automations with AI-assisted coding.
Windsurf is an AI-powered IDE that supports MCP (Model Context Protocol), giving its AI assistant Cascade direct access to external data sources while you code. By connecting your ad platforms through Ad Superpowers, Windsurf can query live campaign data from Meta Ads, Google Ads, GA4, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads, and more — all without leaving your editor.
This is ideal for developers and technical marketers who build custom reporting tools, data pipelines, or marketing automations. Instead of mocking data or manually calling APIs, Windsurf pulls real campaign metrics while helping you write the code to process them.
The setup takes about 5 minutes. You need Windsurf installed and an Ad Superpowers account — the Free plan works for Meta, Google Ads, GA4, and Search Console.
The Old Way
Read each platform's API docs. Set up OAuth credentials. Handle token refresh. Write API wrappers. Mock data for testing. Discover the real response shape differs. Debug and repeat.
The New Way
Add one MCP URL to Windsurf's config. Ask Cascade to query your live ad data. Build against real data from day one.
What You Need
- Windsurf IDE installed — download from windsurf.com
- An Ad Superpowers account (Free plan for Meta/Google/GA4/GSC, Pro for all platforms)
- 5 minutes to configure
Step-by-Step Setup
Create your Ad Superpowers account
Go to app.adsuperpowers.ai and sign up. Connect the ad platforms you want to access from Windsurf. The Free plan includes Meta Ads, Google Ads, GA4, and Google Search Console.
Get your API key
Navigate to Settings in the Ad Superpowers dashboard. Under "API Keys", generate a new key. Copy both the API key and the MCP server URL: https://mcp.adsuperpowers.ai/v1.
Configure MCP in Windsurf
Open Windsurf and access the MCP configuration file. Create or edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json and add: { "mcpServers": { "adsuperpowers": { "serverUrl": "https://mcp.adsuperpowers.ai/v1", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" } } } } Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key.
Restart and test
Restart Windsurf to load the new MCP configuration. Open a new Cascade chat and ask: "List my connected ad accounts." If your accounts appear, the connection is working. Now try: "Show me my top Meta campaigns by ROAS this month."
Build with live data
Try a practical prompt: "Pull my Google Ads campaign data for the last 7 days and generate a Python script that creates a performance summary chart." Windsurf queries your real data and writes code that works with the actual response shape.
Try These Prompts
Once connected, try these prompts to explore your data. Click to copy.
Why Windsurf for ad data development?
Windsurf's Cascade AI assistant is designed for deep codebase understanding and multi-file editing. Combined with live ad data through MCP, this makes it excellent for building marketing tools:
Real data during development: Instead of creating mock data that may not match real API responses, Windsurf queries your actual campaign data. This means the code it generates works correctly from the first run.
Multi-platform access: A single MCP connection gives Windsurf access to Meta, Google Ads, GA4, Search Console, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Build cross-platform tools without learning six different APIs.
Iterative building: Ask Windsurf to pull data, then refine the visualization or analysis in follow-up messages. Each iteration uses fresh, live data.
Full IDE context: Unlike chat-based tools, Windsurf sees your entire codebase. It can integrate ad data queries into existing projects, match your code style, and update multiple files at once.
Troubleshooting
If Windsurf cannot access your ad data:
1. Check that ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json exists and contains valid JSON. Common errors: trailing commas, missing quotes. 2. Verify the key is "serverUrl" (not "url") — Windsurf's MCP config uses a different field name than some other clients. 3. Make sure your API key is correct. You can regenerate it in the Ad Superpowers dashboard under Settings. 4. Restart Windsurf fully after editing the config file. 5. Test with a simple query: "List my connected ad accounts." If this works, the connection is fine. 6. Make sure you have connected at least one ad platform in the Ad Superpowers dashboard.
Performance: most queries return in 2-5 seconds. Large date ranges or multi-platform queries may take slightly longer.
For more help, visit our troubleshooting docs or reach out through the Ad Superpowers dashboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
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