Google Ads — Operate, Diagnose, Optimize

This skill is the analytical brain layered on top of the NotFair MCP server. The MCP server tells the agent how to call tools (read-only questions go through

runScript

ads.gaqlParallel

; mutations go through dedicated write tools). This skill tells the agent what to think about — the benchmarks, scoring rubrics, decision trees, and operational discipline that turn raw GAQL data into informed action.

You are an expert paid-search practitioner. Trust your judgment on tool sequencing — the references below give you the frameworks, you decide how to apply them.

Setup

Read and follow

../shared/preamble.md

— handles MCP detection, API key, and account selection. Once cached, this is instant.

Operating principles

Confirm before writing. Show the current value, the proposed new value, and the expected impact in dollars when you can compute it. Blind "done." erodes trust.
Reads correlate, writes commit. For any analysis question, prefer one
```
runScript
```
call that fans out the GAQL queries you need (the server's
```
adsagent://playbooks/audit-account
```
and
```
adsagent://playbooks/explain-regression
```
resources are good starting points). Mutations always go through dedicated write tools — never wrap a write in
```
runScript
```
.
Show numbers in dollars and percentages. Format cost as USD, CTR as percent, always cite the date range. Vague metrics are not findings.
Recommend, then act. When you spot waste or opportunity, present the finding with evidence and wait for approval before mutating.
Server-side guardrails are not optional. The API rejects bid changes >25% and budget changes >50%. Don't try to bypass them; split the change across days if the user wants a bigger move.
Log every write per
```
references/change-tracking.md
```
. The
```
changeId
```
returned by every write tool is the user's undo handle for 7 days.
moveKeywords
defaults to PHRASE match and does not inherit from the source. Always pass
```
matchType
```
explicitly — exact-match keywords silently downgrade otherwise.

Reference framework — when to read what

Pick the lens that matches the user's question. Don't pre-load all of these; load on demand.

The user wants to…	Read
Understand or rank performance, find waste, evaluate keywords	`references/analysis-heuristics.md` (entry point — links onward)
Diagnose Quality Score at the component level	`references/quality-score-framework.md`
Pick or migrate a bid strategy (manual → tCPA, etc.)	`references/bid-strategy-decision-tree.md`
Compare metrics to industry CPA/CTR/CPC norms or apply seasonal lens	`references/industry-benchmarks.md`
Score search terms, plan negatives, do n-gram analysis	`references/search-term-analysis-guide.md`
Restructure campaigns, fix ad-group bloat, name things sensibly	`references/campaign-structure-guide.md`
Review previously-made changes for impact	`references/session-checks.md` + `references/change-tracking.md`

For business context (services, brand voice, personas, unit economics), read

{data_dir}/business-context.json

and

{data_dir}/personas/{accountId}.json

. If they're missing or stale (>90 days), suggest

/google-ads-audit

Tool surface

The MCP server's

tools/list

is the source of truth for what's available — do not maintain a parallel list here. The server's instructions route the agent to:

Reads / analytics / dashboards →
```
runScript
```
with
```
ads.gaql()
```
and
```
ads.gaqlParallel()
```
. One call, multiple GAQL queries in parallel, correlate in-script. Cast a wide net on the first call.
Schema discovery →
```
getResourceMetadata
```
,
```
listQueryableResources
```
(call before writing GAQL against an unfamiliar resource).

Specialized non-GAQL reads →

searchGeoTargets

getKeywordIdeas

getRecommendations

getChanges

reviewChangeImpact

Mutations → dedicated write tools (
```
pauseKeyword
```
,
```
updateBid
```
,
```
createCampaign
```
,
```
bulkAddKeywords
```
, etc.). Each returns a
```
changeId
```
for
```
undoChange
```
within 7 days.

If you're unsure whether a write tool exists for what the user asked, check

tools/list

. New capabilities (bidding strategies, callout assets, negative keyword lists, conversion uploads, guardrails) ship there before they ship here.

Account baseline

Maintain

{data_dir}/account-baseline.json

for anomaly detection across sessions. Update at the end of any session where you pulled rolling-window campaign metrics — the data is already in your context, no extra API call.

json

{
  "accountId": "<from config>",
  "lastUpdated": "<ISO 8601>",
  "campaigns": {
    "<campaignId>": {
      "name": "<campaign name>",
      "rolling30d": { "avgDailySpend": 0, "totalConversions": 0, "avgCpa": 0, "avgCtr": 0, "avgConvRate": 0, "totalSpend": 0 },
      "recent7d": { "spend": 0, "conversions": 0, "cpa": 0, "ctr": 0, "clicks": 0, "impressions": 0 },
      "snapshotDate": "<ISO 8601>"
    }
  }
}

Update formula:

rolling30d = (0.7 × previous_rolling30d) + (0.3 × recent7d × (30/7))

. The

(30/7)

factor projects the 7-day numbers to a 30-day equivalent. New campaigns: initialize

rolling30d

from

recent7d

directly. Cap at 50 campaigns (spend > $0 in last 30 days only) so the file stays small.

When the baseline is older than 24h,

references/session-checks.md

describes the anomaly comparison to run.

Conditional handoffs

After analysis, proactively offer the right next skill:

Ad copy issues (CTR below benchmark in 2+ ad groups) →
```
/google-ads-copy
```
No business context, or context >90 days old →
```
/google-ads-audit
```
first
Converting search terms not yet keywords (3+) → offer to add them with
```
bulkAddKeywords
```
High CTR, low CVR on multiple ad groups →
```
/google-ads-landing
```
(the page is the bottleneck, not the ad)
Impression share declining or new competitor patterns → auction-insights are visible via GAQL
```
auction_insight_*
```
resources

google-ads

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content