# Meta Ads CLI > Run the Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Ads CLI — the `meta` command from the `meta-ads` Python package — inside Cowork's sandbox to manage Meta advertising from the terminal. Use this skill whenever the user wants to install or run the Meta Ads CLI / Facebook Ads CLI / the `meta` command, or asks to list, create, update, or delete Meta/Facebook ad campaigns, ad sets, ads, or ad creatives; pull ad performance insights or reporting (spend, ROAS, CTR, CPC, conversions) from the command line; or manage Meta pixels/datasets, product catalogs, product feeds, product sets, ad accounts, or Facebook Pages via CLI. Trigger this even when the user does not name the package — phrases like "set up the Meta ads CLI", "create a Facebook campaign from the terminal", "pull my Meta ad insights", or "spin up an Advantage+ sales campaign with the meta command" all apply. For pulling existing ad metrics where a Meta Ads MCP/connector is already attached, that connector may be simpler; this skill is for the standalone CLI. - Skill: `gfsaaser24/meta-ads-cli` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 6 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add gfsaaser24/meta-ads-cli` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/gfsaaser24/meta-ads-cli/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Marketing & Growth - Author: gfsaaser24 (https://skillmd.com/u/gfsaaser24) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/gfsaaser24/meta-ads-cli --- # Meta Ads CLI > Unofficial skill — not affiliated with or maintained by Meta. Written from Meta's > published Ads CLI developer docs and the third-party `meta-ads` package. Verify flags > against the official docs before any spend-affecting command, as they may drift. The `meta` command (PyPI package `meta-ads`) is a developer-friendly wrapper over the Meta Marketing API. It manages the full ad stack — campaigns, ad sets, ads, creatives, pixels/datasets, catalogs, product feeds/sets — and queries insights, all from the terminal. Commands follow a **noun-verb** pattern: ``` meta ads [options] ``` Work through the three steps below in order: **install → authenticate → run**. Detailed command syntax lives in the reference files; load them as needed rather than guessing flags. ## Step 1 — Install the CLI in the sandbox `meta-ads` needs Python 3.12+, which the Cowork sandbox usually lacks, so a bundled script provisions it with `uv` and installs the CLI in isolation. Run it once per session: ```bash bash /scripts/setup_meta_cli.sh ``` The script is idempotent and prints its install location on the last line as `META_BIN=`. Capture that directory — each bash call starts fresh with no PATH carried over, so **prepend `META_BIN` to PATH in every later command that runs `meta`**: ```bash export PATH=":$PATH" meta --version ``` If the script reports it needs `uv` or Python 3.12+, that environment can't run the CLI; tell the user rather than improvising another install path. The setup script and `meta` commands are bash-based. On **Windows**, run them inside **WSL** (Windows Subsystem for Linux) — if the user is on a native Windows shell with no WSL/bash available, tell them to install WSL first rather than trying to adapt the commands to PowerShell/cmd. ## Step 2 — Authenticate The CLI authenticates with a **Meta system user access token** and targets one **ad account ID**. There is no interactive login. Ask the user for their token and ad account ID, then write them to a `.env` in the working directory and verify: ```bash cat > .env << 'DOTENV' ACCESS_TOKEN='' AD_ACCOUNT_ID='act_' DOTENV export PATH=":$PATH" meta auth status # shows a masked token if it loaded meta ads adaccount list # confirms the token actually works ``` Notes that save back-and-forth: - `AD_ACCOUNT_ID` must be the `act_...` form. `meta ads adaccount list` shows valid IDs. - Add `BUSINESS_ID=''` to `.env` if the user works with catalogs/datasets and it isn't auto-resolved. - The sandbox `.env` is **ephemeral** — it disappears when the session ends. If the user wants their token to persist, offer to save the `.env` into their connected workspace folder and load it from there next time. Treat the token as a secret: don't echo it back in full or write it to memory. - The CLI reads config in this precedence: command-line flags → shell env vars → project `.env` → user config (`~/.config/meta/`). If the user hasn't generated a token yet, walk them through it using `references/setup-and-auth.md` (system user, asset assignment, required scopes). ## Step 3 — Run commands Global options go **before** the resource, e.g. `meta -o json ads campaign list`. Output formats: `table` (default, human-readable), `json` (pipe to `jq`), `plain` (tab-separated for shell pipelines). Use `--no-input` and `--force` for non-interactive runs. ```bash export PATH=":$PATH" meta ads campaign list meta -o json ads campaign list | jq '.[].name' meta ads insights get --date-preset last_7d --fields spend,impressions,ctr,cpc ``` Pick the matching reference file for exact syntax, required flags, and enum values before composing a command: - `references/commands.md` — every resource and action (campaign, adset, ad, creative, adaccount, page, dataset, catalog, product-feed/-item/-set), with required flags, enums (objectives, optimization goals, billing events, custom event types, verticals, dataset tasks), budgets-in-cents rule, and exit codes. - `references/creatives-catalogs.md` — building ad creatives (standard, video, photo, Instagram, Dynamic Creative), supported media types, call-to-action values, and the end-to-end creative→ad, conversion-tracking, and catalog/dataset workflows. - `references/insights.md` — `meta ads insights get` in full: date presets, custom ranges, time increments, breakdowns, sortable metrics, common fields. - `references/setup-and-auth.md` — generating the system user token (scopes, asset assignment) for users who don't have one yet. ## Things to keep in mind - **Budgets are in cents.** `--daily-budget 5000` means $50.00. Always confirm the figure with the user in dollars before running, since a typo spends real money. - **New objects are created `PAUSED` by default.** Nothing spends until you set status `ACTIVE` (e.g. `meta ads campaign update --status ACTIVE`). Activating a campaign, ad set, or ad starts real ad spend on the user's account — make sure the user means to go live. - **Deletes cascade.** Deleting a campaign removes its ad sets and ads; deleting an ad set removes its ads. `--force` skips the confirmation prompt. - **Exit codes** are meaningful for scripting: 0 success, 1 general error, 2 usage error, 3 auth error, 4 API error, 5 not found. - When a command fails, run it again with the global `--debug` flag to see the underlying Marketing API error before changing the approach.