What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)? The standard that connects AI to your ad accounts
Why MCP exists, how it works technically, the difference between remote and local servers, and how Tecrube exposes your ad accounts through it.
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MCP in one sentence
MCP is an open protocol that defines how AI applications connect to external data sources and tools in a standard way. What USB did for devices, MCP does between AI and systems: one interface, many connections.
The protocol was open-sourced in late 2024 and quickly adopted by clients such as Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and Claude Code. Write an MCP server today and it runs in all of them.
Why it was needed
Before MCP, every AI application had to build a separate integration for every data source. Ten apps and ten sources meant a hundred connections. Most were read-only: the model could see data but never act on it.
MCP turns that multiplication into addition: each source writes one server, each app one client, and the language between them is shared. For ad management the outcome is simple: connect Google Ads once and the same tools follow you to whichever assistant you use.
How it works technically
Three concepts are enough. The server sits in front of a data source and exposes tools such as “list campaigns” or “update budget”. The client is the application, Claude or ChatGPT, which connects to the server and discovers the tools. The model decides which tool to call with which parameters based on the user’s request.
Communication uses JSON-RPC messages. The model calling a tool, the server returning a result and the model explaining that result to the user is one loop; dozens of loops can run back to back in a single chat.
Remote versus local servers
A local MCP server runs on your machine; installation, updates and credential handling are yours. Flexible for developers, needless weight for advertisers.
A remote MCP server runs in the cloud; you connect with one address, authorise with OAuth and the provider handles maintenance. Tecrube’s connector is remote: no terminal, no packages, only an address and a consent screen.
Managing ad accounts over MCP
The Tecrube MCP server offers Google Ads, Meta Ads, Microsoft Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Google Tag Manager, Search Console and Website tools in one connector. A request like “list campaigns whose cost rose versus last week” is answered in seconds through the reporting tool.
Write tools behave differently: when the model calls one, the server does not apply the change but produces a preview. Only your approval triggers execution. That preview → approve → apply rule is Tecrube’s design decision, not the protocol’s, and it cannot be switched off.
Getting started in three steps
Step one: open a free Tecrube account; 75 credits are assigned. Step two: connect your ad accounts with OAuth in the /app panel. Step three: add the address from the Connectors page to Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code or Cursor.
In the first chat ask for an account summary, then test the approval flow with a small write such as a search term cleanup. Pro ($49), Agency ($99) and Enterprise ($299) differ by credits and account count.
Security: how access is limited
Permission is granted through OAuth and can be revoked any time; Tecrube never sees your password. Every tool call is logged, a single budget increase above 50% is refused, and irreversible removals are not in the toolset.
The model can only use the tools the server exposes; an operation not defined on the server, say changing a payment method, cannot even be requested. The protocol itself enforces that boundary.
Frequently asked questions
Does MCP belong only to Anthropic? No. Anthropic started the protocol, but it is an open standard supported by OpenAI, developer tools and many independent clients. That is why a connector set up once works across assistants without changes.
How is MCP different from an API integration? In a classic API integration every app writes custom code for every service. With MCP the service is defined once as a server; the client discovers the tools itself and the model decides in natural language which tool to use and when.
Do I need to write my own MCP server? Not for ad management; Tecrube’s remote server is ready. If you want a server for your internal systems, it can run alongside the Tecrube connector, since a client can connect to several servers at once.
Does using MCP cost extra? The protocol itself is free. On the Tecrube side tool calls consume credits; you start with 75 free credits and the plan sets the rest. The assistant subscription depends on the app you use.