Substack MCP vs Synter Ads
A side-by-side look at the Substack MCP and Synter Ads MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Substack MCP for social media work as a local process; choose Synter Ads for social media as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Substack MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Social Media domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: other.
- You have the keys it needs:
SUBSTACK_PUBLICATION_URL, SUBSTACK_SESSION_TOKEN, SUBSTACK_USER_ID, SUBSTACK_MCP_HOME. - You want tools like
get_subscriber_count, list_published_posts, list_drafts.
Choose Synter Ads when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Social Media domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
SYNTER_API_KEY. - You want tools like
list_campaigns, create_search_campaign, create_display_campaign.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Media | Social Media |
| Quality signal | 68/100 · Great | 65/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | other | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | SUBSTACK_PUBLICATION_URLSUBSTACK_SESSION_TOKENSUBSTACK_USER_IDSUBSTACK_MCP_HOME | SYNTER_API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 44 | 21 |
| Directory activity | 6 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 14 | 56 |
| Full listing | View Substack MCP | View Synter Ads |
Tools & capabilities
Substack MCP tools 14
get_subscriber_countGet the current subscriber count for your Substack publication. Returns `precision`: 'exact' when the API reports a true count, 'approximate' when only Substack's rounded value is available (the real number is that or higher — render it hedged, e.g. '1,000+'), or 'unavailable' with count -1. Never treat an approximate value as exact.list_published_postsList published posts with pagination. Returns title, date, slug, and URL for each post.list_draftsList draft posts. Returns title, creation date, and audience for each draft.get_postGet the full content of a published post by ID. Returns title, body HTML, metadata.get_draftGet the full content of a draft post by ID. Returns title, body, metadata.get_post_commentsGet comments on a published post. Returns commenter name, comment body, date, and reaction counts.get_sectionsList your publication's sections (categories). Returns each section's id and name. Use a section id as `section_id` when creating or updating a draft to file it under that section.get_post_analyticsGet performance stats (views, emails sent/delivered/opened, signups, subscribes, estimated value, comments, reactions) for a published post by ID. Substack has no per-post stats endpoint, so this searches your 500 most recent published posts for the ID; returns a not-found note if it isn't among them.list_scheduled_postsList posts scheduled for future publication, soonest first. Read-only visibility into what's queued — scheduling itself is done in Substack's editor (this server does not schedule, publish, or delete long-form posts). Returns id, title, audience, and scheduled time (`trigger_at`).create_draftCreate a new draft post. Accepts markdown body which is converted to Substack's format. Does NOT publish — creates a draft only.update_draftUpdate an existing draft post. Only works on unpublished drafts. Accepts markdown body.upload_imageUpload an image to Substack's CDN. Provide exactly one of `image_base64` (a base64 data URI) or `image_path` (a local file path). Returns a hosted image URL that is publicly fetchable by anyone with the link (an unlisted asset — not attributed to you or added to your feed).- +2 more on the listing page
Synter Ads tools 56
list_campaignsList campaigns for ONE ad platform across all 16 ad platforms. `platform` is required -- this tool does not aggregate across platforms. Returns campaign name, status, budget, and performance metrics. 100% Free to Read ($0.00 / 0 credits — works out-of-the-box with zero configuration or API key; live write execution starts on the $20/month Solo plan).create_search_campaignCreate a Google Ads Search campaign with an ad group, responsive search ad, and keywords — all in one atomic request. Supports `dry_run: true` ($0.00 / 0 credits, zero credentials required) to preview payload and policy checks. Live execution passes the server-side Agent Shield safety gate (daily spend caps, paused-on-create default, human approval mode, and immutable workspace audit log) on the $20/month Solo plan ($20.00 included monthly credits, 0% ad-spend markup). IMPORTANT — creative floor: supply 11-15 headlines (15 recommended, max 30 chars each) and 4 descriptions (max 90 chars each), echoing your target keywords across at least 5 headlines. The API accepts as few as 3 headlines / 2 descriptions, but ads built near that minimum score 'Poor' on Google Ad Strength, get throttled in the auction, and may be rejected by the platform — treat 11 headlines / 4 descriptions as the real minimum. Fewer than 3 headlines or fewer than 2 descriptions will cause the campaign to be rejected before any API call is made.create_display_campaignCreate a Google Ads Display campaign with responsive display ads. Supports image uploads from URLs, `dry_run: true` ($0.00 / 0 credits, zero credentials required), and server-side safety gates (daily spend caps, paused-on-create default, approval mode, and audit log).create_pmax_campaignCreate a Google Ads Performance Max campaign. Requires images, headlines, descriptions, and a business name. Supports `dry_run: true` ($0.00 / 0 credits, zero credentials required) and server-side safety gates (daily spend caps, paused-on-create default, approval mode, and audit log).pause_campaignPause a campaign by ID across all 16 connected ad platforms. Supports `dry_run: true` ($0.00 / 0 credits, zero credentials required). Live execution is audited in the workspace audit log ($0.05 / 2 credits on Solo $20/mo plan).update_campaign_budgetUpdate the daily budget for a campaign across all 16 connected ad platforms. Supports `dry_run: true` ($0.00 / 0 credits, zero credentials required). Live execution passes the server-side Agent Shield safety gate (daily spend ceiling, max 2x budget-change multiplier, approval mode, and immutable audit log).get_performanceGet performance metrics (impressions, clicks, spend, conversions, ROAS) for campaigns across any of the 16 ad platforms. Free read-only tool ($0.00 / 0 credits).get_daily_spendGet daily spend breakdown for ONE ad platform across any of the 16 ad platforms. `platform` is required -- this tool does not aggregate across platforms. Free read-only tool ($0.00 / 0 credits).pacing_reportReturn a deterministic budget-pacing snapshot for the current workspace across every connected ad platform and the overall portfolio (month-to-date spend, today's spend, expected spend to date, pacing percent, projected end-of-period spend, on_track/underspending/overspending/critical status, and off-pace warnings). Free read-only tool ($0.00 / 0 credits).user_budget_pacing_reportReturn a deterministic per-user/trader budget ownership and pacing snapshot from saved workspace assignments (target budget, actual spend, expected spend, projected spend, variance, and pacing status). Free read-only tool ($0.00 / 0 credits).optimize_budgetRecommend a cross-channel budget allocation across connected ad platforms using diminishing-returns modeling. Recommend-only (dry_run defaults to true); apply approved changes with update_campaign_budget. Free read-only recommendation tool ($0.00 / 0 credits).add_keywordsAdd keywords to a Google Ads campaign or ad group.- +44 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Substack MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"conorbronsdon-substack-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@conorbronsdon/substack-mcp"
],
"env": {
"SUBSTACK_PUBLICATION_URL": "YOUR_SUBSTACK_PUBLICATION_URL_HERE",
"SUBSTACK_SESSION_TOKEN": "YOUR_SUBSTACK_SESSION_TOKEN_HERE",
"SUBSTACK_USER_ID": "YOUR_SUBSTACK_USER_ID_HERE",
"SUBSTACK_MCP_HOME": "YOUR_SUBSTACK_MCP_HOME_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Synter Ads
{
"mcpServers": {
"synter-ads-2": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@synterai/mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"SYNTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_SYNTER_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Substack MCP is categorized under Social Media and uses a local stdio subprocess. Synter Ads belongs to Social Media and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Substack MCP for social media work and Synter Ads for social media.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Substack MCP is listed as free. Auth: other. Synter Ads has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add conorbronsdon-substack-mcp and synter-ads-2 as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Substack MCP has a quality signal of 68/100 (Great) with 6 views, 0 installs and 44 GitHub stars. Synter Ads has 65/100 (Great) with 1 views, 0 installs and 21 GitHub stars.