Pinterest Ads README
The full upstream README, mirrored here for reference. Install config, tool schemas, adoption signals, and an original overview live on the Pinterest Ads listing page.
pinterest-ads-mcp-server
An open-source Model Context Protocol server for the Pinterest Ads API. It lets Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client read and analyse your Pinterest advertising data, and change it if you choose to.
You run it. Your token stays on your machine. Nothing is proxied through a third party.
Also listed in the MCP Registry as com.getmcpads/pinterest-ads, so clients that read the registry can install it by name.
Prefer not to run it yourself? getmcpads.com is the hosted version of this server, with Pinterest Ads alongside Meta Ads, Google Ads, TikTok Ads, Google Analytics and Search Console behind a single endpoint, hosted OAuth, and cross-platform reporting. Same tools, same safety model, no setup.
What you get
| 26 read tools | Reporting, campaigns and ad groups, audiences, targeting, keywords, conversions, catalogs, business assets, billing, Pins and trends |
| 5 write tools | Off by default. Campaign and ad group status and budgets, campaign creation. Each one previews before it applies |
| 7 resources | Live catalogues the model can read: reporting columns, attribution windows, creative assets, catalog reporting, surface map, recipes |
| Organic alongside paid | Pin analytics and trends, not just the ad account |
| Privacy by construction | Lead records are not exposed at all, and member identifiers are redacted by default |
Raw column names, on purpose
Pinterest names its reporting columns in its own way, and this server accepts those names directly rather than inventing friendly aliases on top. A column that exists in the API works here; one that does not fails immediately rather than being silently translated into something else.
pinterest://reporting-columns lists what is available, and pinterest_validate_report
checks a request before it runs.
How this compares to Pinterest's own MCP server
Pinterest shipped an official MCP server in June 2026, with authentication handled by Pinterest's own systems. It launched read-only: an agent can pull performance data and account context, but cannot change a budget, pause a campaign or edit a bid.
| This server | Pinterest's official server | getmcpads.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting | You host it. stdio, local process | Pinterest-hosted | Hosted for you |
| Data path | Direct to the API. No intermediary | Through Pinterest's endpoint | Through our gateway |
| Writes | Yes, preview first, applied only on confirm: true | None, read-only at launch | Yes, preview first |
| Auditable | Yes. Apache-2.0, read every line | No | This server, audited |
| Modifiable | Fork it | No | No |
| Auth | You bring a token, which is more setup | Handled by Pinterest | Hosted OAuth |
Choose Pinterest's for the least setup, if reporting is all you need. Choose this one if you want your data to stay on your infrastructure, want to audit or extend what the model can do, or want guarded writes rather than none. Choose getmcpads.com if you want this server's capabilities without running it, or you need more than one ad platform in the same conversation.
Privacy, built into what the tools return
Two protections, and they work differently.
Lead records are never exposed. pinterest_get_lead_assets returns lead form and
subscription configuration, but never the lead export itself, because those rows carry
personal information submitted by end users. This is an exclusion, not a redaction: the data
does not leave Pinterest through this server at all.
Business member identifiers are redacted by default. Member IDs, email addresses and
usernames are replaced before they reach the model when you read members, asset members or
invites. includePersonalIdentifiers: true returns the raw values and defaults to false.
These are your colleagues' addresses, so the default is the safe one.
Getting a token
You need a Pinterest access token with the ads:read scope.
- Create an app in the Pinterest developer portal.
- Note the App ID and App secret.
- Run the OAuth flow while signed in to the account that can access your ad accounts.
Request
ads:read, andads:writeonly if you plan to enable writes. - Keep the access token, and the refresh token if you want the server to renew it.
📖 Pinterest API authentication
You can run with just PINTEREST_ACCESS_TOKEN, but it expires. Supplying
PINTEREST_REFRESH_TOKEN, PINTEREST_APP_ID and PINTEREST_APP_SECRET together lets the
server renew the token itself, which is what you want for daily use.
Run pinterest_health_check as your first call. It verifies the token and lists the ad
accounts you can reach, without printing the token.
Setup
Claude Desktop
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS)
or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):
Restart Claude Desktop. Ask it: "list my Pinterest ad accounts".
Claude Code
Cursor
.cursor/mcp.json in your project, same shape as the Claude Desktop config above.
From source
Configuration
| Variable | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
PINTEREST_ACCESS_TOKEN | none | Access token with ads:read |
PINTEREST_REFRESH_TOKEN | none | With the two below, lets the server renew the token |
PINTEREST_APP_ID | none | App ID, needed for refresh |
PINTEREST_APP_SECRET | none | App secret, needed for refresh |
PINTEREST_AD_ACCOUNT_ID | none | Optional default, saves passing it on every call |
PINTEREST_ENABLE_WRITES | unset | Set to 1 to register the 5 write tools |
LOG_LEVEL | info | debug, info, warn, error |
Either the access token, or the refresh trio. The server refuses to start with neither.
Writes, and why they preview first
Write tools are disabled by default. Enable them with PINTEREST_ENABLE_WRITES=1, and
grant ads:write on top of ads:read.
When enabled, every write tool returns a preview and changes nothing:
Only a second call carrying confirm: true touches the live account.
This is deliberate. An assistant composes these calls, and it can pick the wrong ad account, the wrong campaign, or the wrong order of magnitude on a budget. A mandatory preview makes the mistake visible before it costs money, and gives a human the stopping point the protocol does not guarantee on its own.
Two further guardrails:
pinterest_create_campaignalways creates the campaignPAUSED. There is no option to create it active.- Amounts are converted to micro units for you. Pinterest holds money in millionths, so
12.50 in the account currency is
12500000. The preview shows both, so a factor-of-a-million mistake is visible before it applies. A daily and a lifetime budget sent together are refused rather than silently resolved.
| Tool | What it changes |
|---|---|
pinterest_update_campaign_status / pinterest_update_adgroup_status | Pause, reactivate or archive |
pinterest_update_campaign_budget / pinterest_update_adgroup_budget | Daily or lifetime budget |
pinterest_create_campaign | Creates a campaign, always PAUSED |
Tools
26 read tools
Discovery and health
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
pinterest_health_check | Verifies the token and lists reachable ad accounts |
pinterest_list_ad_accounts | Every ad account the token can reach |
pinterest_get_account_entities | Campaigns, ad groups and ads in one call |
pinterest_get_business_assets | Businesses, members and invites. Identifiers redacted |
pinterest_get_platform_resources | Enumerations and reference data the API exposes |
Reporting
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
pinterest_run_report | The main reporting tool, on raw column names |
pinterest_validate_report | Check a request before running it |
pinterest_get_delivery_metrics | Delivery and pacing signals |
pinterest_run_targeting_report | Performance broken down by targeting |
pinterest_run_specialized_export | Async exports for large result sets |
pinterest_estimate_delivery | Forecast reach for a targeting set |
Audiences and targeting
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
pinterest_get_audiences / pinterest_get_audience_insights | Audiences and their composition |
pinterest_get_targeting_options | Available targeting dimensions and values |
pinterest_get_keyword_intelligence | Keyword metrics and suggestions |
pinterest_get_trends | What is rising on Pinterest |
Creatives and organic
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
pinterest_get_creative_assets | Ad creatives, media and their metadata |
pinterest_get_organic_inventory | Organic Pins and boards |
pinterest_get_pin_analytics | Performance of individual Pins |
Commerce
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
pinterest_get_catalog_inventory / pinterest_get_catalog_diagnostics | Product feeds and their health |
pinterest_run_catalog_report | Catalog performance |
pinterest_run_conversion_product_report | Conversions by product |
pinterest_get_conversion_setup | Conversion tags and events |
Operations
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
pinterest_get_billing_and_orders | Billing and order history |
pinterest_get_lead_assets | Lead form configuration. Lead records are never returned |
7 resources
| URI | Contents |
|---|---|
pinterest://manifest | What this server exposes, and its current mode |
pinterest://reporting-columns | Every reporting column the API accepts |
pinterest://attribution | Attribution windows and their defaults |
pinterest://creative-assets | How creative assets are shaped |
pinterest://catalog-reporting | Catalog-specific reporting columns |
pinterest://surface-map | Which tool covers which part of the API |
pinterest://recipes | Step-by-step workflows |
Security
- The token is never logged, at any log level, or written to disk.
- One host is contacted, and only one:
api.pinterest.com. A test fails the build if a second host appears in the source. - No fetch follows a redirect. Every outbound call sets
redirect: "error", so a redirect cannot forward your token to another host. A test fails the build if any fetch omits this. - Async report URLs are validated before being fetched. Pinterest returns a download URL on a host it chooses; that value is data from the API, not something to trust. HTTPS only, no private or loopback address, no redirect, and no credential attached.
- No telemetry. The server makes no network call other than to Pinterest.
Full policy, including how personal data is handled: SECURITY.md.
Looking for a managed, multi-platform version?
This server does one platform, on your machine, with your token. That is on purpose.
If you'd rather not run it yourself, or you need Pinterest Ads alongside Meta Ads, Google Ads, TikTok Ads, Google Analytics and Search Console behind one endpoint, with hosted OAuth and cross-platform reporting, that's what we build at getmcpads.com.
Same philosophy, less plumbing. This project stays open source and independently useful either way.
Contributing
Issues and pull requests are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md. Please read SECURITY.md before reporting anything security-related.
Licence
Apache License 2.0. See also NOTICE.
Pinterest is a trademark of Pinterest, Inc. This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Pinterest, Inc. It is an independent client of a public API.