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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMeta just changed how marketers interact with ad campaigns. On April 29, 2026, the company launched “Meta Ads AI Connectors” in open beta, and the centerpiece is a Meta Ads CLI that lets you create, edit, and manage Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns directly from the command line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No more clicking through Business Manager. No more complex API setup. If you can type commands in a terminal, you can now run your Meta ad campaigns from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here’s what this means for you, how the Meta Ads CLI works, and how to pair it with\u00a0Simplified<\/a>\u00a0to build a fully automated marketing pipeline from your terminal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Meta Ads CLI is a command-line interface from Meta that lets you create, edit, and manage Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns directly from your terminal. It launched as part of Meta Ads AI Connectors, a suite of developer-facing tools that opens the Meta advertising ecosystem to third-party AI, as\u00a0reported by The Verge<\/a>. The release includes two main pieces:<\/p>\n\n\n This matters because it removes one of the biggest friction points in paid advertising: the Ads Manager UI. For anyone managing multiple campaigns, the ability to script and automate ad operations from the command line is a significant time saver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not everyone needs to manage Facebook ads from a terminal. But for three specific groups, this changes everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re already comfortable in a terminal, the Meta Ads CLI fits naturally into your workflow. You can write shell scripts that create campaigns, adjust budgets based on performance thresholds, and pull daily reports without opening a browser. Previously, this required setting up the full\u00a0Meta Marketing API<\/a>\u00a0with OAuth tokens, app reviews, and custom code. The CLI handles authentication through Meta’s standard auth flow. No complex API setup required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is where things get interesting. The Meta Ads CLI works with AI coding assistants like Claude Code and Codex. That means you can describe what you want in plain English, and the AI translates it into CLI commands. “Create a conversion campaign targeting women 25-44 in the US with a $50 daily budget” becomes an actual campaign in your account. You can build AI agents that operate within your Meta Ads account, monitoring performance, making optimization decisions, and executing changes automatically with human-in-the-loop approvals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For teams running large-scale ad operations, the CLI is a gateway to full automation. Build scripts that pause underperforming ads at midnight, scale budgets on top performers every morning, and email you a summary report. Connect it to cron jobs, CI\/CD pipelines, or\u00a0no-code workflow automation<\/a>\u00a0tools to create hands-off ad management systems. If you’re managing ads alongside organic social content, pairing the CLI with a\u00a0social media scheduler<\/a>\u00a0keeps everything running from one workflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Setting up the Meta Ads CLI is straightforward. Here’s what you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Install the Meta Ads CLI globally using npm:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Run the auth command to connect your Meta account:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This opens a browser window for Meta’s standard OAuth flow. Grant the requested permissions, and the CLI stores your credentials locally. No need to create a Meta app, request API access, or go through app review. The standard auth flow handles everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Confirm the connection works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This returns a list of ad accounts you have access to. If you see your accounts, you’re ready to start managing Facebook ads from your terminal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>What Is the Meta Ads CLI?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/span>Who the Meta Ads CLI Is Built For<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Developers and Technical Marketers<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>AI-Native Marketers Using Coding Tools<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Automation Scripts and Workflow Builders<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Getting Started With Meta Ads CLI<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Prerequisites<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n
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<\/span>Installation<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
npm install -g @meta\/ads-cli\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Authentication<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
meta-ads auth login\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Verify Your Setup<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
meta-ads account list\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n