VS Code lets GitHub Copilot's chat use MCP servers as tools. Add VibeAds and Copilot can answer questions about your Google Ads account: how each campaign is doing, which search terms waste money, what to fix, and a first draft of a new campaign.
What do I need?
- VS Code with GitHub Copilot chat.
- A VibeAds account with Google Ads connected. Reading works on every plan; drafting and publishing need Pro ($20 a month) or Max.
- A VibeAds API key from Settings, MCP Server Keys, starting with
vba_mcp_.
How do I add VibeAds to VS Code?
Create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace (or run MCP: Open User Configuration to add it for every workspace):
{
"inputs": [
{
"type": "promptString",
"id": "vibeads-key",
"description": "VibeAds API key",
"password": true
}
],
"servers": {
"vibeads": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://getvibeads.com/api/mcp",
"headers": { "x-vibeads-api-key": "${input:vibeads-key}" }
}
}
}
VS Code asks for the key when the server starts, so the key never sits in the file. Start the server from MCP: List Servers if it doesn't start on its own, then open the Chat view and ask: "Show me my Google Ads campaigns in VibeAds." Copilot asks you to confirm each tool before it runs; Configure Tools in the chat input turns individual tools on or off.
What can Copilot do with it?
- Report each campaign's spend, clicks, conversions and cost per lead, and the account's health score.
- Find search terms that cost money without converting.
- List the optimizer's issues and recommendations, and Google's own, with which ones can be applied from the chat.
- Draft a campaign as a draft that spends nothing; import campaigns you already run; pause one.
Can it publish or spend money?
Not on its own. A connection made with an API key always gets an approval link for publishing, for raising a daily budget, and for raising a bid past double or $50 a click. You open the link in your browser, signed in to VibeAds, and approve or reject it. Everything else that changes a campaign runs through VibeAds' safety checks, at up to 60 calls an hour per key.
Troubleshooting
- Copilot doesn't use the tools. Check the server is running in MCP: List Servers, and that its tools are turned on under Configure Tools.
- "Missing VibeAds API key". The header name must be exactly
x-vibeads-api-key, and the key must start withvba_mcp_. - No live numbers. Connect Google Ads in VibeAds Settings.
The full tool list is in the MCP server docs.