Create a Facebook app

Step 1

Open My Apps and click Create App

Log in at developers.facebook.com with the Facebook user who will admin the ads. Open My Apps, then click the green Create App button.

Step 2

Name the app and add a contact email

Call it something like Marketing MCP. Fill both the app name and a contact email. Next stays grey until both are valid.

Step 3

On Use cases, pick Other

This is the step people miss. Meta now starts you in a use-case wizard. That path locks the app and will not give you a Business type with Facebook Login for Business. On the left, click Others. At the bottom, choose Other. It says this option is going away soon. That is the one you want. It drops you into the old experience, where you can pick every product and permission.

Do not tick Facebook Login from the use case list. That is the consumer path.

Step 4

Choose Business, not Consumer

You cannot change the app type later. Pick Business. That is the type that can manage Pages, ads, and Instagram.

Step 5

Confirm the details and create the app

Name and contact email again. Leave business portfolio on No business portfolio selected. You do not need one. Click the green Create app button. Facebook may ask for your password.

Step 6

Add Facebook Login for Business

You land on the app dashboard. Leave the mode on Development. Scroll the product list and click Set up on Facebook Login for Business, the one at the bottom. Not the consumer Facebook Login.

You do not need to add Marketing API as a product. Ads permissions come through Login.

Step 7

Paste the OAuth redirect URL

Open Facebook Login for Business, Settings. Leave Client OAuth login, Web OAuth login, Enforce HTTPS, and Strict Mode on. Paste this exact URL into Valid OAuth Redirect URIs. Use this even if you are testing on localhost.

Ignore the yellow banner about public_profile advanced access. In Development, you are the app admin, so login still works. Do not switch the app to Live.

Step 8

Add the JavaScript SDK domain and save

On the same page, put this domain in Allowed Domains for the JavaScript SDK. Deauthorize and data deletion URLs can stay empty. Scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes.

Step 9

Copy the App ID and App Secret

Top left, App settings, Basic. Copy the App ID. Click Show on App Secret and copy that too. Add App Domains as the root domain below. Leave the app in Development.

Step 10

Paste the credentials and log in

Back on Meta Ads MCP, paste the App ID and App Secret, click Save app credentials, then Log in with Facebook. We encrypt the secret. Facebook then issues a token that lasts about 60 days.

Step 11

Opt in to all current and future Pages

Facebook asks which Pages the app can use. Pick Opt in to all current and future Pages. If you pick current only, you will have to log in again every time you add a Page.

Step 12

Same for Businesses

Pick Opt in to all current and future Businesses, then Continue.

Step 13

Same for Instagram

Pick Opt in to all current and future Instagram accounts, then Continue.

Step 14

Review the permissions and Save

You should see manage ads, ads stats, manage business, Instagram profile and insights, Page leads, and create or manage Page content. Click Save. That is the Facebook app done. Next, attach an ad account, create an API key, then add the MCP in Cursor, Claude, or ChatGPT.