Meta Ad Library API for Ads, Advertisers and Ad analysis

One call and its real response, trimmed

Look up a Meta Ad by id: GET /v1/ads/meta/{library_id}. Price: 23 credits: 3 credits for the Ad and 20 credits for its analysis.

Request

curl "https://www.shortsintel.com/v1/ads/meta/1198358815416386?analyze=true" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_YOUR_KEY"

Response

{
  "result": {
    "ad": {
      "advertiser": { "name": "Train Fitness" },
      "media_type": "video",
      "first_shown": "2025-05-13T07:00:00.000Z",
      "last_shown": "2026-07-10T07:00:00.000Z",
      "days_running": 423,
      "creative": {
        "body": "I was so skeptical but it actually detects keeps track of my exercises accurately!",
        "cta": "Install now"
      },
      "intelligence": {
        "hook": {
          "type": "CURIOSITY_GAP",
          "opening_line": "Cool gym hack. If you have an Apple Watch, you need this app.",
          "visual_hook": "man working out in the gym doing lat pulldowns"
        },
        "visual": {
          "format": "PRODUCT_DEMO",
          "face_visibility": "HANDS_ONLY",
          "on_screen_text": [
            "If you have an apple watch you need this app",
            "It automatically detects what exercise you're doing and counts how many reps you've completed",
            ...
            "It's free to download Go give it a try!"
          ]
        },
        "tone": { "speaking_style": "CONVERSATIONAL", "primary_emotion": "Joy" },
        "persuasion": {
          "sponsored": false,
          "call_to_action": { "type": "VISIT_SITE" }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Real response from our own account for a US fitness app Ad, trimmed: the run block, ids, media links and some analysis fields are cut, and ... marks a cut list. Captured 1 November 2026. Every field: Look up a Meta Ad by id reference.

What developers build on the Meta Ad Library API

• List a competitor's running Ads in the US and sort them by how long they have run.
• Find the Ads in a category that last longest and add variants, using the winner Score.
• Get the hook, on-screen text, format and offer of a video, image or carousel Ad for a swipe file.
• Track an Advertiser daily and get a Change Report when it launches or stops Ads or moves into new countries.
• Keep a dated history of an Ad's placements and variant count, even after Meta removes it.

Every Meta Ad Library API operation and its price

Questions

Is this the official Meta Ad Library API?

No. ShortsIntel is not affiliated with Meta. Meta's API returns political and issue Ads anywhere but commercial Ads only when they reached the EU, and it asks for identity and location confirmation first. ShortsIntel reads the public Ad Library, directly or through third-party data providers, so a commercial Ad that ran only in the US, Canada or Australia comes back too. The Meta Ad Library API guide compares them field by field.

What does a Meta Ad search cost?

1 credit per Ad delivered, and a search returns 50 Ads unless you set limit. Ad analysis adds 20 credits per Ad. Pass estimate=true for the price before any charge. A Run that fails costs nothing, and a partial one is charged only for what finished.

What is the winner Score?

A 0 to 100 Score on each Ad, from how long it has run and how many variants the Advertiser added, compared with that Advertiser's other Ads. It is marked low confidence when the Advertiser has few Ads to compare. The winning Ads guide shows how to read it.

How current is an Ad?

An Ad read may come from a copy observed under 6 hours ago, and an Advertiser read from a complete observation under 6 hours old, at the same price.

Is the Meta Ad Library API production ready?

Yes for reading the library, with limits. It is a versioned /v1 API, keys allow 60 requests per minute, and a Customer can have 10 running Runs. A library that fails part-way leaves a partial Run charged for the Ads delivered. Because it is unofficial, Meta can change the public library at any time.

Do I need a card to search Ads?

No. New accounts get 1,000 credits free, valid for 90 days. You need a card only for a Top-up, from $10.

Can my Assistant search Meta Ads too?

Yes. The Meta Ads MCP server gives Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor the search_ads, get_ad and track tools over these operations, at the same prices.

More on this API

• Meta Ads MCPWhat an Assistant can do with the Meta Ad Library through the ShortsIntel MCP server: Ad and Advertiser search, Ad analysis, Snapshots and Advertiser Trackers.
• Meta Ad Library APIWhat Meta's official Ad Library API returns, what it leaves out for commercial Ad research, and another way to read those Ads.
• Meta Ad Library searchHow to search Meta's Ad Library by keyword, Advertiser and country, by hand and through an Assistant, with real sample output.
• Find winning AdsHow to tell a winning Ad from a test using days running, variants added, placements, Snapshots and the winner Score.
• UGC Ad researchHow to research UGC Videos and Ads by format and hook, with real examples, and turn the findings into briefs for UGC creators.
• API referenceEvery /v1 operation with its parameters, schemas and error codes.

Start with the Starter Grant