# How PaidHelm works > PaidHelm is a hosted MCP server that connects your AI assistant to the Google Ads API. You talk, the assistant proposes, you approve, PaidHelm executes on your own account. URL: https://paidhelm.com/how-it-works/ Last updated: 2026-11-01 Most Google Ads work is the same loop every week: pull a report, spot what changed, decide, change a setting, repeat. PaidHelm moves that loop into the chat window you already use. You describe what you want in plain language. Your AI assistant translates it into Google Ads API operations through PaidHelm, shows you what it plans to do, and executes only after you agree. The three layers Your AI assistant. Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP-compatible client. It reads your request, chooses which PaidHelm tool to call and explains the result in words you can act on. PaidHelm (the MCP server). A hosted service at https://mcp.paidhelm.com/googleads/mcp. It validates every call, applies your plan's quota, talks to the Google Ads API with your own authorization and returns structured data back to the assistant. Your Google Ads account. Nothing moves. Your campaigns stay in your account, under your billing, with your history. PaidHelm never becomes a manager (MCC) over your account. What a task looks like A task is one tool call: one report, one audit, one change. Here is a typical conversation and the tasks it uses. Which search terms spent more than $50 this month with zero conversions? Add the irrelevant ones as negatives. Task 1: consultar_relatorio runs a search-terms query (GAQL) for the current month filtered by cost and conversions. The assistant reads the list, groups terms that clearly do not match your offer and shows them to you. Task 2: after you say yes, adicionar_negativas adds the negatives at campaign level. Two tasks, a few seconds, and a decision you made yourself with full visibility. The same pattern covers budgets, bid strategies, ad copy edits, sitelinks, geo and language targeting, keyword research and full campaign creation for Search, Performance Max, Display, Demand Gen, Shopping and App. Safety by design OAuth, not passwords. You authorize PaidHelm through Google's consent screen. Tokens are encrypted at rest and can be revoked by you at any time. Paused by default. New campaigns, ad groups and ads are created paused. You enable them when you are ready. Read before write. Tools that change things require explicit identifiers (campaign ID, ad group ID) that the assistant obtains from a read first, so there is no guessing. Guardrails from your words. Tell the assistant "never exceed $300/day in total" or "keep target CPA under $45" and it will check before every change. Your account, your audit trail. Every change appears in Google Ads change history exactly like a manual edit. Getting started takes five minutes Pick a plan. Free gives you 30 tasks a month, no card required. See plans. Add the server to your assistant. In Claude, Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector → paste https://mcp.paidhelm.com/googleads/mcp. Other clients are covered in Integrations. Sign in with Google. The first call opens Google's consent screen. Use the Google account that already has access to your Google Ads accounts. Ask for your first report. "List my accounts and show last 30 days spend and conversions by campaign." What PaidHelm is not PaidHelm is not an agency, a "set and forget" automation or a black box optimizer. It does not bid for you overnight, it does not move budget without being told, and it does not replace your judgement. It removes the clicking and the exporting so that the time you spend on Google Ads is spent deciding, not navigating. ## FAQ **What is an MCP server?** MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI assistants call external tools. PaidHelm is an MCP server for Google Ads: it exposes reports, audits, keyword, bidding and campaign-building tools that Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other MCP clients can call on your behalf. **Does PaidHelm see or store my Google password?** No. You sign in with Google's own OAuth screen. PaidHelm receives a revocable token scoped to Google Ads and stores it encrypted. You can disconnect at any time from the portal or from your Google account's security page. **Can the assistant launch campaigns without asking me?** Every campaign PaidHelm creates is paused by default and nothing is launched without your explicit instruction. Destructive actions such as removing a campaign require you to confirm the exact object. **Which AI assistants work with PaidHelm?** Claude (web, desktop and mobile), Claude Code, ChatGPT (developer mode and Deep Research connectors), Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code with GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Perplexity and any client that supports remote MCP servers over HTTP.