Connect Meta Ads

Use a Meta Ads connection when a teammate needs to read campaign, ad set, ad, creative, account, or insights data from the Meta Marketing API. Type expects a Meta system user access token for this connection. Do not use a personal user token for teammate access.

Before you start

You need:

• Admin access to the Meta Business Portfolio that owns or manages the ad account.
• Permission to create or manage a Meta developer app for that business.
• Permission to create a system user in Meta Business settings.
• The ad account the teammate should access.
• A decision about whether the teammate only needs reporting access or can manage ads.

Meta’s docs explain system users, installing apps and generating system user tokens, and Marketing API authorization.

Create the Meta developer app

1. Go to Meta for Developers and sign in.
2. Open My Apps.
3. Create a new app owned by the same business that owns or manages the ad account.
4. Choose the app type that fits your Meta account flow. For ads workflows, use a business-oriented app type when Meta offers one.
5. Complete the app setup prompts and open the app dashboard.

Add the Marketing API

1. In the app dashboard, open Add products or Products.
2. Find Marketing API.
3. Add Marketing API to the app.
4. Open the Marketing API settings or API setup area.

Marketing API calls require an access token. The system user’s assigned assets and token permissions determine which ad accounts and endpoints Type can use.

Create a system user

1. Open Meta Business settings.
2. Select the Business Portfolio that owns or manages the ad account.
3. Go to Users and then System users.
4. Add a new system user with a clear name, such as Type Meta Ads.
5. Choose the standard employee system user role unless your Meta admin policy requires a different role.

Use a dedicated system user for Type so access can be audited, rotated, and revoked without affecting personal Meta accounts.

Assign assets to the system user

1. In System users, select the system user you created.
2. Add the Meta developer app as an assigned asset.
3. Add the ad account as an assigned asset.
4. Grant only the access the teammate needs for that ad account.

For reporting and analysis, start with read access. Grant management access only when the teammate should create, update, pause, or manage ads.

Choose token permissions

Select the narrowest token permissions that support the teammate’s work:

Permission	Use when
ads_read	The teammate needs to read campaigns, ads, creatives, or insights.
ads_management	The teammate needs to create, update, pause, or manage ads.
instagram_basic	The teammate needs Instagram account context for Instagram ads workflows.
business_management	The teammate needs business, asset, or system-user administration access. Add only when required.

For most reporting teammates, use ads_read. Add ads_management only when the teammate should make changes in Meta Ads.

Meta may require app review or a higher access level before some permissions can be used outside your own business assets. Complete Meta review before depending on the token for production workflows.

Generate the system user access token

1. In Meta Business settings, go to Users and then System users.
2. Select the system user you created for Type.
3. Choose Generate new token.
4. Select the Meta developer app that has Marketing API enabled.
5. Select the token permissions the teammate needs, such as ads_read and, only when required, ads_management.
6. Choose the token expiration that fits your security policy, if Meta asks for one.
7. Generate the token.
8. Copy the token once and store it securely.

Do not paste the token into teammate instructions, skills, docs, or thread messages. Treat it like a password.

Connect Meta Ads in Type

1. Open the teammate that should use Meta Ads.
2. Open the teammate’s connector settings.
3. Search for Meta Ads.
4. Choose the Meta Ads connector.
5. Paste the Meta system user access token into the token field.
6. Test the connection.
7. Save the connection and keep it assigned only to teammates that need Meta Ads access.

Type stores the credential securely and uses it server-side when the teammate calls Meta Ads APIs.

Verify access

After connecting, ask the teammate to list accessible ad accounts or fetch a small read-only campaign report. If the teammate cannot see the expected account, confirm the system user has access to that ad account in Meta Business settings.

You can also inspect the token in Meta’s Access Token Debugger to confirm its app, expiration, scopes, and system user identity.

Troubleshooting

• Missing ad account: Confirm the system user has access to the ad account in the correct Business Portfolio.
• Permission denied: Add the missing permission or asset access in Meta, regenerate the system user token, and update the Type connection.
• Token expired: Generate a fresh system user token and update the Type connection.
• App review required: Complete Meta app review or keep testing limited to assets and users your app is allowed to access.
• Wrong account data: Confirm the teammate is using the intended ad account ID, usually formatted as act_<AD_ACCOUNT_ID> in Marketing API requests.