Localized reading guide
ad-managerPurpose, usage and source
The ads consultant that becomes an ads agent. Reads paid-ad performance natively through the TikTok Ads connector, or via a build-connector Zapier connection for other ad platforms, explains in plain English what is working and what is burning money, recommends budget, targeting, and creative changes with the dollar impact of each, drafts new ad copy in the owner's voice plus Canva creative briefs, and — only after an explicit yes — executes the approved changes in the ad account. Works from exported CSV reports when nothing is connected, the normal starting point. Use this whenever the owner talks about ads or ad spend at all, including "are my ads working," "what's my ROI on ads," "I'm spending money on Facebook and I don't know what I'm getting," "should I turn this campaign off," "my cost per lead is going up," "write me a new ad," "who should I be targeting," or "the ad guy quit."
Source retrieved:
- Source repository
- anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins
- SKILL.md
small-business/skills/ad-manager/SKILL.md- Repository stars
- 34,049
- Repository updated
- 2026-10-30
- Categories
- Business
- Last collected
License: Apache-2.0
Workflow excerpts are reading aids, not executable instructions from Codez. No third-party Skill was run to produce this page.
The purpose and workflow passages below are upstream material, organized and translated for reading. They are distinct from the separately labeled Codez editorial analysis.
What this Skill does
The ads consultant that becomes an ads agent. Reads paid-ad performance natively through the TikTok Ads connector, or via a build-connector Zapier connection for other ad platforms, explains in plain English what is working and what is burning money, recommends budget, targeting, and creative changes with the dollar impact of each, drafts new ad copy in the owner's voice plus Canva creative briefs, and — only after an explicit yes — executes the approved changes in the ad account. Works from exported CSV reports when nothing is connected, the normal starting point. Use this whenever the owner talks about ads or ad spend at all, including "are my ads working," "what's my ROI on ads," "I'm spending money on Facebook and I don't know what I'm getting," "should I turn this campaign off," "my cost per lead is going up," "write me a new ad," "who should I be targeting," or "the ad guy quit."
How the upstream workflow works
Step 1 — Get the performance data
Read reference/data_sources.md for the connector and column mapping. Pull everything in one parallel batch. TikTok Ads — the native connected path: campaign, ad group, and ad level spend, impressions, clicks, leads, purchases, cost per result, read through the TikTok MCP connector Other ad platforms (Google Ads and the rest) — no native connector. When the owner runs ads there, ask once whether they want the platform connected through Zapier: run build-connector, which wires it through Zapier. Once the connection exists, that platform reads and executes here like any other connector. Until then, the CSV path below covers it fully HubSpot, QuickBooks, Shopify — what actually closed, so platform claims can be checked against money
Step 2 — Read the account honestly
Read reference/diagnostics.md for the cutoffs and what each signal means. Work down the levels: account, then campaign, then ad set, then creative. Most accounts have one or two campaigns carrying everything and a long tail quietly eating budget. For every campaign, establish: what it cost, what it produced, what each result cost, and whether that trend is improving or decaying. A campaign with no conversion tracking has no verdict — say that instead of judging it on clicks.
Step 3 — Tell the truth about attribution
Two numbers will disagree, always. The platform will report 34 conversions. The CRM will show 19 leads with it as the source. Neither is lying and neither is complete. Report both, name the gap, and explain it in one sentence: platforms count view-through and cross-device conversions the CRM never sees, and the CRM misses anything where the source field was never filled in. Then give the owner the number to actually steer by — usually cost per closed job from the CRM, with the platform figure shown beside it as the optimistic bound. Read reference/data_sources.md for the reconciliation method. Never split the difference or present a blended figure as fact. A made-up ROI number is the single most expensive thing this skill can produce.
Change: Pause "Spring Tune-Up — Broad" campaign
Costs today: USD 1,400 a month
After: USD 0 a month
Net: Saves USD 1,400 a month, stops roughly 12 leads a month
Reversible: Yes, restart any time
Proceed?Requirements and setup
No short requirements passage was selected from this file. This does not mean the Skill has no dependencies. Check the repository setup instructions and referenced files.
Limits and quality checks
No separate limits passage was selected from this file. This does not mean the Skill is safe for every input or environment. Review the complete source and validate your own result.
Start with a safe trial
- Check the supported host and the repository installation instructions. Keep the Skill directory and its referenced scripts, assets and documentation together; SKILL.md alone may omit dependencies.
- Give the agent your real input, desired output and acceptance criteria. Invocation syntax and available tools depend on the host; this site does not assume a universal install command.
- Try the source workflow in a disposable project or on a copy. Review operations that change files, remote services or billable resources before allowing them.
- Validate the output against the source quality checks and your own requirements. A successful trigger or a high repository Star count does not establish a correct result.
Read further in the source
- Ad Manager
- Step 1 — Get the performance data
- Step 2 — Read the account honestly
- Step 3 — Tell the truth about attribution
- Step 4 — Recommend changes, with dollars attached
- Step 5 — Draft the copy and the creative briefs
- Step 6 — Execute, one approval at a time
- Step 7 — Close the loop
- Closing offer
- What not to do
- Reference files
- Using a tool that isn't listed
Related Skills
Translation and scope
This reading guide selects passages from the pinned upstream SKILL.md. Translation is assisted. It is not a complete manual or a claim of tested compatibility. Read the original and its referenced files before use.
This introduction refers to the pinned version below; current repository activity and collection time are shown separately.
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- Source retrieved
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fbcaabd4148c038864b9ec73d270fc5176603a46803b97a59d37900ba64b45d2