gtm-mcp-server
GTM MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Google Tag Manager using service account authentication - no OAuth dance required.
Features
No OAuth required - Uses Google Service Account for authentication
Covers the core GTM workflow - Accounts, Containers, Workspaces, Tags, Triggers, Variables, Built-In Variables, and Versions (29 tools)
Local & private - Runs entirely on your machine
Works with Claude Desktop, Cursor, and other MCP clients
Quick Start
1. Create a Google Cloud Service Account
Go to Google Cloud Console
Select or create a project
Enable the Tag Manager API:
Go to APIs & Services → Library
Search for "Tag Manager API"
Click Enable
Create a service account:
Go to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts
Click "Create Service Account"
Give it a name (e.g., "gtm-mcp-server")
Click Create and Continue (skip optional permissions)
Click Done
Create a key:
Click on your new service account
Go to Keys tab
Add Key → Create new key → JSON
Save the downloaded JSON file somewhere safe (e.g.,
~/.config/gtm-service-account.json)
2. Grant GTM Access to the Service Account
Go to Google Tag Manager
Click Admin (gear icon)
Under Account, click "User Management"
Click the + button to add a user
Enter the service account email (looks like
name@project-id.iam.gserviceaccount.com)Set appropriate permissions:
Read - for listing/viewing only
Edit - for creating/modifying tags, triggers, variables
Publish - for publishing versions
Admin - for full access including user management
3. Configure Your MCP Client
Claude Desktop
Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on Mac, %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows):
{
"mcpServers": {
"gtm": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "gtm-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS": "/path/to/your/service-account.json"
}
}
}
}Cursor
Add to your Cursor MCP settings:
{
"mcpServers": {
"gtm": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "gtm-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS": "/path/to/your/service-account.json"
}
}
}
}4. Restart Your Client
After saving the config, restart your MCP client. You should see the GTM tools available.
Available Tools
Account Management
gtm_list_accounts- List all accessible GTM accounts
Container Management
gtm_list_containers- List containers in an accountgtm_get_container- Get container details
Workspace Management
gtm_list_workspaces- List workspaces in a containergtm_create_workspace- Create a new workspacegtm_get_workspace_status- Show pending changes and merge conflicts in a workspacegtm_sync_workspace- Sync a workspace to the latest container version
Tag Management
gtm_list_tags- List all tags in a workspacegtm_get_tag- Get full tag details with parametersgtm_create_tag- Create a new taggtm_update_tag- Update an existing taggtm_delete_tag- Delete a tag
Trigger Management
gtm_list_triggers- List all triggers in a workspacegtm_get_trigger- Get full trigger detailsgtm_create_trigger- Create a new triggergtm_update_trigger- Update an existing triggergtm_delete_trigger- Delete a trigger
Variable Management
gtm_list_variables- List all variables in a workspacegtm_get_variable- Get full variable detailsgtm_create_variable- Create a new variablegtm_update_variable- Update an existing variablegtm_delete_variable- Delete a variable
Built-In Variable Management
gtm_list_built_in_variables- List enabled built-in variablesgtm_enable_built_in_variables- Enable built-in variables (e.g. Page URL, Click Classes)gtm_disable_built_in_variables- Disable built-in variables
Version Management
gtm_list_versions- List container versionsgtm_get_live_version- Get the currently live (published) versiongtm_create_version- Create a version from a workspacegtm_publish_version- Publish a version to make it live
All list tools return results one page at a time; when more results exist, the response includes a page_token to pass to the next call.
Usage Examples
Once configured, you can ask Claude things like:
"List my GTM accounts"
"Show me all containers in account 123456"
"What tags are in my website container?"
"Create a new pageview trigger called 'All Pages'"
"Create a custom HTML tag that fires on all pages"
"Create a version and publish it"
Troubleshooting
"GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS not set"
Make sure the environment variable is set in your MCP client config and points to a valid JSON key file.
"Permission denied" errors
Verify the service account email has been added to your GTM account
Check that the permission level is sufficient for the operation
"API not enabled" errors
Make sure the Tag Manager API is enabled in your Google Cloud project.
Server not appearing in Claude Desktop
Check that the paths in your config are correct
Look at Claude Desktop's MCP logs for errors
Try running
npx gtm-mcp-serverdirectly to see any error messages
Development
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/alexstansfield/gtm-mcp-server.git
cd gtm-mcp-server
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Build
npm run build
# Watch mode for development
npm run dev
# Test with MCP Inspector
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.jsLicense
MIT