MCP Apple Ads

Apple Ads: List Shared Budgets

apple_ads_list_budgets

Read-only

Lists shared budgets that multiple campaigns draw from, so you can review spending pools and paging details instead of per-campaign daily budgets.

Instructions

List shared budgets — spending pools several campaigns draw from, as opposed to the per-campaign daily budget set by apple_ads_create_campaign. Note Apple deprecated lifetime budgets in June 2026; shared budgets are what replaced them.

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "apple_ads_list_budgets"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`limit`	No	How many records to return (1-1000). Apple's own maximum page size is 5000.
`offset`	No	Rows to skip, for paging. The response's `pagination` block says how many exist.
`savePath`	No	Absolute path to also write this result to, as pretty-printed JSON. Use it rather than copying values out of the response into a file by hand. Parent directories are created.
`adAccountId`	No	The ad account to act on. Omit it when you have exactly one or APPLE_ADS_AD_ACCOUNT_ID is set — it is resolved automatically. List them with apple_ads_list_accounts.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedv0.1.0Nov 7, 2026

TDQS

A4/5.0

Behavior3/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

readOnlyHint=true already tells the agent this is a safe read, so the bar is lower. The description adds domain context (the June 2026 lifetime-budget deprecation and what shared budgets replaced) but says nothing about result volume, paging behavior, or what a returned budget contains.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Two sentences, front-loaded with the verb and resource, and no repetition of schema content. The deprecation sentence is background rather than actionable, but it is short and justifies the resource name.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

A read-only list tool with annotations covering safety, 100% schema coverage, and no output schema — the description plus structured fields leave nothing an agent needs in order to call it correctly. The only conceivable addition (return shape) is intentionally left out because the schema covers paging and the response format is not the description's burden.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so limit, offset, savePath, and adAccountId resolution are already fully documented in the input schema. The description adds no parameter meaning beyond that, making the baseline 3 correct here.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource ("List shared budgets") and immediately defines the resource as "spending pools several campaigns draw from," distinguishing it from per-campaign daily budgets set via apple_ads_create_campaign. An agent can tell this apart from apple_ads_list_campaigns without opening either schema.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The contrast with per-campaign daily budgets gives a clear selection criterion for when this tool is the right one. It stops short of naming an explicit alternative to use instead (e.g. reading budget fields from apple_ads_get_campaign), so the routing is implied rather than fully spelled out.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.