Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Microsoft Advertising Audit agent skill (ads-microsoft)
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The ads-microsoft skill teaches an AI agent how to audit a Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads) account. This guide is for paid media managers, marketers importing from Google Ads, and agencies who want a consistent audit format. By the end you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to ask for an audit, and what to supply so the results are useful.
Microsoft Advertising AuditAgriciDaniel/claude-ads · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip the skill. Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it so that SKILL.md sits in an ads-microsoft folder.
- 2Place it where your agent looks. Move the folder into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. Alternatively, upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 3Keep the plugin files together. Make sure the ads/ and skills/ directories from the claude-ads plugin are available, since the skill refers to ads/references/microsoft-audit.md.
- 4Gather your account data. Export or screenshot the relevant Microsoft Advertising data, and note your objective, conversion definition, date window, timezone, currency and spend.
- 5Ask for an audit in plain language. Mention Microsoft Ads, Bing Ads, UET or Google Ads import, and attach your data along with the context.
- 6Review the structured report. Check evidence coverage, contradictions and missing inputs before reading the prioritized recommendations.
- 7Apply changes through ads-optimize. Use the separate ads-optimize skill for any change, and verify each one in the Microsoft Advertising interface.
What is an agent skill, and what does ads-microsoft make the agent do?
An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file. The file tells a compatible AI agent when to use the skill and how to carry out a task. This skill is part of the claude-ads project and is documented in its skills/ads-microsoft folder.
Once installed, the agent reviews a Microsoft Advertising account for problems in conversion tracking (UET), Google Ads imports, syndication, keywords, ad creative, bidding, budgets, audiences and policy compliance. It collects the goal, date range, currency and exports you provide, checks them against the shared audit references, and returns a structured report with observations, diagnoses and prioritized recommendations.
- Read-only: the skill audits and drafts changes but does not make them.
- Any suggested account change stays a draft until it passes a separate mutation gate.
- Changes themselves are routed to a separate ads-optimize skill.
Install the ads-microsoft skill from a ZIP file
Download the ZIP for this skill from this page and unzip it. For a personal install, place the skill folder in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder.
Alternatively, if you use the Claude apps, open Settings, go to Capabilities, and upload the skill under Skills.
The source describes a skill that refers to ads/ and skills/ directories and to ads/references/microsoft-audit.md. That reference file lives in the wider claude-ads plugin files, so keep the full plugin structure in place rather than copying only SKILL.md.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: .claude/skills/ inside your project
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload
Check what you need before you start
The skill needs Claude Code or another agent that supports SKILL.md files, together with the claude-ads plugin files. Without the ads/ and skills/ directories, the skill cannot find its shared references.
You also need to supply the data. The skill does not fetch your account by itself. Provide account exports, screenshots or API results from Microsoft Advertising. The source does not specify a particular API key, so the skill does not depend on one by its own definition.
Before asking for an audit, decide on your objective, what counts as a conversion, the date window, timezone, currency, spend and any targets. The skill asks for these and treats missing items as gaps in the report.
- An agent that reads SKILL.md files, such as Claude Code
- The claude-ads plugin files, including ads/ and skills/
- Account exports, screenshots or API results you provide
- Objective, conversion definition, date window, timezone, currency and targets
Trigger the skill with a natural request
You do not need a special command. The skill's description lists the triggers it responds to: Microsoft Ads, Bing Ads, UET, Microsoft Audience Network, or Google Ads import. Mention one of these together with what you want reviewed.
Give the agent your data and context in the same message. The more specific the goal and date range, the more precise the findings.
- "Audit my Microsoft Ads account for UET conversion tracking problems. Here is the export for the last 30 days, EUR currency, goal is lead form submissions."
- "I imported campaigns from Google Ads into Microsoft Advertising. Check the imports and syndication settings using the attached exports."
- "Review my Bing Ads keywords and bidding for the Q3 window. Return prioritized recommendations, not changes."
Read the report and act on it safely
The output covers platform health, evidence coverage, regulatory exposure, observations, diagnoses, prioritized recommendations, unscored opportunities, contradictions, missing inputs and recovery hints. Treat it as a structured review, not a final verdict.
The source says benchmarks are not applied without checking objective, geography, methodology, sample size, conversion lag and account maturity. Some features that are beta, premium, immutable or unavailable are left unscored. If the skill says an operation cannot be verified, it will not recommend that change.
To make changes, use the separate ads-optimize skill and check each draft against the live account yourself.
- Check whether the account data matches the date window you asked for.
- Read contradictions and missing inputs before acting on recommendations.
- Verify any draft change in the Microsoft Advertising interface before applying it.
Safety notes: scripts and network access
This skill does not run scripts and does not use the network, according to its metadata. It works from the files and data you give it. The skill also treats external account and web content as data, not as instructions, which reduces the risk of a page or export telling the agent what to do.
Because the skill only audits, the main risk is acting on an incorrect finding. Confirm important numbers against the source data.
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Account content is treated as data, not instructions
What people use it for
- Checking whether UET conversion tracking captures the goal you defined for a lead generation account.
- Reviewing a Google Ads migration to Microsoft Advertising for import and syndication issues.
- Producing a consistent audit format for several client accounts as an agency.
- Reviewing keyword, creative and bidding setup before a budget discussion, using exports you supply.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ads-microsoft skill free?
The skill is published under the MIT licence, as stated on this page. Check the licence file in the repository for the full terms before reusing it.
What do I need to run the ads-microsoft skill?
You need Claude Code or another agent that reads SKILL.md files, plus the claude-ads plugin files including the ads/ and skills/ directories. You also need to supply Microsoft Advertising exports, screenshots or API results.
Does the skill change my Microsoft Advertising campaigns?
No. It is read-only. Suggested changes are kept as drafts, and making changes is handled by the separate ads-optimize skill.
Why does the agent say it cannot verify a recommendation?
The skill checks whether an operation is supported before recommending it. If a feature is immutable, unavailable or cannot be verified, it returns the control as unknown or unscored and suggests only a reversible alternative.
Can the skill connect to my Microsoft Advertising account directly?
The source says the skill does not use the network and works from the data you supply. You must provide exports, screenshots or API results yourself.
How does this compare with a manual audit?
The skill applies a consistent checklist and returns a structured report, which helps with repeatable reviews. It still depends on your data, and benchmarks may not fit every account, geography or conversion lag, so a manual check remains important.
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Our verdict
Use ads-microsoft if you want a repeatable, read-only review of a Microsoft Advertising account, especially after a Google Ads import or for agency reporting. Pick something else if you want the agent to edit campaigns directly, or if you cannot provide exports or screenshots, because the audit depends on that data.
Download the skill