Set up AdRails with one prompt to Claude

STEP 1 · THE ONLY THING YOU TYPE

What do I paste into Claude? (1 prompt, about 20 minutes)

Open Claude Desktop, click the Code tab, and paste this:

Set me up with AdRails for my business. Read https://adrails.dev/start/ and follow the steps for Claude. Ask me only what you can't look up yourself.

Already set up? In any Claude Desktop chat, click + → AdRails and pick start, morning or weekly. Those are the three ready-made jobs.

STEP 2 · FOR CLAUDE

What does Claude do in the 7 setup steps?

Claude: you are setting up AdRails for a small business owner who is not technical. Do every step you can yourself. Show the owner one short line per step. Ask only for what you cannot look up.

Install uv if it is missing. Run uvx --version. If it fails: macOS curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh; Windows powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex". Then open a new shell.
Create the workspace and add AdRails to Claude Desktop. Ask the owner for the business name, then run uvx --from "adrails>=0.8.0" adsops-mcp setup --business "BUSINESS NAME" --install-desktop. It prints JSON with the workspace (~/AdRails), the config path and the Claude Desktop entry. It backs up Claude Desktop's config and never touches other servers.
Restart Claude Desktop. Ask the owner to quit Claude Desktop completely (Cmd+Q on Mac) and reopen it. The AdRails tools and the start, morning and weekly prompts then appear.
Interview the owner and build the plan. In a chat with AdRails enabled, call adsops_local_profile with action=questions. Look up what you can first: website, Google Business Profile, reviews, competitors, Place ID. Ask the rest a few questions at a time. Save the answers with action=set. Then call adsops_local_plan with action=build and show the owner action=markdown. Point out only the tasks marked owner, with their minutes.
Read the playbooks. Call adsops_playbook with name=local-leads, name=google-business-profile and name=aeo (start with its Fast path for a new business); add google-ads and chatgpt-ads only if the owner advertises. They hold the strategy that worked on real businesses: which pages to build, how to measure AI visibility, the follow-up cadence that books jobs. Each step names the tool that does it.
Start the plan. Do the tasks that need no one but you, using the tool each task names. Mark them done with adsops_local_plan action=progress. Never enable ads, raise a budget, submit LSA ratings or contact a customer without the owner's yes.
Connect Google (when the owner is ready for Local Services Ads or Google Ads data). Use Claude in Chrome if you have it; the owner only signs in. (a) In Google Cloud Console create a project named AdRails and enable the Google Ads API. (b) On the OAuth consent screen choose External, add the owner's email, then Publish app so the sign-in does not expire after 7 days (Google shows an "unverified app" notice for an app only you use; that is expected). (c) Under Credentials create an OAuth client ID of type Desktop app and save the JSON to ~/AdRails/oauth-client.json. (d) Request Google Ads API access for the project (Explorer access is enough). If Google issues a developer token, save it to ~/AdRails/developer-token.txt. (e) Run uvx --from "adrails>=0.8.0" adsops-mcp connect --config ~/AdRails/config.json --client-file ~/AdRails/oauth-client.json, adding --developer-token-file ~/AdRails/developer-token.txt if you saved one. A browser tab opens: the owner signs in and clicks Allow. AdRails finds the ad accounts that login can reach and adds them as read-only accounts.
Restart Claude Desktop once more, then run the morning prompt. From then on, run morning daily, weekly on Mondays and monthly on the 1st (results, Business Profile score, AI visibility). When adsops_update_check (part of morning) reports a newer AdRails, tell the owner what changed and, with their OK, run uvx --from "adrails>=LATEST" adsops-mcp upgrade and restart Claude Desktop.

Every command prints one JSON object and never prints a secret. If a step fails, show the owner the error line in plain English and stop. Don't improvise around Google's sign-in or verification.

WHAT YOU GET

What does Claude run for my business?

How are my leads organised?

One lead book for every channel: Local Services Ads, Google Ads, website, AI assistants, referrals, postcards, phone. Duplicates merge by phone or email.
Speed-to-lead. Every morning: who is waiting, for how long, and a suggested reply. The target is 100% of leads answered within 5 minutes.
Pipeline. Win rate and job value by source, so you know which channel pays.

What happens with my Local Services Ads?

Leads with call and message history, answered or missed, and first-response time.
Junk lead feedback. Spam, sales pitches, duplicates, wrong area and wrong job get flagged. Ratings go to Google only after you approve them.
Cost per lead vs what you can afford, missed calls, best hours, and verification and badge readiness.

How do Google and AI assistants find me?

A 90-day plan (4 stages, about 25 tasks over 13 weeks) built from your answers. Every task names the tool that does it.
LocalBusiness schema, consistent name/address/phone checks, the listing sites that ChatGPT, Siri and Copilot read, and service-area page briefs.
Reviews engine: your review link, request drafts, reply drafts, and how many 5-star reviews you need to reach 4.5 or 4.8 stars and pass competitors.

FAQ

Straight answers.

What do I need before I start?

A Mac or Windows computer with the Claude Desktop app. The paid Claude plans include the Code tab that runs the setup commands. You don't need a Google Ads account yet: the lead book, the 90-day plan, the AI-visibility work and the reviews engine work without one, and the plan walks you through signing up for Local Services Ads when you are ready.

What will I have to do myself?

Only what Google requires a person to do: sign in with your Google account and click Allow once, verify your Google Business Profile, and complete Local Services Ads verification (license, insurance, background check). Claude does the rest and tells you exactly when it needs you and for how long.

Can Claude spend my money or text my customers?

No. AdRails never sends a message to a customer: review requests and replies come back as drafts. Ad spend can only change through a reviewed plan with caps you set, and Local Services Ads lead ratings are submitted only after you say yes. Everything Claude does is recorded in a tamper-evident log on your computer.

Where does my data live?

On your computer, in a folder called AdRails in your home directory: your lead book, business profile, plan and Google sign-in, all readable only by your user account. AdRails talks to Google's APIs directly with your own sign-in. There is no AdRails server in the middle.

What does it cost?

AdRails is free, open-source software (Apache-2.0). You pay Google for any ads you choose to run, and your own Claude plan.