# Google Ads Transparency Scraper (advertiser/domain) (`datahamster/google-ads-transparency`) Actor

All ads an advertiser or domain has run, from Google’s Ads Transparency Center: creative id, format, first/last shown, preview URL. Search by advertiser name, advertiser id (AR…) or domain. Monitor mode for new creatives. Public data, no login, pay per creative.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/datahamster/google-ads-transparency.md
- **Developed by:** [Viktor Dubnytskiy](https://apify.com/datahamster) (community)
- **Categories:**
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 result items

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Google Ads Transparency Center Scraper — ads by advertiser or domain

Every ad an advertiser or a domain has shown through Google Ads, straight from the Ads Transparency Center, as one row per creative. For competitive research, brand monitoring, agencies and journalists.

### What you get

Per creative: `id` (CR…), `url` (Center page), `advertiserId`, `advertiserName`, `advertiserCountry`, `format` (text / image / video as reported), `formatCode`, `firstShown`, `lastShown` (UTC), `previewUrl` (creative preview image), `previewHtml`, `daysShown`, `variations` (with `includeDetails`), `scrapedAt`.

### Input

- `advertiserNames`: resolved through the Center's own suggestions; by default only exact name matches (use `country` to disambiguate, `exactMatch: false` for partial matches).
- `advertiserIds`: `AR…` ids from Center URLs.
- `domains`: search by advertised domain (e.g. `nike.com`).
- `maxItems`: stop after this many creatives; you are charged only for creatives pushed.
- `mode: monitor` on a saved Task: returns only new creatives or creatives whose `lastShown` moved since the previous run, with optional webhook/Telegram summary.

### Pricing

| Event | Price |
|---|---|
| result | $0.001 per creative ($1 per 1,000) |
| monitor-check | $0.003 per monitor run |
| change | $0.001 per new/changed creative |

Charged only for creatives actually pushed. An unknown advertiser yields an empty run with reason `no_matches` and no result charges.

### Limits

- Region filter is "anywhere" (the Center's global view); per-region breakdowns are not included.
- Large advertisers (e.g. Nike, Inc. ≈ 8,000–9,000 creatives) paginate at 40 per request; the Center's own total is reported as the source cap in the run summary.
- `previewUrl` is the first preview asset; video creatives may expose only a thumbnail.
- Runs through Apify residential proxy (Google returns 429 to datacenter egress IPs); proxy traffic is small (JSON only) and billed to you by Apify at platform rates.
- The Center's internal request format can change without notice; a canary run verifies it daily.

### Changelog

- 0.1: initial release — advertiser name/id and domain search, pagination, monitor mode, optional details.

# Actor input Schema

## `advertiserNames` (type: `array`):

Advertiser names as shown in the Center (e.g. "Nike, Inc."). Resolved via suggestions; exact match by default.

## `advertiserIds` (type: `array`):

Ads Transparency advertiser ids, e.g. AR16735076323512287233

## `domains` (type: `array`):

Search creatives by advertised domain, e.g. nike.com

## `country` (type: `string`):

2-letter code to disambiguate advertisers with the same name (US, DE, …)

## `exactMatch` (type: `boolean`):

Only advertisers whose name equals the query; turn off to include partial matches

## `includeDetails` (type: `boolean`):

One extra request per creative: number of variations

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many results (you are charged only for pushed items)

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Mode

## `monitorKey` (type: `string`):

Optional state key when not running as a saved task

## `webhookUrl` (type: `string`):

POST a change summary here in monitor mode

## `telegramBotToken` (type: `string`):

Telegram bot token

## `telegramChatId` (type: `string`):

Telegram chat id

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "advertiserNames": [
    "Nike, Inc."
  ],
  "exactMatch": true,
  "includeDetails": false,
  "maxItems": 100,
  "mode": "scrape"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

All pushed rows (dataset, JSON)

## `resultsTable` (type: `string`):

Dataset in the Console viewer

## `runSummary` (type: `string`):

RUN\_SUMMARY record (pushed, skipped, emptyReason)

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "advertiserNames": [
        "Nike, Inc."
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("datahamster/google-ads-transparency").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "advertiserNames": ["Nike, Inc."] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("datahamster/google-ads-transparency").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "advertiserNames": [
    "Nike, Inc."
  ]
}' |
apify call datahamster/google-ads-transparency --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,datahamster/google-ads-transparency"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/Z88lkOBabcwdvCT0P/builds/e4xVbN49mqOhk5kJl/openapi.json