Connecting Your ChatGPT Ads Account
Updated November 9, 2026
Your campaign runs inside your own ChatGPT Ads account, managed in OpenAI's Ads Manager at ads.openai.com. We connect to it once, during setup, and that connection is how our team builds and manages everything. There are two ways to connect; pick whichever is easier for you.
Option 1: paste an API key
- Sign in to your Ads Manager at ads.openai.com and open Settings.
- Find API keys (at the bottom of the settings page) and create a new key.
- Copy it and paste it into the Connect ChatGPT Ads step on your project, then click Connect.
The connection is live straight away. The key is stored on our side and never shown again in your dashboard; if you ever want to end the connection, delete the key in Ads Manager and it stops working immediately.
Option 2: invite us to the account
- In Ads Manager go to Settings -> Users (ads.openai.com/settings/users) and click Invite.
- Enter
ads@agencyreport.aiand choose the Admin role. - Back on your project, click I've sent the invite.
We accept the invite and connect the account on our side, usually within one working day, and you carry on with the brief in the meantime. Your project chat tells you when it is done.
Why Admin: an Admin can reach the account settings where API keys are created, which is what the connection needs. A Member can only work on campaigns, so a Member invite would not let us connect. You can remove our user from the account at any time.
What the connection gives us
- Building and managing campaigns in that account: campaigns, ad groups, ads, targeting, budgets and bidding.
- Reading performance data for your dashboard and weekly optimization.
- Conversion tracking set-up: the measurement pixel and the conversion events it reports.
What it does not give us: your OpenAI login, your payment details, or access to anything outside the ad account. Everything we do is visible in your Ads Manager and in the Activity tab of your project.
Don't have a ChatGPT Ads account yet?
Create one at ads.openai.com with the OpenAI login you want to use. OpenAI asks for your business and brand details and reviews new advertiser accounts before they can run ads. Once the account exists, add a payment method under Billing, then connect it to your project using either option above. If you get stuck at any point, say so in your project chat and we will walk you through it.
Billing in Ads Manager
Ad spend is paid to OpenAI from your account, so Ads Manager needs a payment method before a campaign can serve. We build the campaign either way, but it cannot go live until billing is in place. Not sure whether it is? Ask in your project chat and we will check.
Changing or removing the connection
Under your project's Settings -> ChatGPT Ads you can connect a different account or disconnect. Connecting a different account moves our work to that account from then on; it does not copy campaigns across. If you disconnect, we can no longer see or manage the account, so let us know first if there is something we should pause or finish.