How Do I Resolve Permission Issues Accessing the Facebook Ad Library API?

Below is a summary of the key points that many developers have found useful when integrating with the Facebook Ad Library API:

1. Required Permissions and Access

• Political Ads Access: The Ad Library API is intended to provide transparency for political and issue-related ads. To use it, your app must be registered and approved as a political advertiser. In many cases this goes beyond simply adding an API permission – it requires that your organization is validated as politically relevant via Business Manager.
• Ads-Related Permissions: While some API endpoints (for example, when reading ad information) technically only need a standard access token, you are most likely to run into permission errors if you haven’t been granted specialized access. In practice, developers have noted that having permissions like ads_read (and in some cases ads_management) on your access token is a good starting point. However, the key is that your app/business must have completed the political ads verification process.

2. Enabling Permissions on the META Developer Console

• App Dashboard & App Review:
  • Go to your app's dashboard in the META Developer Console.
  • Navigate to the App Review section and head to Permissions and Features.
  • Look for any ad-related permissions (for example, ads_read or ads_management). Even if these are available, they might still require you to submit your app for additional review—in particular, for usage that involves politically relevant advertising.
• Business Verification:
  • Beyond the app-level settings, ensure that your Business Manager account is fully verified and that your political ads access has been approved.
  • This verification process is central because many permission errors come from your app not being recognized as eligible for political ad data, irrespective of the individual API permissions.

Additional Guidance

• Double-Check Documentation: Even though the published documentation might not clearly itemize the permissions, remember that API access for politically sensitive data is gated behind Meta’s business and political advertising rules.
• Contact Support if Needed: If you’ve already submitted for the necessary permissions and you still encounter problems, reaching out to Meta Developer Support is a useful step. They can clarify whether your app has the proper access or if any additional verification is required.

By ensuring your app is properly verified for political ads and has the appropriate ad data access permissions enabled in the developer console, you should be able to resolve the “no permission” errors you’re experiencing.