Running your own ad server means doing ad ops, so I gave the job to my AI agent

Description and use

Aside automates ad‑ops tasks by tracking budget exhaustion and missed impressions, and safely adjusting campaign settings via a guarded tool.

Problem

Running an ad server requires ad operations tasks such as monitoring budgets, diagnosing ad stops, and responding to sponsor inquiries, which a small AI app lacks.

Outcome

Aside’s AI agent automates ad‑ops tasks, accurately reports budget exhaustion and missed impressions, and safely allows budget adjustments via a guarded tool, reducing manual effort and improving sponsor communication.

Workflow

• Launch Aside 0.2.0 with MCP server
• Configure advertiser and admin keys
• Use AI agent to query ads_overview or campaign_report
• Agent identifies budget exhaustion and missed impressions
• Agent proposes budget increase
• Agent confirms change with user and calls update_campaign_settings
• All changes logged via recent_changes
• Agent provides advertiser_report for sponsor
• Admin reviews recent_changes and adjusts settings as needed

Evidence

If you run your own ad server, you are also the ad ops team. Someone has to notice that a sponsor's budget ran out at lunchtime, work out why an ad stopped showing, and reply when the sponsor emails "how is my campaign doing?"

Source

Aside 0.2.0 has an MCP server built in, and the agent does that work from Aside's numbers.

Source

The server exposes six tools: ads_overview, campaign_report, delivery_report, advertiser_report, recent_changes, update_campaign_settings.

Source

Only one tool writes, update_campaign_settings, and it has four guards: admin key, destructiveHint, client approval, and audit log.

Source