# Read the Meta ad activity log properly

> Tier: recipe. Operating recipe: real tool sequence, core rules, known traps.

The activity history filtered to the scope, the Meta half of every anomaly investigation.

**Intent.** Who changed what on the account, aligned against delivery moves.

## When to use

- Before blaming the auction.
- Agency handovers.

## When not to use

- No specific contraindication beyond the preconditions below.

## Sources

Required: Meta Ads

## Preconditions

- The account is ticked in the dashboard, confirmed via list_accounts.

## Inputs

- `window`: Analysis window. Default: last 30 days.

## Procedure

1. Pull activity for the window and scope. — tools: `meta_get_ad_activity`
2. Align edits against delivery and result moves. — tools: `meta_get_insights`

## Decision rules

- **When** Edits land within 48h before a delivery drop → **conclude** Learning reset is the default suspect: expect 3-7 days of instability from the edit.

## Evidence requirements

- Every figure carries its account, metric and window.
- Anything below a readable sample size is reported as unjudged, not as zero.

## Human approval boundary

- The readout changes nothing. Any change it motivates goes through Safe Writes: preview, human confirmation, then apply.

## Failure modes

- System actors (rules, partners) interleave with humans: attribute before accusing.

## Output

- **Readout**: The figures, with windows and accounts named.
- **Flags**: What deserves a deeper skill or a human decision.

## Related

- Skill: [campaign-anomaly-investigation](https://www.getmcpads.com/skills/campaign-anomaly-investigation.md)