# Diagnose a Meta spend drop fast

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

The Meta spend-drop sequence: activity log, delivery diagnostics, then auction signals.

**Intent.** Why Meta spend fell: edits, delivery constraints, or auction.

## When to use

- Meta spend fell hard against its norm.

## 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. Confirm the drop and scope. — tools: `meta_get_insights`
2. Check the activity log around the date. — tools: `meta_get_ad_activity`
3. Run delivery diagnostics on the affected ad sets. — tools: `meta_get_delivery_diagnostics`

## Decision rules

- **When** Edits precede the drop → **conclude** Learning reset: 3-7 days of instability is the price already paid; do not compound it with more edits.
- **When** Diagnostics name a constraint → **conclude** Quote it: Meta usually says why, and the quote beats any theory.

## 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

- CBO reallocates between ad sets by design: an ad set's drop under CBO can be the system working.

## Output

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

## Related

- Skill: [meta-delivery-diagnosis](https://www.getmcpads.com/skills/meta-delivery-diagnosis.md)