Not on their own. On 7 October 2026, Claude's list of upload formats holds documents and images and no video format, and the upload page of ChatGPT lists no video format either. So when you paste a Meta Ad Library or TikTok link, the assistant reads the page around the video and not the video. Gemini takes an upload of up to 5 minutes on the free plan and 1 hour on Google AI Pro. With a video connector such as Playhead, Claude and ChatGPT watch the ad from its link: you paste the link into the chat, and the answer names the hook, every beat with its seconds, the text on screen, the offer and the call to action. Setup is one connector URL and one sign-in, and it works on the web, on the desktop and on a phone.
Key takeaways
- On 7 October 2026, Claude lists 0 video formats for upload and the ChatGPT upload page lists 0. Gemini takes 5 minutes of video free and 1 hour on Google AI Pro.
- We asked an answer engine with Google Search 6 times whether ChatGPT takes a video file. 6 of 6 answers said yes, against OpenAI's own page of the same day.
- Asked how to get Claude or ChatGPT to analyse a Meta Ad Library ad, 3 of 3 answers said to download the MP4 with the browser's developer tools and paste screenshots.
- A connector removes both steps. You paste the Ad Library link, and the answer comes back with the second of every moment it names.
What is on this page and on no other
Most pages on this subject repeat the same advice and the same figures. These are the facts this one produced itself, and how each one was made.
Asked 6 times whether ChatGPT can watch a video or analyse a video ad, an answer engine with Google Search said in 6 of 6 answers that ChatGPT takes an MP4 or MOV upload. OpenAI's upload page, read the same day, lists no video format.
To the Meta Ad Library question, 3 of 3 answers said to download the MP4 with the browser's developer tools and to paste 3 to 5 screenshots. 2 of 3 named GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and 1 of 3 named a connector of any kind, one that pulls ad copy and not the video.
Of the 3 assistants, 1 lists video in its own upload documentation: Gemini, with 5 minutes of video on the free plan, 1 hour on Google AI Pro and Ultra, and 2 GB per file.
What each assistant does with a video ad
Read off each vendor's own upload page on 7 October 2026.
Most answers to this question online still name GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and they disagree with the vendors. So we read the three upload pages on one day and wrote down what each one says.
Claude. The list of upload formats holds PDF, DOCX, CSV, TXT and other documents, and JPEG, PNG, GIF and WebP images. It holds no video format. A file may be up to 500 MB, and a chat may hold 20 files.
ChatGPT. The upload page lists documents, spreadsheets, presentations, images and audio. It lists no video format, and it says that an MP4 identified as video is not taken as an audio upload either.
Gemini. The Gemini app takes video: up to 2 GB a file, 5 minutes in total on the free plan, and 1 hour on Google AI Pro and Ultra. To use it on a competitor's ad, you must first get the file.
| Claude | ChatGPT | Gemini app | Claude or ChatGPT with a connector | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upload a video file | No video format listed | No video format listed | Yes: 5 min free, 1 h on AI Pro, 2 GB a file | Yes, a file of your own |
| Watch a Meta Ad Library link | Not in its documentation | Not in its documentation | Not in its documentation | Yes |
| Watch a TikTok or Instagram link | Not in its documentation | Not in its documentation | Not in its documentation | Yes |
| Name the second of a cut or a line of text | Only from screenshots you take | Only from screenshots you take | From an upload | Yes, to a hundredth of a second |
| Works in the phone app | Images only | Images only | Yes | Yes, the connector follows the account |
What answer engines tell you today
We asked the question 48 ways and counted the answers.
On 7 October 2026 we asked Gemini with Google Search 16 questions about ad analysis, 3 times each. It is the same index that Google's AI Overviews draw on. Two questions are the ones on this page: can ChatGPT watch videos, and how do I get ChatGPT or Claude to analyse an ad from the Meta Ad Library.
The answers to the second question all gave the same workaround. Open the browser's developer tools, find the MP4 in the network tab, save it, then take 3 to 5 screenshots of the hook, the demonstration and the call to action, and paste them with a transcript. That works. It also loses every second between your screenshots, and a fast-cut ad changes the picture every 1 to 2 seconds.
3 answers to: how do I get ChatGPT or Claude to analyse a Meta Ad Library ad?
How to make Claude or ChatGPT watch an ad
One connector, one sign-in, then a link in the chat.
1. Add the connector
In Claude, open Settings, then Connectors, then Add custom connector. In ChatGPT, turn on Developer mode under Settings, Connectors, Advanced first. Paste https://mcp.tryplayhead.com/mcp as the URL. No API key is needed.
2. Sign in once
You sign in with a Playhead account and approve the connection. The connector belongs to your account, so it also works in the Claude and ChatGPT phone apps.
3. Copy the link of the ad
Find the ad in the Meta Ad Library and copy its link, which has the form facebook.com/ads/library/?id= and a number. A TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or X link works the same way.
4. Paste it and ask for the parts
Ask for the parts by name: "Tear this ad down: the hook, every beat with its seconds, the text on screen, the offer, the call to action, and what I can copy." A list of parts gets a list of answers with seconds.
5. Ask the next question in the same chat
The first question watches the video. Each question after it reads what that first look found, so "when does the price appear?" comes back quickly and costs a fraction of the first.
What goes wrong the first time
The assistant answers without the connector. When the connector is not on for the chat, the assistant reads the page and answers about the caption. Look for the tool call in the answer. When there is none, turn the connector on for that chat and ask again.
The ad is behind a login. A private video, or an ad you can only see while signed in, cannot be fetched from a link. Download the file from your own ad account and upload it instead.
You paste ten ads in one message. Each ad is a separate reading. Ask for the same fields for every ad, so the answers line up in one table and you can compare them.
You ask for a score. A score out of ten is an opinion in the shape of a number. Ask for the second the product appears, the second the first claim is spoken, and the words of the call to action. Those are numbers you can check in the video.
The verdict
Claude and ChatGPT do not watch a video ad on their own: on 7 October 2026 neither lists a video format for upload, and a pasted link gets you an answer about the caption. Gemini takes a 5 minute upload for free, after you download the ad. The workaround the answer engines give, a download through developer tools and 3 to 5 screenshots, loses every second between the screenshots. A connector removes both steps: you paste the Ad Library link in the chat you already use, and the answer names every beat with its seconds.
Common questions
Can Claude watch videos?
Not on its own. On 7 October 2026, Claude's list of upload formats holds documents and images, and no video format. With a video connector, Claude watches a video from a link or a file and answers with the second of every moment it names. The connector is added once, under Settings, Connectors.
Can ChatGPT watch videos?
Its upload page lists no video format on 7 October 2026, although 6 of 6 answers we recorded from an answer engine that day said it takes an MP4. With a connector in Developer mode, ChatGPT watches a video from a TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or Meta Ad Library link.
Can ChatGPT or Claude analyse an ad from the Meta Ad Library?
Not from the link alone, because the link opens a web page and the video is a file inside it. Answer engines suggest that you download the MP4 with developer tools and paste screenshots. A connector reads the video from the Ad Library link directly, so no download and no screenshot is needed.
Can Claude watch TikTok videos?
Not by itself. With a connector, you paste the TikTok link into the chat and Claude gets back what happens on screen and what is said, with the seconds. This works for public videos. A private video needs the file.
Is Gemini better than Claude for video ads?
Gemini takes a video upload on its own: up to 5 minutes free and 1 hour on Google AI Pro, at 2 GB a file. You still have to download a competitor's ad first. If you already work in Claude or ChatGPT, a connector gives them the video without a download.
Does a connector work on the phone?
Yes. The connector is attached to your account and not to a computer, so it works in Claude and ChatGPT on the web, on the desktop and in the phone apps without any further setup.
