How to integrate Algolia MCP with CrewAI

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Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Algolia to CrewAI using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Algolia agent that can export all records from products index, clear all objects from blog_posts index, copy index settings from staging to production through natural language commands.

This guide will help you understand how to give your CrewAI agent real control over a Algolia account through Composio's Algolia MCP server.

Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the key ideas and tools involved.

Also integrate Algolia with

TL;DR

Here's what you'll learn:
  • Get a Composio API key and configure your Algolia connection
  • Set up CrewAI with an MCP enabled agent
  • Create a Tool Router session or standalone MCP server for Algolia
  • Build a conversational loop where your agent can execute Algolia operations

What is CrewAI?

CrewAI is a powerful framework for building multi-agent AI systems. It provides primitives for defining agents with specific roles, creating tasks, and orchestrating workflows through crews.

Key features include:

  • Agent Roles: Define specialized agents with specific goals and backstories
  • Task Management: Create tasks with clear descriptions and expected outputs
  • Crew Orchestration: Combine agents and tasks into collaborative workflows
  • MCP Integration: Connect to external tools through Model Context Protocol

What is the Algolia MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Algolia MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Algolia account. It provides structured and secure access to your search indices, so your agent can perform actions like browsing records, managing index settings, running A/B tests, copying configurations, and tracking search events on your behalf.

  • Comprehensive index browsing and export: Easily direct your agent to retrieve and iterate through all records in any Algolia index for analysis, backup, or migration tasks.
  • Automated A/B test management: Set up, launch, and monitor A/B tests to compare search performance between different index variants or configurations—all without manual coding.
  • Index and rule duplication: Quickly copy entire indices, settings, or query rules from one index to another, streamlining your search deployment and versioning workflows.
  • Bulk index cleanup and resets: Instruct your agent to clear all objects or rules in an index while keeping configurations intact, letting you efficiently manage large data updates or reindexing processes.
  • Real-time event tracking: Capture user interactions like clicks and conversions, enabling your agent to report search analytics and optimize relevance based on actual user behavior.

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Add AB TestTool to create an A/B test comparing search performance between two index variants.
Add or Replace RecordTool to add or replace a specific record in an index by objectID.
Add Record to IndexTool to add a record to an index with auto-generated objectID.
Browse Algolia IndexTool to retrieve all records from an index.
Clear ObjectsTool to clear records of an index without affecting settings.
Clear RulesTool to delete all rules in an index.
Clear SynonymsTool to delete all synonyms from an index.
Clicked Object IDsTool to send a click event to Algolia to capture clicked items.
Clicked Object IDs After SearchTool to send a click event after a search response.
Converted Object IDsTool to send a conversion event for items outside of search context.
Copy IndexTool to copy the specified index to a new index.
Create API KeyTool to create a new API key with specific permissions and restrictions.
Create AuthenticationTool to create a new authentication resource in Algolia.
Create DestinationTool to create a new destination in Algolia Ingestion API.
Create Ingestion TaskTool to create a new ingestion task connecting a source to a destination in Algolia.
Create or Update Recommend RulesTool to create or update a batch of Recommend Rules in an index.
Create Query Suggestions ConfigTool to create a new Query Suggestions configuration for an Algolia index.
Create SourceTool to create a new data source in Algolia Ingestion API.
Create TransformationTool to create a new transformation in Algolia Ingestion API.
Delete AB TestTool to delete an A/B test by its unique identifier.
Delete API KeyTool to delete an API key.
Delete AuthenticationTool to delete an authentication resource from Algolia.
Delete Query Suggestions ConfigTool to delete a Query Suggestions configuration for the specified index.
Delete DestinationTool to delete a destination in Algolia Ingestion API.
Delete IndexTool to delete the specified index and all its records.
Delete Multiple RecordsTool to delete multiple records from an Algolia index.
Delete Recommend RuleTool to delete a Recommend rule from a recommendation scenario.
Delete Records by FilterTool to delete records matching a filter from an Algolia index.
Delete RuleTool to delete the specified rule from an index.
Delete SourceTool to delete a source from the Algolia Ingestion API.
Delete SynonymTool to delete a synonym from a specified index.
Delete TransformationTool to delete a transformation in Algolia Ingestion API.
Delete User ProfileTool to delete a user profile from personalization.
Delete User TokenTool to delete all events related to a user token from events metrics and analytics.
Batch Operations on Multiple IndicesTool to perform batch operations (add, update, delete) across multiple Algolia indices in a single request.
Export RulesTool to export all rules defined on an index.
Find ObjectTool to find the first object matching a query or filter in an index.
Get A/B TestTool to retrieve detailed information about an A/B test by its ID.
Get Add to Cart RateTool to retrieve add-to-cart rate metrics for e-commerce search analytics.
Get API KeyTool to retrieve the permissions and details of a specific API key.
Get App Task StatusTool to check the status of an application task.
Get AuthenticationTool to retrieve an authentication resource by its ID.
Get Average Click PositionTool to retrieve average click position metrics from Algolia Analytics.
Get Click PositionsTool to retrieve the distribution of clicks by position from Algolia Analytics.
Get Click Through RateTool to retrieve click-through rate (CTR) for searches with at least one click event.
Get Query Suggestions ConfigTool to retrieve a Query Suggestions configuration by index name.
Get Personalization ConfigTool to retrieve the advanced personalization configuration.
Get Conversion RateTool to retrieve conversion rate for searches with conversion events.
Get DestinationTool to retrieve a destination by its ID.
Get Dictionary LanguagesTool to list available languages for dictionary entries.
Get Dictionary SettingsTool to retrieve dictionary settings for all dictionaries.
Get LogsTool to retrieve log entries for API requests made to your Algolia application.
Get No Click RateTool to retrieve the rate of searches that received no clicks.
Get No Results RateTool to retrieve the fraction of searches that didn't return any results.
Get No Results SearchesTool to retrieve the most frequent searches that produced zero results.
Get Object PositionTool to retrieve an object’s position in a result set.
Get multiple objectsTool to retrieve multiple records from an index.
Get Purchase RateTool to retrieve purchase rate metrics for searches that led to purchase events.
Get Recommend RuleTool to retrieve a Recommend rule that was previously created in the Algolia dashboard.
Get Recommend Task StatusTool to check the status of a Recommend task.
Get Record from IndexTool to retrieve a specific record from an index by its objectID.
Get RevenueTool to retrieve revenue data from Algolia Analytics.
Get RuleTool to retrieve a specific rule by its objectID from an index.
Get Searches CountTool to retrieve the number of searches within a time range, including a daily breakdown.
Get Searches No ClicksTool to retrieve top searches that did not receive any clicks.
Get Index SettingsTool to retrieve the settings of a specified index.
Get SourceTool to retrieve a source from the Algolia Ingestion API.
Get SynonymTool to retrieve a specific synonym by its objectID.
Get Task StatusTool to check the status of an asynchronous task.
Get Top CountriesTool to retrieve top countries by search volume for a specified index.
Get Top Filter AttributesTool to retrieve top filter attributes from Algolia Analytics.
Get Top Filter For AttributeTool to retrieve top filter values for a specific attribute from Algolia Analytics.
Get Top Filters No ResultsTool to retrieve top filters for searches that returned no results from Algolia Analytics.
Get Top HitsTool to retrieve the object IDs of the most frequent search results from Algolia Analytics.
Get Top SearchesTool to retrieve the most popular searches from Algolia Analytics.
Get TransformationTool to retrieve a transformation by its ID from Algolia's Ingestion API.
Get Usage StatisticsTool to retrieve Algolia usage statistics over a specified time period.
Get Usage for IndexTool to retrieve usage statistics for a specific Algolia index over a time period.
Get UsersTool to retrieve a list of user profiles from Algolia advanced personalization.
Get Users CountTool to retrieve the number of unique users within a time range, including daily breakdown.
Index ExistsTool to check if an Algolia index exists.
Init Insights API ClientTool to initialize the Algolia Insights API client.
List AB TestsTool to list all A/B tests configured for this application.
List API KeysTool to list all API keys associated with your Algolia application, including their permissions and restrictions.
List AuthenticationsTool to list authentication resources from Algolia.
List DestinationsTool to list destinations in Algolia.
List IndicesTool to list all indices and their metadata.
List Ingestion TasksTool to retrieve a list of ingestion tasks from Algolia.
List Query Suggestions ConfigurationsTool to retrieve all Query Suggestions configurations for an Algolia application.
List Task RunsTool to list task runs.
List SourcesTool to list sources from the Algolia Ingestion API.
List TransformationsTool to list all transformations in Algolia Ingestion API.
Partial Update ObjectsTool to partially update multiple records in the specified index.
Push Records to TaskTool to push records to an Algolia task by task ID.
Replace All RulesTool to push a new set of rules, erasing previous ones.
Replace TaskTool to fully replace a task in Algolia Ingestion API.
Restore API KeyTool to restore a deleted API key within 72 hours of deletion.
Save RuleTool to create or replace a rule in an index.
Save SynonymTool to add or update a synonym in the specified index.
Save SynonymsTool to batch create or replace synonyms in an Algolia index.
Search AuthenticationsTool to search for authentication resources by IDs in Algolia.
Search DestinationsTool to search for specific destinations by their IDs.
Search Dictionary EntriesTool to search dictionary entries in Algolia dictionaries.
Search Facet ValuesTool to search for values of a specified facet attribute.
Search Algolia IndexTool to perform a search on a specified Algolia index.
Search Multiple IndicesTool to perform searches across multiple indices in a single call.
Search Recommend RulesTool to search for Recommend rules in the specified index and model.
Search SourcesTool to search for sources by IDs in Algolia Ingestion API.
Search SynonymsTool to search for synonyms in the specified index.
Search TransformationsTool to search for transformations by IDs in Algolia Ingestion API.
Set Dictionary SettingsTool to update dictionary settings for Algolia.
Set Personalization StrategyTool to define personalization strategy that controls how user behavior affects search results.
Set Index SettingsTool to update an Algolia index's settings.
Stop AB TestTool to stop an A/B test by its unique identifier.
Try TransformationTool to try a transformation before creating it in Algolia.
Try Transformation Before UpdateTool to test a transformation before updating it in Algolia Ingestion API.
Update API KeyTool to update the permissions and settings of an existing API key.
Update AuthenticationTool to update an authentication resource in Algolia.
Update Query Suggestions ConfigTool to update an existing Query Suggestions configuration.
Update DestinationTool to update a destination in Algolia Ingestion API.
Update Dictionary EntriesTool to add or delete dictionary entries in Algolia dictionaries.
Update Record PartiallyTool to add or update attributes in a single record.
Update SourceTool to update a source in the Algolia Ingestion API.
Update TaskTool to partially update a task in Algolia Ingestion API.
Update TransformationTool to update an existing transformation in Algolia Ingestion API.
Validate SourceTool to validate a source payload before creating it in Algolia.
Validate Source Before UpdateTool to validate a source update payload in the Algolia Ingestion API.

What is the Composio tool router, and how does it fit here?

What is Composio SDK?

Composio's Composio SDK helps agents find the right tools for a task at runtime. You can plug in multiple toolkits (like Gmail, HubSpot, and GitHub), and the agent will identify the relevant app and action to complete multi-step workflows. This can reduce token usage and improve the reliability of tool calls. Read more here: Getting started with Composio SDK

The tool router generates a secure MCP URL that your agents can access to perform actions.

How the Composio SDK works

The Composio SDK follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Python 3.9 or higher
  • A Composio account and API key
  • A Algolia connection authorized in Composio
  • An OpenAI API key for the CrewAI LLM
  • Basic familiarity with Python

Getting API Keys for OpenAI and Composio

OpenAI API Key
  • Go to the OpenAI dashboard and create an API key. You'll need credits to use the models, or you can connect to another model provider.
  • Keep the API key safe.
Composio API Key
  • Log in to the Composio dashboard.
  • Navigate to your API settings and generate a new API key.
  • Store this key securely as you'll need it for authentication.

Install dependencies

bash
pip install composio crewai crewai-tools[mcp] python-dotenv
What's happening:
  • composio connects your agent to Algolia via MCP
  • crewai provides Agent, Task, Crew, and LLM primitives
  • crewai-tools[mcp] includes MCP helpers
  • python-dotenv loads environment variables from .env

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here

Create a .env file in your project root.

What's happening:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio
  • USER_ID scopes the session to your account
  • OPENAI_API_KEY lets CrewAI use your chosen OpenAI model

Import dependencies

python
import os
from composio import Composio
from crewai import Agent, Task, Crew
from crewai_tools import MCPServerAdapter
import dotenv

dotenv.load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
COMPOSIO_USER_ID = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_USER_ID")

if not COMPOSIO_API_KEY:
    raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set")
if not COMPOSIO_USER_ID:
    raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_USER_ID is not set")
What's happening:
  • CrewAI classes define agents and tasks, and run the workflow
  • MCPServerHTTP connects the agent to an MCP endpoint
  • Composio will give you a short lived Algolia MCP URL

Create a Composio Tool Router session for Algolia

python
composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)
session = composio_client.create(user_id=COMPOSIO_USER_ID, toolkits=["algolia"])

url = session.mcp.url
What's happening:
  • You create a Algolia only session through Composio
  • Composio returns an MCP HTTP URL that exposes Algolia tools

Initialize the MCP Server

python
server_params = {
    "url": url,
    "transport": "streamable-http",
    "headers": {"x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY},
}

with MCPServerAdapter(server_params) as tools:
    agent = Agent(
        role="Search Assistant",
        goal="Help users search the internet effectively",
        backstory="You are a helpful assistant with access to search tools.",
        tools=tools,
        verbose=False,
        max_iter=10,
    )
What's Happening:
  • Server Configuration: The code sets up connection parameters including the MCP server URL, streamable HTTP transport, and Composio API key authentication.
  • MCP Adapter Bridge: MCPServerAdapter acts as a context manager that converts Composio MCP tools into a CrewAI-compatible format.
  • Agent Setup: Creates a CrewAI Agent with a defined role (Search Assistant), goal (help with internet searches), and access to the MCP tools.
  • Configuration Options: The agent includes settings like verbose=False for clean output and max_iter=10 to prevent infinite loops.
  • Dynamic Tool Usage: Once created, the agent automatically accesses all Composio Search tools and decides when to use them based on user queries.

Create a CLI Chatloop and define the Crew

python
print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")

conversation_context = ""

while True:
    user_input = input("You: ").strip()

    if user_input.lower() in ["exit", "quit", "bye"]:
        print("\nGoodbye!")
        break

    if not user_input:
        continue

    conversation_context += f"\nUser: {user_input}\n"
    print("\nAgent is thinking...\n")

    task = Task(
        description=(
            f"Conversation history:\n{conversation_context}\n\n"
            f"Current request: {user_input}"
        ),
        expected_output="A helpful response addressing the user's request",
        agent=agent,
    )

    crew = Crew(agents=[agent], tasks=[task], verbose=False)
    result = crew.kickoff()
    response = str(result)

    conversation_context += f"Agent: {response}\n"
    print(f"Agent: {response}\n")
What's Happening:
  • Interactive CLI Setup: The code creates an infinite loop that continuously prompts for user input and maintains the entire conversation history in a string variable.
  • Input Validation: Empty inputs are ignored to prevent processing blank messages and keep the conversation clean.
  • Context Building: Each user message is appended to the conversation context, which preserves the full dialogue history for better agent responses.
  • Dynamic Task Creation: For every user input, a new Task is created that includes both the full conversation history and the current request as context.
  • Crew Execution: A Crew is instantiated with the agent and task, then kicked off to process the request and generate a response.
  • Response Management: The agent's response is converted to a string, added to the conversation context, and displayed to the user, maintaining conversational continuity.

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Algolia and CrewAI:

python
from crewai import Agent, Task, Crew, LLM
from crewai_tools import MCPServerAdapter
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os

load_dotenv()

GOOGLE_API_KEY = os.getenv("GOOGLE_API_KEY")
COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
COMPOSIO_USER_ID = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_USER_ID")

if not GOOGLE_API_KEY:
    raise ValueError("GOOGLE_API_KEY is not set in the environment.")
if not COMPOSIO_API_KEY:
    raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set in the environment.")
if not COMPOSIO_USER_ID:
    raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_USER_ID is not set in the environment.")

# Initialize Composio and create a session
composio = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)
session = composio.create(
    user_id=COMPOSIO_USER_ID,
    toolkits=["algolia"],
)
url = session.mcp.url

# Configure LLM
llm = LLM(
    model="gpt-5",
    api_key=os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY"),
)

server_params = {
    "url": url,
    "transport": "streamable-http",
    "headers": {"x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY},
}

with MCPServerAdapter(server_params) as tools:
    agent = Agent(
        role="Search Assistant",
        goal="Help users with internet searches",
        backstory="You are an expert assistant with access to Composio Search tools.",
        tools=tools,
        llm=llm,
        verbose=False,
        max_iter=10,
    )

    print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")

    conversation_context = ""

    while True:
        user_input = input("You: ").strip()

        if user_input.lower() in ["exit", "quit", "bye"]:
            print("\nGoodbye!")
            break

        if not user_input:
            continue

        conversation_context += f"\nUser: {user_input}\n"
        print("\nAgent is thinking...\n")

        task = Task(
            description=(
                f"Conversation history:\n{conversation_context}\n\n"
                f"Current request: {user_input}"
            ),
            expected_output="A helpful response addressing the user's request",
            agent=agent,
        )

        crew = Crew(agents=[agent], tasks=[task], verbose=False)
        result = crew.kickoff()
        response = str(result)

        conversation_context += f"Agent: {response}\n"
        print(f"Agent: {response}\n")

Conclusion

You now have a CrewAI agent connected to Algolia through Composio's Tool Router. The agent can perform Algolia operations through natural language commands.

Next steps:

  • Add role-specific instructions to customize agent behavior
  • Plug in more toolkits for multi-app workflows
  • Chain tasks for complex multi-step operations

How to build Algolia MCP Agent with another framework

FAQ

What are the differences in Tool Router MCP and Algolia MCP?

With a standalone Algolia MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Algolia tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Algolia and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Can I use Tool Router MCP with CrewAI?

Yes, you can. CrewAI fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Algolia tools.

Can I manage the permissions and scopes for Algolia while using Tool Router?

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Algolia scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

How safe is my data with Composio Tool Router?

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Algolia data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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