How to integrate Asana MCP with Claude Agent SDK

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Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Asana to the Claude Agent SDK using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Asana agent that can create a new project for q3 goals, add followers to the product launch task, attach a file to today's meeting notes task, add a new color-coded tag to marketing workspace through natural language commands.

This guide will help you understand how to give your Claude Agent SDK agent real control over a Asana account through Composio's Asana MCP server.

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

TL;DR

Here's what you'll learn:
  • Get and set up your Claude/Anthropic and Composio API keys
  • Install the necessary dependencies
  • Initialize Composio and create a Tool Router session for Asana
  • Configure an AI agent that can use Asana as a tool
  • Run a live chat session where you can ask the agent to perform Asana operations

What is Claude Agent SDK?

The Claude Agent SDK is Anthropic's official framework for building AI agents powered by Claude. It provides a streamlined interface for creating agents with MCP tool support and conversation management.

Key features include:

  • Native MCP Support: Built-in support for Model Context Protocol servers
  • Permission Modes: Control tool execution permissions
  • Streaming Responses: Real-time response streaming for interactive applications
  • Context Manager: Clean async context management for sessions

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

The Asana MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Asana account. It provides structured and secure access to your Asana workspace, so your agent can perform actions like creating tasks, managing projects, tagging work, assigning followers, and attaching files on your behalf.

  • Automated task creation and updates: Let your agent create new tasks with specific details, add tasks to projects or sections, and update them as work progresses.
  • Collaborator and follower management: Easily add users as followers to tasks, ensuring that the right people stay informed and engaged with project updates.
  • Project and workspace organization: Create new projects, define custom fields, and set up tags to keep your Asana workspace organized and tailored to your team's workflow.
  • File and attachment handling: Allow your agent to upload and attach important files directly to tasks, making sure all documentation stays in the right context.
  • Goal and resource linking: Link tasks, projects, or portfolios to goals, or add supporting relationships to help your team track progress and dependencies more effectively.

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Triggers
Add Followers to TaskTool to add followers to a task in asana.
Add Supporting Relationship to GoalTool to add a supporting goal relationship to a goal.
Add task to sectionAdds an existing task to a section, optionally positioning it before or after another task in that section; if no position is specified, the task is added to the end.
Create AllocationCreates a new allocation.
Create a projectCreates a new asana project, requiring either a `workspace` or `team` gid for association, and returns the full project details.
Create a tag in a workspaceCreates a new tag, with properties like name and color defined in the request body, within a specific asana workspace (using `workspace gid`); this tag helps categorize tasks, is confined to the workspace, and is not automatically applied to tasks.
Create task in asana with specific detailsCreates a new asana task; requires 'workspace', 'parent', or 'projects' for association, and 'followers', 'projects', 'tags' are set only at creation.
Create Attachment for TaskTool to upload an attachment to a task.
Create Custom FieldTool to create a new custom field in a workspace.
Create Enum Option for Custom FieldTool to create a new enum option for a custom field in asana.
Create Project Status UpdateTool to create a new status update on a project.
Create a section in a projectCreates a new section in a project, optionally positioned relative to an existing section in the same project, and returns the full record of the new section.
Create subtaskCreates a new asana subtask under an existing parent task (`task gid`); `due on` and `due at` are mutually exclusive and cannot be set simultaneously.
Create task commentAdds a new text comment (story) to an existing asana task, appearing in its activity feed.
Create TeamTool to create a new team in an asana workspace.
Delete AllocationTool to delete an allocation by its id.
Delete AttachmentTool to delete an attachment by its globally unique identifier.
Delete Custom FieldTool to delete a custom field by its globally unique identifier.
Delete a projectDelete a project.
Delete a TagTool to delete a specific tag by its gid.
Delete a taskDelete a task.
Duplicate ProjectDuplicate a project.
Duplicate TaskDuplicate a task
Get AllocationGet an allocation by id.
Get AllocationsTool to get multiple allocations.
Get a projectRetrieves a specific asana project by its `project gid`, with an option to include additional fields for comprehensive details using `opt fields`; this action does not return tasks within the project.
Get a taskRetrieves full details for a specified task gid accessible by the user; use `opt fields` to customize returned data.
Get AttachmentTool to get a single attachment by its globally unique identifier.
Get Audit Log EventsTool to get audit log events for a workspace.
Get a user task listRetrieves a specific user's task list from asana by its `user task list gid`, optionally returning extended details like name, owner, and workspace if specified in `opt fields`.
Get current userRetrieves the authenticated user's full record, including accessible workspaces, often used as an initial call to establish user context for subsequent operations.
Get Custom FieldTool to get a single custom field by its globally unique identifier.
Get Custom Fields for WorkspaceTool to get all custom fields in a workspace.
Get Events on a ResourceRetrieve events on a resource to monitor changes.
Get GoalRetrieve the full record for a single goal by its gid.
Get Goal RelationshipsTool to retrieve goal relationships.
Get GoalsTool to retrieve multiple goals.
Get MembershipsTool to retrieve memberships for goals, projects, portfolios, or custom fields.
Get multiple projectsReturns a list of projects, optionally filtered by workspace, team, or archived status, supporting pagination for large datasets.
Get multiple tasksRetrieves a list of tasks, allowing filtering by assignee (requires `workspace`), project, section, `completed since`, and `modified since`; `workspace` also requires `assignee`.
Get multiple usersReturns a list of users in an asana workspace or organization, optionally filtered by workspace or team gid, with support for pagination and specifying optional fields.
Get multiple workspacesRetrieves all workspaces accessible by the authenticated user, returning an empty list if the user has no accessible workspaces.
Get PortfolioRetrieve the full record for a single portfolio by its gid.
Get Portfolio ItemsRetrieve items in a portfolio.
Get Portfolio MembershipsTool to retrieve multiple portfolio memberships.
Get PortfoliosRetrieve multiple portfolios.
Get Project BriefTool to retrieve a project's brief.
Get Project MembershipsTool to retrieve memberships from a project.
Get Projects for TeamTool to get a list of projects for a specific team in asana.
Get Project StatusTool to retrieve the full record for a single project status by its gid.
Get Project Status UpdatesTool to get status updates for a specific project.
Get Multiple Project TemplatesTool to retrieve multiple project templates.
Get SectionRetrieve the full record for a single section by its gid.
Get sections in a projectReturns compact records for all sections (used to group tasks) in a specified project.
Get Status UpdatesRetrieve status updates from an object.
Get Stories for TaskTool to get stories (comments, status updates, etc.
Get StoryTool to retrieve a story.
Get TagTool to get a single tag by its globally unique identifier.
Get TagsGet multiple tags in a workspace.
Get Task AttachmentsTool to get the list of attachments for a given task, project, or project brief.
Retrieve tasks for projectRetrieves tasks from a specified asana project, allowing filtering by completion status and selection of optional fields for detailed responses.
Get Task SubtasksTool to retrieve multiple task subtasks from a workspace.
Get Task TemplatesTool to retrieve multiple task templates from a workspace.
Get TeamTool to retrieve details of a specific team by its gid.
Get Team MembershipsTool to retrieve compact team membership records.
Get teams in workspaceReturns the compact records for all teams in the workspace visible to the authorized user.
Get Time PeriodsTool to retrieve compact or full representations of time periods.
Get Objects via TypeaheadTool to retrieve objects in a workspace via a typeahead search algorithm.
Get UserGet a user by their id.
Get Users for TeamGet users in a team.
Get Users in WorkspaceGet users in a workspace or organization.
Get WorkspaceTool to retrieve details of a specific workspace by its gid.
Get Workspace MembershipsTool to retrieve the workspace memberships for a specific workspace.
Get Workspace ProjectsTool to retrieve the projects associated with a specific workspace.
Insert or Reorder Enum Option for Custom FieldTool to reorder an existing enum option or insert a new enum option for a custom field at a specific position.
Remove Follower From TaskTool to remove one or more followers from a task.
Submit Parallel Requests (Batch API)Tool to submit multiple asana api requests in parallel using the batch api.
Update AllocationTool to update an existing allocation by its id.
Update a taskUpdates attributes of an existing asana task identified by its task gid.
Update Custom FieldTool to update a custom field by its globally unique identifier.
Update Enum OptionTool to update an enum option for a custom field.
Update a projectUpdate a project.
Update TagTool to update an existing tag by its globally unique identifier.
Update a teamTool to update details of an existing team.

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

What is Tool Router?

Composio's Tool Router 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 Tool Router

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

How the Tool Router works

The Tool Router 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:
  • Composio API Key and Claude/Anthropic API Key
  • Primary know-how of Claude Agents SDK
  • A Asana account
  • Some knowledge of Python

Getting API Keys for Claude/Anthropic and Composio

Claude/Anthropic API Key
  • Go to the Anthropic Console and create an API key. You'll need credits to use the models.
  • 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

pip install composio-anthropic claude-agent-sdk python-dotenv

Install the Composio SDK and the Claude Agents SDK.

What's happening:

  • composio-anthropic provides Composio integration for Anthropic
  • claude-agent-sdk is the core agent framework
  • python-dotenv loads environment variables

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_anthropic_api_key_here

Create a .env file in your project root.

What's happening:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio
  • USER_ID identifies the user for session management
  • ANTHROPIC_API_KEY authenticates with Anthropic/Claude

Import dependencies

import asyncio
from claude_agent_sdk import ClaudeSDKClient, ClaudeAgentOptions
import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()
What's happening:
  • We're importing all necessary libraries including the Claude Agent SDK and Composio
  • The load_dotenv() function loads environment variables from your .env file
  • This setup prepares the foundation for connecting Claude with Asana functionality

Create a Composio instance and Tool Router session

async def chat_with_remote_mcp():
    api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
    if not api_key:
        raise RuntimeError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set")

    composio = Composio(api_key=api_key)

    # Create Tool Router session for Asana
    mcp_server = composio.create(
        user_id=os.getenv("USER_ID"),
        toolkits=["asana"]
    )

    url = mcp_server.mcp.url

    if not url:
        raise ValueError("Session URL not found")
What's happening:
  • The function checks for the required COMPOSIO_API_KEY environment variable
  • We're creating a Composio instance using our API key
  • The create method creates a Tool Router session for Asana
  • The returned url is the MCP server URL that your agent will use

Configure Claude Agent with MCP

# Configure remote MCP server for Claude
options = ClaudeAgentOptions(
    permission_mode="bypassPermissions",
    mcp_servers={
        "composio": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": url,
            "headers": {
                "x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
            }
        }
    },
    system_prompt="You are a helpful assistant with access to Asana tools via Composio.",
    max_turns=10
)
What's happening:
  • We're configuring the Claude Agent options with the MCP server URL
  • permission_mode="bypassPermissions" allows the agent to execute operations without asking for permission each time
  • The system prompt instructs the agent that it has access to Asana
  • max_turns=10 limits the conversation length to prevent excessive API usage

Create client and start chat loop

# Create client with context manager
async with ClaudeSDKClient(options=options) as client:
    print("\nChat started. Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")

    # Main chat loop
    while True:
        user_input = input("You: ").strip()
        if user_input.lower() in {"exit", "quit"}:
            print("Goodbye!")
            break

        # Send query
        await client.query(user_input)

        # Receive and print response
        print("Claude: ", end="", flush=True)
        async for message in client.receive_response():
            if hasattr(message, "content"):
                for block in message.content:
                    if hasattr(block, "text"):
                        print(block.text, end="", flush=True)
        print()
What's happening:
  • The Claude SDK client is created using the async context manager pattern
  • The agent processes each query and streams the response back in real-time
  • The chat loop continues until the user types 'exit' or 'quit'

Run the application

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(chat_with_remote_mcp())
What's happening:
  • This entry point runs the async chat_with_remote_mcp() function using asyncio.run()
  • The application will start, create the MCP connection, and begin the interactive chat session

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Asana and Claude Agent SDK:

import asyncio
from claude_agent_sdk import ClaudeSDKClient, ClaudeAgentOptions
import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

async def chat_with_remote_mcp():
    api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
    if not api_key:
        raise RuntimeError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set")

    composio = Composio(api_key=api_key)

    # Create Tool Router session for Asana
    mcp_server = composio.create(
        user_id=os.getenv("USER_ID"),
        toolkits=["asana"]
    )

    url = mcp_server.mcp.url

    if not url:
        raise ValueError("Session URL not found")

    # Configure remote MCP server for Claude
    options = ClaudeAgentOptions(
        permission_mode="bypassPermissions",
        mcp_servers={
            "composio": {
                "type": "http",
                "url": url,
                "headers": {
                    "x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
                }
            }
        },
        system_prompt="You are a helpful assistant with access to Asana tools via Composio.",
        max_turns=10
    )

    # Create client with context manager
    async with ClaudeSDKClient(options=options) as client:
        print("\nChat started. Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")

        # Main chat loop
        while True:
            user_input = input("You: ").strip()
            if user_input.lower() in {"exit", "quit"}:
                print("Goodbye!")
                break

            # Send query
            await client.query(user_input)

            # Receive and print response
            print("Claude: ", end="", flush=True)
            async for message in client.receive_response():
                if hasattr(message, "content"):
                    for block in message.content:
                        if hasattr(block, "text"):
                            print(block.text, end="", flush=True)
            print()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(chat_with_remote_mcp())

Conclusion

You've successfully built a Claude Agent SDK agent that can interact with Asana through Composio's Tool Router.

Key features:

  • Native MCP support through Claude's agent framework
  • Streaming responses for real-time interaction
  • Permission bypass for smooth automated workflows
You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom business logic, or building a web interface around the agent.

How to build Asana MCP Agent with another framework

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FAQ

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

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

Can I use Tool Router MCP with Claude Agent SDK?

Yes, you can. Claude Agent SDK 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 Asana tools.

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

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Asana 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 Asana data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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