How to integrate Asana MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK

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Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Asana to the OpenAI Agents 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 OpenAI Agents 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 OpenAI 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 open-ai-agents-sdk?

The OpenAI Agents SDK is a lightweight framework for building AI agents that can use tools and maintain conversation state. It provides a simple interface for creating agents with hosted MCP tool support.

Key features include:

  • Hosted MCP Tools: Connect to external services through hosted MCP endpoints
  • SQLite Sessions: Persist conversation history across interactions
  • Simple API: Clean interface with Agent, Runner, and tool configuration
  • Streaming Support: Real-time response streaming for interactive applications

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 OpenAI API Key
  • Primary know-how of OpenAI Agents SDK
  • A live Asana project
  • Some knowledge of Python or Typescript

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

Install dependencies

pip install composio_openai_agents openai-agents python-dotenv

Install the Composio SDK and the OpenAI Agents SDK.

Set up environment variables

bash
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...your-api-key
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your-api-key
USER_ID=composio_user@gmail.com

Create a .env file and add your OpenAI and Composio API keys.

Import dependencies

import asyncio
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv

from composio import Composio
from composio_openai_agents import OpenAIAgentsProvider
from agents import Agent, Runner, HostedMCPTool, SQLiteSession
What's happening:
  • You're importing all necessary libraries.
  • The Composio and OpenAIAgentsProvider classes are imported to connect your OpenAI agent to Composio tools like Asana.

Set up the Composio instance

load_dotenv()

api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
user_id = os.getenv("USER_ID")

if not api_key:
    raise RuntimeError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set. Create a .env file with COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_key")

# Initialize Composio
composio = Composio(api_key=api_key, provider=OpenAIAgentsProvider())
What's happening:
  • load_dotenv() loads your .env file so OPENAI_API_KEY and COMPOSIO_API_KEY are available as environment variables.
  • Creating a Composio instance using the API Key and OpenAIAgentsProvider class.

Create a Tool Router session

# Create a Asana Tool Router session
session = composio.create(
    user_id=user_id,
    toolkits=["asana"]
)

mcp_url = session.mcp.url

What is happening:

  • You give the Tool Router the user id and the toolkits you want available. Here, it is only asana.
  • The router checks the user's Asana connection and prepares the MCP endpoint.
  • The returned session.mcp.url is the MCP URL that your agent will use to access Asana.
  • This approach keeps things lightweight and lets the agent request Asana tools only when needed during the conversation.

Configure the agent

# Configure agent with MCP tool
agent = Agent(
    name="Assistant",
    model="gpt-5",
    instructions=(
        "You are a helpful assistant that can access Asana. "
        "Help users perform Asana operations through natural language."
    ),
    tools=[
        HostedMCPTool(
            tool_config={
                "type": "mcp",
                "server_label": "tool_router",
                "server_url": mcp_url,
                "headers": {"x-api-key": api_key},
                "require_approval": "never",
            }
        )
    ],
)
What's happening:
  • We're creating an Agent instance with a name, model (gpt-5), and clear instructions about its purpose.
  • The agent's instructions tell it that it can access Asana and help with queries, inserts, updates, authentication, and fetching database information.
  • The tools array includes a HostedMCPTool that connects to the MCP server URL we created earlier.
  • The headers dict includes the Composio API key for secure authentication with the MCP server.
  • require_approval: 'never' means the agent can execute Asana operations without asking for permission each time, making interactions smoother.

Start chat loop and handle conversation

print("\nComposio Tool Router session created.")

chat_session = SQLiteSession("conversation_openai_toolrouter")

print("\nChat started. Type your requests below.")
print("Commands: 'exit', 'quit', or 'q' to end\n")

async def main():
    try:
        result = await Runner.run(
            agent,
            "What can you help me with?",
            session=chat_session
        )
        print(f"Assistant: {result.final_output}\n")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error: {e}\n")

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

        result = await Runner.run(
            agent,
            user_input,
            session=chat_session
        )
        print(f"Assistant: {result.final_output}\n")

asyncio.run(main())
What's happening:
  • The program prints a session URL that you visit to authorize Asana.
  • After authorization, the chat begins.
  • Each message you type is processed by the agent using Runner.run().
  • The responses are printed to the console, and conversations are saved locally using SQLite.
  • Typing exit, quit, or q cleanly ends the chat.

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Asana and open-ai-agents-sdk:

import asyncio
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv

from composio import Composio
from composio_openai_agents import OpenAIAgentsProvider
from agents import Agent, Runner, HostedMCPTool, SQLiteSession

load_dotenv()

api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
user_id = os.getenv("USER_ID")

if not api_key:
    raise RuntimeError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set. Create a .env file with COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_key")

# Initialize Composio
composio = Composio(api_key=api_key, provider=OpenAIAgentsProvider())

# Create Tool Router session
session = composio.create(
    user_id=user_id,
    toolkits=["asana"]
)
mcp_url = session.mcp.url

# Configure agent with MCP tool
agent = Agent(
    name="Assistant",
    model="gpt-5",
    instructions=(
        "You are a helpful assistant that can access Asana. "
        "Help users perform Asana operations through natural language."
    ),
    tools=[
        HostedMCPTool(
            tool_config={
                "type": "mcp",
                "server_label": "tool_router",
                "server_url": mcp_url,
                "headers": {"x-api-key": api_key},
                "require_approval": "never",
            }
        )
    ],
)

print("\nComposio Tool Router session created.")

chat_session = SQLiteSession("conversation_openai_toolrouter")

print("\nChat started. Type your requests below.")
print("Commands: 'exit', 'quit', or 'q' to end\n")

async def main():
    try:
        result = await Runner.run(
            agent,
            "What can you help me with?",
            session=chat_session
        )
        print(f"Assistant: {result.final_output}\n")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error: {e}\n")

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

        result = await Runner.run(
            agent,
            user_input,
            session=chat_session
        )
        print(f"Assistant: {result.final_output}\n")

asyncio.run(main())

Conclusion

This was a starter code for integrating Asana MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK to build a functional AI agent that can interact with Asana.

Key features:

  • Hosted MCP tool integration through Composio's Tool Router
  • SQLite session persistence for conversation history
  • Simple async chat loop for interactive testing
You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom business logic, or building a web interface around the agent.

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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 OpenAI Agents SDK?

Yes, you can. OpenAI Agents 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.

Used by agents from

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