How to integrate Ashby MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK

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Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Ashby to the OpenAI Agents SDK using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Ashby agent that can list all candidates for open roles, post a new job opening for engineering, summarize candidates in interview stage through natural language commands.

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

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

Also integrate Ashby with

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 Ashby
  • Configure an AI agent that can use Ashby as a tool
  • Run a live chat session where you can ask the agent to perform Ashby operations

What is OpenAI 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 Ashby MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Ashby MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Ashby account. It provides structured and secure access to your recruiting data, so your agent can perform actions like managing job postings, tracking candidate progress, scheduling interviews, and generating hiring reports on your behalf.

  • Automated job posting management: Easily create, update, or close job listings across your organization with direct agent assistance.
  • Candidate pipeline tracking: Have your agent fetch, organize, and update candidate progress through every stage of the hiring process.
  • Interview scheduling and coordination: Let your agent schedule interviews, send calendar invites, and manage interviewer assignments to streamline the process.
  • Data-driven hiring analytics: Generate reports and insights about your hiring funnel, candidate sources, and time-to-hire with a simple agent request.
  • Centralized communication with applicants: Enable your agent to send status updates, feedback, or reminders to candidates, keeping everyone in the loop automatically.

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Add Candidate to ProjectAdd a candidate to a project in Ashby.
Add Candidate TagAdd a tag to a candidate in Ashby.
Add Hiring Team MemberAdd an Ashby user to a hiring team at the application, job, or opening level.
Add User to Interviewer PoolAdd a user to an interviewer pool.
Add Opening JobAdds a job to an opening (job requisition) in Ashby ATS.
Add Opening LocationTool to add a location to an opening (job requisition).
Anonymize CandidateAnonymize a candidate by removing personally identifiable information.
Approve OfferApprove an offer or a specific approval step within an offer's approval process.
Archive DepartmentArchive a department by its unique identifier.
Archive Interviewer PoolArchive an interviewer pool in Ashby.
Archive LocationArchives a location or location hierarchy in Ashby.
Change Application SourceChange the source attribution of an application.
Change Application StageMove an application to a different interview stage in the hiring pipeline.
Create ApplicationCreate a new job application by associating a candidate with a job opening in Ashby ATS.
Create CandidateCreate a new candidate in the system.
Create Candidate NoteCreate a note on a candidate profile.
Create Candidate TagCreate a new candidate tag in Ashby for categorizing and organizing candidates.
Create Custom FieldCreate a new custom field in Ashby.
Create DepartmentCreate a new department.
Create Interviewer PoolCreate a new interviewer pool.
Create JobCreate a new job opening in Ashby ATS.
Create LocationCreate a new location or location hierarchy.
Create OfferCreate a new offer for a candidate in Ashby ATS.
Create OpeningCreate a new opening (job requisition) in Ashby ATS.
Create ReferralCreate a referral in Ashby ATS by submitting a referral form with candidate information.
Create Survey RequestGenerate a survey request and receive a survey URL to send to a candidate.
Create Survey SubmissionCreate a new survey submission for a candidate's application.
Get API Key InfoRetrieve information about the current API key, including associated organization, user details, and permissions.
Get Application InfoRetrieve detailed information about a specific application by its ID.
Get Candidate InfoRetrieve detailed information about a specific candidate by their ID.
Get Custom Field InfoRetrieve detailed information about a specific custom field by its ID.
Get Department InfoRetrieve detailed information about a specific department by its ID.
Get Feedback Form DefinitionRetrieve detailed information about a specific feedback form definition by its ID.
Get File InfoRetrieve the URL of a file associated with a candidate.
Get Interviewer Pool InfoRetrieve detailed information about a specific interviewer pool by its ID.
Get Interviewer User SettingsGet interviewer settings for a specific user by their ID.
Get Interview InfoRetrieve detailed information about a specific interview type by its ID.
Get Interview Stage InfoTool to fetch interview stage details by ID.
Get Job InfoRetrieve detailed information about a specific job by its ID.
Get Job Interview Plan InfoRetrieve the interview plan information for a specific job.
Get Job Posting InfoRetrieve detailed information about a specific job posting by its ID.
Get Location InfoRetrieve detailed information about a specific location by its ID.
Get Offer InfoRetrieve detailed information about a specific offer by its ID.
Get Opening InfoRetrieve detailed information about a specific opening (job requisition) by its ID.
Get Referral FormFetches the default referral form or creates a default referral form if none exists.
Get Survey Form DefinitionRetrieve detailed information about a specific survey form definition by its ID.
Get User InfoRetrieve detailed information about a specific user by their ID.
List Application Criteria EvaluationsRetrieve AI-generated criteria evaluations for an application.
List Application FeedbackRetrieve all feedback submissions for an application.
List Application Hiring Team RolesRetrieve all available hiring team roles for applications in the organization.
List Application HistoryRetrieve the complete history of stage transitions for an application.
List ApplicationsRetrieve a list of applications with optional pagination and sync-token filtering for incremental updates.
List ApprovalsRetrieve a list of approvals (offer approvals, job approvals, etc.
List Archive ReasonsRetrieve a list of all archive reasons.
List BrandsRetrieve a list of all brands for the organization.
List Candidate Client InfoRetrieve all client info records for a specific candidate with pagination support.
List Candidate NotesRetrieve all notes for a specific candidate in Ashby.
List Candidate ProjectsRetrieve all projects associated with a candidate.
List CandidatesRetrieve a list of candidates.
List Candidate TagsRetrieve a list of all candidate tags in your Ashby account.
List Close ReasonsLists all close reasons for jobs or openings.
List Communication TemplatesRetrieve a list of all communication templates.
List Custom FieldsRetrieve a list of all custom field definitions configured in Ashby.
List DepartmentsRetrieve a list of all departments in the organization.
List Feedback Form DefinitionsRetrieve all feedback form definitions from your Ashby organization.
List Hiring Team RolesRetrieve a list of possible hiring team roles in the organization.
List Interviewer PoolsRetrieve a list of all interviewer pools.
List Interview EventsRetrieves all interview events for a specific interview schedule.
List Interview PlansRetrieve a list of interview plans.
List Interview TypesList all interview types defined in Ashby.
List Interview SchedulesRetrieve a list of interview schedules.
List Interview Stage GroupsRetrieve a list of interview stage groups.
List Interview StagesRetrieve all interview stages for an interview plan in order.
List Job BoardsRetrieve a list of job boards.
List Job PostingsRetrieve a list of job postings.
List JobsRetrieve a list of all jobs from Ashby ATS (Applicant Tracking System).
List Job TemplatesRetrieve a list of all job templates from Ashby ATS.
List LocationsRetrieve a list of all locations.
List OffersRetrieve a list of job offers with their latest versions.
List OpeningsRetrieve a list of openings (job requisitions).
List ProjectsRetrieve a list of all projects.
List SourcesRetrieve a list of all candidate sources.
List Source Tracking LinksRetrieve all source tracking links configured in Ashby.
List Survey Form DefinitionsRetrieve a list of all survey form definitions from Ashby.
List Survey SubmissionsLists all survey submissions of a given survey type from Ashby.
List UsersRetrieve a list of all users in the organization.
Move DepartmentTool to move a department to another parent in the organizational hierarchy.
Move LocationTool to move a location to a different parent in the location hierarchy.
Remove Hiring Team MemberRemove an Ashby user from a hiring team at the application, job, or opening level.
Remove User from Interviewer PoolRemove a user from an interviewer pool.
Remove Opening JobRemove a job from an opening (job requisition) in Ashby ATS.
Remove Opening LocationTool to remove a location from an opening (job requisition).
Restore DepartmentRestore an archived department by its unique identifier.
Restore Interviewer PoolRestore an archived interviewer pool in Ashby.
Restore LocationRestores an archived location or location hierarchy in Ashby.
Search CandidatesSearch for candidates by email or name.
Search JobsSearch for jobs by title in Ashby ATS (Applicant Tracking System).
Search OpeningSearch for openings by identifier.
Search ProjectsSearch for projects by title in Ashby.
Search UsersSearch for an Ashby user by email address.
Set Custom Field ValueSet the value of a custom field for a given object (candidate, application, job, etc.
Set Custom Field ValuesSet the values of multiple custom fields for a given object in a single call.
Set Job StatusSet the status of a job in Ashby ATS (Applicant Tracking System).
Set Opening ArchivedSets the archived state of an opening.
Set Opening StateSet the workflow state of an opening (job requisition).
Start OfferCreate a new offer version instance for an in-progress offer process.
Start Offer ProcessStart an offer process for a candidate's application in Ashby ATS.
Submit Application FeedbackSubmit structured feedback for an application using a feedback form.
Transfer ApplicationTransfer an application to a different job position in Ashby ATS.
Update ApplicationUpdate an application's properties in Ashby.
Update Application HistoryUpdate the complete history of an application's stage transitions.
Update CandidateUpdate an existing candidate's profile information in Ashby ATS.
Update Job CompensationUpdate a job's compensation tiers in Ashby ATS.
Update DepartmentUpdate an existing department's information such as its name.
Update Interviewer PoolUpdate an existing interviewer pool's title or training requirements.
Update JobUpdate an existing job's properties in Ashby ATS.
Update Job PostingUpdate an existing job posting's details including title, description, and visibility status.
Update Location AddressUpdate the address of a location or location hierarchy.
Update Location External NameUpdate a location's external (candidate-facing) name.
Update Location NameUpdate a location's name.
Update Location Remote StatusTool to update a location's remote status.
Update Location Workplace TypeTool to update a location's workplace type (OnSite, Remote, or Hybrid).
Update OpeningUpdate properties of an existing opening (job requisition).
Update Selectable Values Custom FieldUpdate the selectable values for a ValueSelect or MultiValueSelect custom field.
Update User Interviewer SettingsUpdate interviewer settings for a user, including daily and weekly interview limits.

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:
  • Composio API Key and OpenAI API Key
  • Primary know-how of OpenAI Agents SDK
  • A live Ashby 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 Ashby.

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 Ashby Tool Router session
session = composio.create(
    user_id=user_id,
    toolkits=["ashby"]
)

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 ashby.
  • The router checks the user's Ashby connection and prepares the MCP endpoint.
  • The returned session.mcp.url is the MCP URL that your agent will use to access Ashby.
  • This approach keeps things lightweight and lets the agent request Ashby 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 Ashby. "
        "Help users perform Ashby 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 Ashby 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 Ashby 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 Ashby.
  • 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 Ashby and OpenAI 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=["ashby"]
)
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 Ashby. "
        "Help users perform Ashby 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 Ashby MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK to build a functional AI agent that can interact with Ashby.

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 Ashby MCP?

With a standalone Ashby MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Ashby tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Ashby 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 Ashby tools.

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

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

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