How to integrate Ashby MCP with Pydantic AI

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Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Ashby to Pydantic AI 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 Pydantic AI 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:
  • How to set up your Composio API key and User ID
  • How to create a Composio Tool Router session for Ashby
  • How to attach an MCP Server to a Pydantic AI agent
  • How to stream responses and maintain chat history
  • How to build a simple REPL-style chat interface to test your Ashby workflows

What is Pydantic AI?

Pydantic AI is a Python framework for building AI agents with strong typing and validation. It leverages Pydantic's data validation capabilities to create robust, type-safe AI applications.

Key features include:

  • Type Safety: Built on Pydantic for automatic data validation
  • MCP Support: Native support for Model Context Protocol servers
  • Streaming: Built-in support for streaming responses
  • Async First: Designed for async/await patterns

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:
  • Python 3.9 or higher
  • A Composio account with an active API key
  • Basic familiarity with Python and async programming

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 pydantic-ai python-dotenv

Install the required libraries.

What's happening:

  • composio connects your agent to external SaaS tools like Ashby
  • pydantic-ai lets you create structured AI agents with tool support
  • python-dotenv loads your environment variables securely from a .env file

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

Create a .env file in your project root.

What's happening:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates your agent to Composio's API
  • USER_ID associates your session with your account for secure tool access
  • OPENAI_API_KEY to access OpenAI LLMs

Import dependencies

python
import asyncio
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from composio import Composio
from pydantic_ai import Agent
from pydantic_ai.mcp import MCPServerStreamableHTTP

load_dotenv()
What's happening:
  • We load environment variables and import required modules
  • Composio manages connections to Ashby
  • MCPServerStreamableHTTP connects to the Ashby MCP server endpoint
  • Agent from Pydantic AI lets you define and run the AI assistant

Create a Tool Router Session

python
async def main():
    api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
    user_id = os.getenv("USER_ID")
    if not api_key or not user_id:
        raise RuntimeError("Set COMPOSIO_API_KEY and USER_ID in your environment")

    # Create a Composio Tool Router session for Ashby
    composio = Composio(api_key=api_key)
    session = composio.create(
        user_id=user_id,
        toolkits=["ashby"],
    )
    url = session.mcp.url
    if not url:
        raise ValueError("Composio session did not return an MCP URL")
What's happening:
  • We're creating a Tool Router session that gives your agent access to Ashby tools
  • The create method takes the user ID and specifies which toolkits should be available
  • The returned session.mcp.url is the MCP server URL that your agent will use

Initialize the Pydantic AI Agent

python
# Attach the MCP server to a Pydantic AI Agent
ashby_mcp = MCPServerStreamableHTTP(url, headers={"x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY})
agent = Agent(
    "openai:gpt-5",
    toolsets=[ashby_mcp],
    instructions=(
        "You are a Ashby assistant. Use Ashby tools to help users "
        "with their requests. Ask clarifying questions when needed."
    ),
)
What's happening:
  • The MCP client connects to the Ashby endpoint
  • The agent uses GPT-5 to interpret user commands and perform Ashby operations
  • The instructions field defines the agent's role and behavior

Build the chat interface

python
# Simple REPL with message history
history = []
print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")
print("Try asking the agent to help you with Ashby.\n")

while True:
    user_input = input("You: ").strip()
    if user_input.lower() in {"exit", "quit", "bye"}:
        print("\nGoodbye!")
        break
    if not user_input:
        continue

    print("\nAgent is thinking...\n", flush=True)

    async with agent.run_stream(user_input, message_history=history) as stream_result:
        collected_text = ""
        async for chunk in stream_result.stream_output():
            text_piece = None
            if isinstance(chunk, str):
                text_piece = chunk
            elif hasattr(chunk, "delta") and isinstance(chunk.delta, str):
                text_piece = chunk.delta
            elif hasattr(chunk, "text"):
                text_piece = chunk.text
            if text_piece:
                collected_text += text_piece
        result = stream_result

    print(f"Agent: {collected_text}\n")
    history = result.all_messages()
What's happening:
  • The agent reads input from the terminal and streams its response
  • Ashby API calls happen automatically under the hood
  • The model keeps conversation history to maintain context across turns

Run the application

python
if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())
What's happening:
  • The asyncio loop launches the agent and keeps it running until you exit

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Ashby and Pydantic AI:

python
import asyncio
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from composio import Composio
from pydantic_ai import Agent
from pydantic_ai.mcp import MCPServerStreamableHTTP

load_dotenv()

async def main():
    api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
    user_id = os.getenv("USER_ID")
    if not api_key or not user_id:
        raise RuntimeError("Set COMPOSIO_API_KEY and USER_ID in your environment")

    # Create a Composio Tool Router session for Ashby
    composio = Composio(api_key=api_key)
    session = composio.create(
        user_id=user_id,
        toolkits=["ashby"],
    )
    url = session.mcp.url
    if not url:
        raise ValueError("Composio session did not return an MCP URL")

    # Attach the MCP server to a Pydantic AI Agent
    ashby_mcp = MCPServerStreamableHTTP(url, headers={"x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY})
    agent = Agent(
        "openai:gpt-5",
        toolsets=[ashby_mcp],
        instructions=(
            "You are a Ashby assistant. Use Ashby tools to help users "
            "with their requests. Ask clarifying questions when needed."
        ),
    )

    # Simple REPL with message history
    history = []
    print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")
    print("Try asking the agent to help you with Ashby.\n")

    while True:
        user_input = input("You: ").strip()
        if user_input.lower() in {"exit", "quit", "bye"}:
            print("\nGoodbye!")
            break
        if not user_input:
            continue

        print("\nAgent is thinking...\n", flush=True)

        async with agent.run_stream(user_input, message_history=history) as stream_result:
            collected_text = ""
            async for chunk in stream_result.stream_output():
                text_piece = None
                if isinstance(chunk, str):
                    text_piece = chunk
                elif hasattr(chunk, "delta") and isinstance(chunk.delta, str):
                    text_piece = chunk.delta
                elif hasattr(chunk, "text"):
                    text_piece = chunk.text
                if text_piece:
                    collected_text += text_piece
            result = stream_result

        print(f"Agent: {collected_text}\n")
        history = result.all_messages()

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

Conclusion

You've built a Pydantic AI agent that can interact with Ashby through Composio's Tool Router. With this setup, your agent can perform real Ashby actions through natural language. You can extend this further by:
  • Adding other toolkits like Gmail, HubSpot, or Salesforce
  • Building a web-based chat interface around this agent
  • Using multiple MCP endpoints to enable cross-app workflows (for example, Gmail + Ashby for workflow automation)
This architecture makes your AI agent "agent-native", able to securely use APIs in a unified, composable way without custom integrations.

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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 Pydantic AI?

Yes, you can. Pydantic AI 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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