How to integrate Census bureau MCP with Codex

Codex is one of the most popular coding harnesses out there. And MCP makes the experience even better. With Census bureau MCP integration, you can draft, triage, summarise emails, and much more, all without leaving the terminal or app, whichever you prefer.

Composio removes the Authentication handling completely from you. We handle the entire integration lifecycle, and all you need to do is just copy the URL below, authenticate inside Codex, and start using it.

Why use Composio?

Apart from a managed and hosted MCP server, you will get:

• CodeAct: A dedicated workbench that allows GPT to write its code to handle complex tool chaining. Reduces to-and-fro with LLMs for frequent tool calling.
• Large tool responses: Handle them to minimise context rot.
• Dynamic just-in-time access to 20,000 tools across 870+ other Apps for cross-app workflows. It loads the tools you need, so GPTs aren't overwhelmed by tools you don't need.

How to install Census bureau MCP in Codex

Codex CLI

Run the command in your terminal.

This will auto-redirect you to the Rube authentication page.

Once you're authenticated, you will be able to access the tools.

Verify the installation by running:

codex mcp list

If you otherwise prefer to use config.toml, add the following URL to it. You can get the bearer token from rube.app → Use Rube → MCP URL → Generate token

[projects."/home/user/composio"]
trust_level = "untrusted"

[mcp_servers.rube]
bearer_token_env_var = "your bearer token"
enabled = true
url = "https://rube.app/mcp"

Codex in VS Code

If you have installed Codex in VS Code.

Then: ⚙️ → MCP Settings → + Add servers → Streamable HTTP:

Add the Rube MCP URL: https://rube.app/mcp and the bearer token.

To verify, click on the Open config.toml

Make sure it's there:

[mcp_servers.composio_rube]
bearer_token_env_var = "your bearer token"
enabled = true
url = "https://rube.app/mcp"

Codex App

Codex App follows the same approach as VS Code.

1. Click ⚙️ on the bottom left → MCP Servers → + Add servers → Streamable HTTP:

2. Restart and verify if it's there in .codex/config.toml

[mcp_servers.composio_rube]
bearer_token_env_var = "your bearer token"
enabled = true
url = "https://rube.app/mcp"

3. Save, restart the extension, and start working.

The Census bureau MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to Census Bureau data resources. It provides structured and secure access to a wide range of U.S. demographic, business, and community datasets, so your agent can retrieve population statistics, analyze survey results, fetch business patterns, and explore census variables on your behalf.

• Retrieve up-to-date population estimates: Have your agent pull the latest demographic and population data for specific states, counties, or cities using the Population Estimates Program (PEP).
• Analyze American Community Survey results: Access detailed ACS 1-year and 5-year estimates for any geography, helping you understand community trends, housing, and economic data.
• Explore business statistics by region: Automatically fetch County Business Patterns (CBP) and Annual Business Survey (ABS) data to examine local industry and employment trends.
• Access decennial census data: Let your agent retrieve variables and statistics from the decennial census by vintage and dataset for deep historical and demographic analysis.
• Investigate variable metadata and definitions: Effortlessly obtain detailed information about any census variable, including descriptions, data types, and valid values for more informed analysis.

Conclusion

You've successfully integrated Census bureau with Codex using Composio's Rube MCP server. Now you can interact with Census bureau directly from your terminal, VS Code, or the Codex App using natural language commands.

Key benefits of this setup:

• Seamless integration across CLI, VS Code, and standalone app
• Natural language commands for Census bureau operations
• Managed authentication through Composio's Rube
• Access to 20,000+ tools across 870+ apps for cross-app workflows
• CodeAct workbench for complex tool chaining

Next steps:

• Try asking Codex to perform various Census bureau operations
• Explore cross-app workflows by connecting more toolkits
• Build automation scripts that leverage Codex's AI capabilities