How to integrate Encodian MCP with CrewAI

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Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Encodian to CrewAI using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Encodian agent that can resize all images in project folder, extract author and page count from pdf, add custom header to every pdf file through natural language commands.

This guide will help you understand how to give your CrewAI agent real control over a Encodian account through Composio's Encodian MCP server.

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

Also integrate Encodian with

TL;DR

Here's what you'll learn:
  • Get a Composio API key and configure your Encodian connection
  • Set up CrewAI with an MCP enabled agent
  • Create a Tool Router session or standalone MCP server for Encodian
  • Build a conversational loop where your agent can execute Encodian operations

What is CrewAI?

CrewAI is a powerful framework for building multi-agent AI systems. It provides primitives for defining agents with specific roles, creating tasks, and orchestrating workflows through crews.

Key features include:

  • Agent Roles: Define specialized agents with specific goals and backstories
  • Task Management: Create tasks with clear descriptions and expected outputs
  • Crew Orchestration: Combine agents and tasks into collaborative workflows
  • MCP Integration: Connect to external tools through Model Context Protocol

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

The Encodian MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Encodian account. It provides structured and secure access to your Encodian document automation suite, so your agent can perform actions like managing files, processing PDFs, encoding or decoding content, and automating workflow tasks on your behalf.

  • File management and property retrieval: Quickly get detailed information about files, move documents between containers, and keep your Microsoft 365 storage organized automatically.
  • Document processing and automation: Direct your agent to add headers and footers to PDFs, extract PDF metadata, or resize images for seamless document formatting and compliance tasks.
  • Base64 content conversion: Effortlessly encode text or files to Base64, or decode Base64 strings back to usable files for secure data exchange and workflow integration.
  • Archive extraction and manipulation: Unzip files and retrieve their contents, making it easy to automate bulk document handling or trigger downstream processing steps.
  • Data integrity and comparison tools: Use hashing and text comparison utilities to verify file integrity, detect changes, or ensure consistency across your documents and workflows.

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Add Attachments to PDFTool to add file attachments to a PDF document.
Add Image Watermark to PDFTool to add an image watermark to a PDF document.
Add Image Watermark to PDF (Advanced)Tool to add an advanced image watermark to a PDF with precise control over positioning, opacity, scale, quality, and rotation.
Array Add ItemsTool to add items to a JSON array at a specified position (first, last, or specific index).
Create ZIP ArchiveTool to create a ZIP archive from multiple documents.
Apply AI OCR to PDFTool to apply AI-powered OCR to a PDF document with optional preprocessing filters.
Apply OCR to PDF (Standard)Tool to apply standard OCR to a PDF document with optional preprocessing filters.
Decode Base64 StringTool to decode a Base64 string to a file.
Base64 EncodeTool to encode a string to Base64.
Calculate DateTool to calculate a date by adding or subtracting a time interval from a given date.
Check Array Contains ValueTool to check if a value exists within a JSON array.
Check Text Contains ValueTool to check if a text string contains a specific value with configurable comparison rules.
Clean StringTool to clean text by removing control characters, invalid filename characters, and custom character sets.
Clean Up Photo ImageTool to clean up photo images by removing artifacts, correcting orientation, and enhancing quality.
Combine ArraysTool to combine two JSON arrays by matching a key attribute.
Compare TextTool to compare two text strings and determine if they match.
Compare Word DocumentsTool to compare two Microsoft Word or PDF documents and generate a document with tracked changes.
Compress ImageTool to compress an image in JPG or PNG format.
Compress PDFTool to compress a PDF document by optimizing images, removing unused objects, and applying various compression techniques.
Concatenate TextTool to concatenate an array of text values with an optional delimiter.
Array to JSONTool to convert an array to a named JSON object.
Array to XMLTool to convert a JSON array to XML format.
Convert File to PDFTool to convert a file to PDF format.
Convert HTML to ImageTool to convert HTML content to an image.
Convert HTML to PDF (V2)Tool to convert HTML content or a URL to PDF format (V2).
Convert HTML to WordTool to convert HTML content to Word (DOCX) format.
Convert Image to GrayscaleTool to convert an image to grayscale.
Convert Image to PDFTool to convert an image file to PDF format with optional OCR.
Convert JSON to ExcelTool to convert JSON data to Excel format.
Convert JSON to XMLTool to convert JSON data to XML format.
Convert Time ZoneTool to convert a date and time value from one time zone to another using Encodian's time zone conversion API.
Convert XML to JSONTool to convert XML strings to JSON format.
Count Array ItemsTool to count the number of items in a JSON array or object.
Create QR CodeTool to generate a QR code barcode image with customizable size, colors, border, and encoding options.
Format Text CaseTool to format text with various case transformations (uppercase, lowercase, title case, etc.
Hash DataTool to compute a cryptographic hash (MD5, SHA256, etc.
Unzip FileExtracts all files from a ZIP archive and returns their base64-encoded contents.
Get Convert Excel SchemaTool to retrieve the dynamic schema for Excel conversion operations.
Get Convert Word SchemaTool to retrieve the dynamic JSON schema for Word document conversion operations.
Get Convert CAD SchemaTool to retrieve the dynamic schema for CAD file conversion operations.
Get Convert Image to PDF SchemaTool to retrieve the dynamic schema for Convert - Image to PDF operations.
Get Convert PowerPoint SchemaTool to retrieve the dynamic schema for PowerPoint conversion operations.
Get Convert Visio SchemaTool to retrieve the dynamic schema for Visio file conversion.
Get Create Barcode SchemaTool to retrieve the dynamic schema for creating a barcode.
Get Crop Image SchemaTool to retrieve the dynamic schema for the Crop Image action.
Get Dynamic Schema for HTTP RequestTool to retrieve the dynamic schema for the HTTP Request utility based on authentication type.
Get Word Insert Text SchemaTool to retrieve the dynamic schema for Word Insert Text operations.
Get File PropertiesTool to retrieve properties of a file.
Get Operation Status for AIRunPromptTextTool to get the operation status of an AIRunPromptText operation.
Get Operation Status for Encodian Send to FilerTool to get the operation status for an Encodian Send to Filer operation.
Get Operation Status Extract ImageTool to retrieve the operation status of a PDF ExtractImage operation.
Get Operation Status for ExtractTextRegionTool to retrieve the operation status of an ExtractTextRegion operation.
Get Operation Status File OnlyTool to retrieve operation status for file-only operations.
Get Operation Status for Image Extract TextTool to get the operation status of an ImageExtractText operation.
Get Operation Status for Multiple FilesTool to retrieve the operation status of a Word MultipleFiles operation.
Get Operation Status - PDF Split BarcodeTool to retrieve operation status for a PDF split barcode operation.
Get Operation Status for Split DocumentTool to retrieve the operation status of a PDF SplitDocument operation.
Get Sign PDF SchemaTool to retrieve the dynamic schema for PDF signing operations.
Get Subscription StatusTool to retrieve Encodian subscription status for Flowr and Vertr.
Resize ImageTool to resize an image by percentage or dimensions.
Move FileTool to move a file between containers.
Add PDF Header FooterTool to add HTML header and footer to a PDF.
Get PDF MetadataExtract comprehensive metadata and properties from PDF documents.
Watermark PDFTool to apply a text watermark to a PDF.
Read QR Code from DocumentTool to read QR codes from PDF or DOCX documents.
Word - Replace Text With ImageTool to replace text with an image in a Word document.
Validate Email AddressValidates an email address string against a custom regex pattern using Encodian's validation API.
Validate URL AvailabilityTool to validate the availability of a specified URL.
Write Range to ExcelTool to write values to a cell range in an Excel worksheet.

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 and API key
  • A Encodian connection authorized in Composio
  • An OpenAI API key for the CrewAI LLM
  • Basic familiarity with Python

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 crewai crewai-tools[mcp] python-dotenv
What's happening:
  • composio connects your agent to Encodian via MCP
  • crewai provides Agent, Task, Crew, and LLM primitives
  • crewai-tools[mcp] includes MCP helpers
  • python-dotenv loads environment variables from .env

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_here

Create a .env file in your project root.

What's happening:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio
  • USER_ID scopes the session to your account
  • OPENAI_API_KEY lets CrewAI use your chosen OpenAI model

Import dependencies

python
import os
from composio import Composio
from crewai import Agent, Task, Crew
from crewai_tools import MCPServerAdapter
import dotenv

dotenv.load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
COMPOSIO_USER_ID = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_USER_ID")

if not COMPOSIO_API_KEY:
    raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set")
if not COMPOSIO_USER_ID:
    raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_USER_ID is not set")
What's happening:
  • CrewAI classes define agents and tasks, and run the workflow
  • MCPServerHTTP connects the agent to an MCP endpoint
  • Composio will give you a short lived Encodian MCP URL

Create a Composio Tool Router session for Encodian

python
composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)
session = composio_client.create(user_id=COMPOSIO_USER_ID, toolkits=["encodian"])

url = session.mcp.url
What's happening:
  • You create a Encodian only session through Composio
  • Composio returns an MCP HTTP URL that exposes Encodian tools

Initialize the MCP Server

python
server_params = {
    "url": url,
    "transport": "streamable-http",
    "headers": {"x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY},
}

with MCPServerAdapter(server_params) as tools:
    agent = Agent(
        role="Search Assistant",
        goal="Help users search the internet effectively",
        backstory="You are a helpful assistant with access to search tools.",
        tools=tools,
        verbose=False,
        max_iter=10,
    )
What's Happening:
  • Server Configuration: The code sets up connection parameters including the MCP server URL, streamable HTTP transport, and Composio API key authentication.
  • MCP Adapter Bridge: MCPServerAdapter acts as a context manager that converts Composio MCP tools into a CrewAI-compatible format.
  • Agent Setup: Creates a CrewAI Agent with a defined role (Search Assistant), goal (help with internet searches), and access to the MCP tools.
  • Configuration Options: The agent includes settings like verbose=False for clean output and max_iter=10 to prevent infinite loops.
  • Dynamic Tool Usage: Once created, the agent automatically accesses all Composio Search tools and decides when to use them based on user queries.

Create a CLI Chatloop and define the Crew

python
print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")

conversation_context = ""

while True:
    user_input = input("You: ").strip()

    if user_input.lower() in ["exit", "quit", "bye"]:
        print("\nGoodbye!")
        break

    if not user_input:
        continue

    conversation_context += f"\nUser: {user_input}\n"
    print("\nAgent is thinking...\n")

    task = Task(
        description=(
            f"Conversation history:\n{conversation_context}\n\n"
            f"Current request: {user_input}"
        ),
        expected_output="A helpful response addressing the user's request",
        agent=agent,
    )

    crew = Crew(agents=[agent], tasks=[task], verbose=False)
    result = crew.kickoff()
    response = str(result)

    conversation_context += f"Agent: {response}\n"
    print(f"Agent: {response}\n")
What's Happening:
  • Interactive CLI Setup: The code creates an infinite loop that continuously prompts for user input and maintains the entire conversation history in a string variable.
  • Input Validation: Empty inputs are ignored to prevent processing blank messages and keep the conversation clean.
  • Context Building: Each user message is appended to the conversation context, which preserves the full dialogue history for better agent responses.
  • Dynamic Task Creation: For every user input, a new Task is created that includes both the full conversation history and the current request as context.
  • Crew Execution: A Crew is instantiated with the agent and task, then kicked off to process the request and generate a response.
  • Response Management: The agent's response is converted to a string, added to the conversation context, and displayed to the user, maintaining conversational continuity.

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Encodian and CrewAI:

python
from crewai import Agent, Task, Crew, LLM
from crewai_tools import MCPServerAdapter
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os

load_dotenv()

GOOGLE_API_KEY = os.getenv("GOOGLE_API_KEY")
COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
COMPOSIO_USER_ID = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_USER_ID")

if not GOOGLE_API_KEY:
    raise ValueError("GOOGLE_API_KEY is not set in the environment.")
if not COMPOSIO_API_KEY:
    raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set in the environment.")
if not COMPOSIO_USER_ID:
    raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_USER_ID is not set in the environment.")

# Initialize Composio and create a session
composio = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)
session = composio.create(
    user_id=COMPOSIO_USER_ID,
    toolkits=["encodian"],
)
url = session.mcp.url

# Configure LLM
llm = LLM(
    model="gpt-5",
    api_key=os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY"),
)

server_params = {
    "url": url,
    "transport": "streamable-http",
    "headers": {"x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY},
}

with MCPServerAdapter(server_params) as tools:
    agent = Agent(
        role="Search Assistant",
        goal="Help users with internet searches",
        backstory="You are an expert assistant with access to Composio Search tools.",
        tools=tools,
        llm=llm,
        verbose=False,
        max_iter=10,
    )

    print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")

    conversation_context = ""

    while True:
        user_input = input("You: ").strip()

        if user_input.lower() in ["exit", "quit", "bye"]:
            print("\nGoodbye!")
            break

        if not user_input:
            continue

        conversation_context += f"\nUser: {user_input}\n"
        print("\nAgent is thinking...\n")

        task = Task(
            description=(
                f"Conversation history:\n{conversation_context}\n\n"
                f"Current request: {user_input}"
            ),
            expected_output="A helpful response addressing the user's request",
            agent=agent,
        )

        crew = Crew(agents=[agent], tasks=[task], verbose=False)
        result = crew.kickoff()
        response = str(result)

        conversation_context += f"Agent: {response}\n"
        print(f"Agent: {response}\n")

Conclusion

You now have a CrewAI agent connected to Encodian through Composio's Tool Router. The agent can perform Encodian operations through natural language commands.

Next steps:

  • Add role-specific instructions to customize agent behavior
  • Plug in more toolkits for multi-app workflows
  • Chain tasks for complex multi-step operations

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FAQ

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

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

Can I use Tool Router MCP with CrewAI?

Yes, you can. CrewAI 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 Encodian tools.

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

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

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