How to integrate Instantly MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK

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Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Instantly to the OpenAI Agents SDK using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Instantly agent that can create a new cold email campaign, add a new lead to your campaign, check unread emails in your inbox through natural language commands.

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

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

Also integrate Instantly 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 Instantly
  • Configure an AI agent that can use Instantly as a tool
  • Run a live chat session where you can ask the agent to perform Instantly 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 Instantly MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Instantly MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Instantly account. It provides structured and secure access to your campaigns, leads, and outreach tools, so your agent can perform actions like launching new campaigns, managing leads, tracking inbox statistics, and handling API credentials on your behalf.

  • Automated campaign creation and management: Ask your agent to launch new cold email campaigns or update existing ones, streamlining your outreach workflow without manual setup.
  • Lead and lead list management: Let your agent add new leads, organize them into lists, or enrich them with AI-driven insights to maximize your campaign effectiveness.
  • Email verification and deliverability tracking: Direct your agent to check the verification status of email addresses or run inbox placement tests to monitor and improve deliverability across providers.
  • Inbox activity monitoring: Fetch unread email counts or campaign engagement metrics, helping you stay on top of your outreach performance in real time.
  • API key and webhook automation: Have your agent create or delete API keys for secure integrations, or set up webhooks to receive instant notifications about important Instantly events.

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Check Custom Tracking Domain StatusTool to check Custom Tracking Domain (CTD) status for email accounts.
Activate CampaignTool to activate or resume a paused campaign.
Add Leads in BulkTool to add multiple leads in bulk to a campaign or list.
Get API KeysTool to retrieve paginated list of API keys for organization.
Bulk Assign LeadsTool to bulk assign leads to organization users.
Get Campaigns Analytics OverviewTool to get analytics overview for one or multiple campaigns.
Import Campaign from ExportTool to import a campaign from exported data.
Check DFY Email Account Order DomainsTool to check domain availability for DFY email account orders.
Check Email Verification StatusTool to check status of an email verification job.
Count Launched CampaignsTool to retrieve the count of launched campaigns.
Count Leads from SuperSearchTool to count leads matching supersearch filter criteria.
Count Unread EmailsTool to retrieve the count of unread emails.
Create AI EnrichmentTool to create an AI enrichment job for a campaign or lead list.
Create API KeyCreates a new API key with specified permissions for the Instantly API.
Create Block List EntryTool to create a new block list entry for a specific email or domain.
Create CampaignTool to create a new campaign.
Create Custom TagTool to create a new custom tag for organizing accounts and campaigns.
Create Inbox Placement TestTool to create an inbox placement test.
Create LeadTool to create a new lead.
Create Lead ListTool to create a new lead list.
Create SubsequenceCreates an automated follow-up subsequence for a campaign.
Create SuperSearch EnrichmentTool to create a supersearch enrichment job for a list or campaign.
Create WebhookTool to create a new webhook endpoint.
Delete API KeyTool to delete an API key.
Delete Block List EntryTool to delete a blocked email or domain entry by its ID.
Delete CampaignTool to delete a campaign.
Delete Custom TagTool to delete a custom tag by its ID.
Delete LeadTool to delete a lead by its ID.
Delete Lead LabelTool to delete a lead label by ID.
Delete Lead ListTool to delete a lead list by ID.
Delete SubsequenceDelete a subsequence from a campaign by its UUID.
Delete WebhookTool to delete a webhook.
Delete Whitelabel DomainTool to delete the whitelabel domain from current workspace.
List Pre-warmed Up DFY DomainsTool to retrieve a list of pre-warmed up domains ready for DFY email account orders.
Disable Account WarmupTool to disable the warm-up process for email accounts.
Duplicate CampaignTool to duplicate an existing campaign.
Duplicate SubsequenceTool to duplicate an existing subsequence to a specified parent campaign.
Enable Account WarmupTool to enable the warm-up process for email accounts.
Export CampaignTool to export campaign data to JSON format.
Get Account Campaign MappingsTool to retrieve campaigns associated with an email account.
Get Daily Account AnalyticsTool to retrieve daily account analytics showing emails sent per day for each account.
Get Accounts Warmup AnalyticsTool to retrieve warmup analytics for specified email accounts.
Get Audit LogsTool to retrieve audit log records for tracking system activities.
Get Block List EntryTool to retrieve a specific blocked email or domain entry by its ID.
Get CampaignTool to retrieve campaign details.
Get Campaign AnalyticsTool to retrieve analytics for campaigns.
Get Campaign Sending StatusTool to retrieve campaign sending status diagnostics explaining why a campaign may not be sending emails or is sending slower than expected.
Get Campaign Steps AnalyticsTool to retrieve analytics data broken down by campaign steps and variants.
Get Current WorkspaceTool to retrieve current workspace details based on API key.
Get Custom TagTool to retrieve a specific custom tag by ID.
Get Custom Tag MappingsTool to retrieve custom tag mappings that connect tags to resources like campaigns and email accounts.
Get Daily Campaign AnalyticsTool to retrieve daily analytics for a campaign.
Get DFY Email Account Order AccountsTool to retrieve DFY (Done-For-You) email account order accounts.
Get Email Service Provider OptionsTool to retrieve email service provider options for inbox placement tests.
Get Inbox Placement Analytics Stats By DateTool to retrieve time-series statistics for inbox placement test results by date.
Get Inbox Placement TestTool to retrieve inbox placement test results.
Get LeadTool to retrieve details of a specific lead by its ID.
Get Lead LabelTool to retrieve a specific lead label by ID.
Get Lead ListTool to retrieve details of a specific lead list by its ID.
Get CRM Phone NumbersTool to retrieve all phone numbers associated with your organization.
Get Similar DFY Email Account Order DomainsTool to generate similar available domain suggestions for DFY email account orders.
Get SubsequenceTool to retrieve a specific subsequence by its ID.
Get SuperSearch EnrichmentTool to retrieve supersearch enrichment configuration and status for a list or campaign.
Get Lead List Verification StatsTool to retrieve verification statistics for a lead list.
Get WebhookTool to retrieve details of a specific webhook subscription.
Get Webhook EventTool to retrieve details of a specific webhook event.
Get Webhook Events SummaryTool to retrieve webhook events summary with success and failure statistics.
Get Webhook Events Summary By DateTool to retrieve webhook event summaries grouped by date.
Get Webhook Event TypesTool to retrieve all available webhook event types.
Get Workspace Billing Plan DetailsTool to retrieve workspace billing plan details.
Get Inbox Placement Deliverability InsightsTool to retrieve deliverability insights for inbox placement tests.
Get Inbox Placement Analytics Stats By Test IDTool to retrieve aggregated inbox placement analytics statistics for specified test IDs.
Create Lead LabelTool to create a custom lead label for categorizing leads.
List Email AccountsTool to list all email accounts for the authenticated user.
List Block List EntriesTool to list blocked emails or domains from blocklist.
List CampaignsTool to list all campaigns.
List Custom TagsTool to list custom tags.
List DFY Email Account OrdersTool to list DFY email account orders.
List EmailsTool to list emails.
List Inbox Placement Blacklist & SpamAssassin ReportsTool to list inbox placement blacklist & SpamAssassin reports.
List Inbox Placement TestsTool to list inbox placement tests.
List Lead ListsTool to list all lead lists.
List LeadsTool to list leads.
List Webhook EventsTool to list webhook events.
List WebhooksTool to list configured webhooks.
Mark Thread As ReadTool to mark all emails in a specific thread as read.
Merge LeadsTool to merge multiple leads into a single lead.
Move LeadsTool to move leads from one campaign to another.
Update Lead LabelTool to update an existing lead label by ID.
Patch SuperSearch Enrichment SettingsTool to update auto-update and skip settings for SuperSearch enrichment.
Patch WebhookTool to update an existing webhook configuration.
Pause CampaignTool to pause an active campaign.
Pause SubsequenceTool to pause an active campaign subsequence.
Remove Lead From SubsequenceTool to remove a lead from a campaign subsequence.
Resume SubsequenceTool to resume a paused campaign subsequence.
Search Campaigns by Lead EmailTool to search campaigns by a lead's email address.
Set Whitelabel DomainTool to set whitelabel agency domain for current workspace.
Share CampaignTool to share a campaign.
Run SuperSearch EnrichmentTool to run all enrichments for resource leads or unenriched leads.
Test Accounts VitalsTool to test IMAP/SMTP connectivity and account vitals for email accounts.
Test WebhookTool to send a test payload to verify a webhook is working.
Toggle ResourceTool to assign or unassign custom tags to resources like accounts and campaigns.
Update Block List EntryTool to update a blocked email or domain entry.
Update CampaignTool to update details of a campaign.
Update Custom TagTool to update an existing custom tag's label or description.
Update Inbox Placement TestTool to update an inbox placement test.
Update LeadTool to update a lead's details.
Update Lead Interest StatusTool to update a lead's interest status.
Update Lead ListTool to update details of a specific lead list by its ID.
Update SubsequenceTool to update a campaign subsequence entity.
Update Current WorkspaceTool to update the current workspace details.
Verify EmailTool to initiate email verification.
Get Admin Workspace Group MemberTool to retrieve admin workspace details for the current sub workspace.
Get Workspace Member by IDTool to retrieve details of a specific workspace member by ID.
Add Workspace MemberTool to add a new member to workspace with email and role.

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 Instantly 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 Instantly.

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 Instantly Tool Router session
session = composio.create(
    user_id=user_id,
    toolkits=["instantly"]
)

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

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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CrewAI

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FAQ

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

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

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

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

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