# How to integrate Needle MCP with Claude Agent SDK

```json
{
  "title": "How to integrate Needle MCP with Claude Agent SDK",
  "toolkit": "Needle",
  "toolkit_slug": "needle",
  "framework": "Claude Agent SDK",
  "framework_slug": "claude-agents-sdk",
  "url": "https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/claude-agents-sdk",
  "markdown_url": "https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/claude-agents-sdk.md",
  "updated_at": "2026-05-12T10:19:54.008Z"
}
```

## Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Needle to the Claude Agent SDK using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Needle agent that can list all document collections i have, show stats for your 'research' collection, find files in collection uploaded this week through natural language commands.
This guide will help you understand how to give your Claude Agent SDK agent real control over a Needle account through Composio's Needle MCP server.
Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the key ideas and tools involved.

## Also integrate Needle with

- [OpenAI Agents SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/open-ai-agents-sdk)
- [Claude Code](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/claude-code)
- [Claude Cowork](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/claude-cowork)
- [Codex](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/codex)
- [OpenClaw](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/openclaw)
- [Hermes](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/hermes-agent)
- [CLI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/cli)
- [Google ADK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/google-adk)
- [LangChain](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/langchain)
- [Vercel AI SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/ai-sdk)
- [Mastra AI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/mastra-ai)
- [LlamaIndex](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/llama-index)
- [CrewAI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/crew-ai)

## TL;DR

Here's what you'll learn:
- Get and set up your Claude/Anthropic and Composio API keys
- Install the necessary dependencies
- Initialize Composio and create a Tool Router session for Needle
- Configure an AI agent that can use Needle as a tool
- Run a live chat session where you can ask the agent to perform Needle operations

## What is Claude Agent SDK?

The Claude Agent SDK is Anthropic's official framework for building AI agents powered by Claude. It provides a streamlined interface for creating agents with MCP tool support and conversation management.
Key features include:
- Native MCP Support: Built-in support for Model Context Protocol servers
- Permission Modes: Control tool execution permissions
- Streaming Responses: Real-time response streaming for interactive applications
- Context Manager: Clean async context management for sessions

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

The Needle MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Needle account. It provides structured and secure access to your semantic search collections, so your agent can perform actions like creating and managing collections, uploading and deleting files, retrieving collection statistics, and listing available data sources on your behalf.
- Collection management and creation: Easily instruct your agent to create new semantic search collections tailored to your data needs.
- File listing and retrieval: Have your agent list and retrieve all files within a specific collection, making it simple to view and organize your indexed data.
- File deletion from collections: Direct your agent to remove unwanted or outdated files from any collection by specifying file IDs for cleanup and maintenance.
- Collection statistics and insights: Ask your agent to fetch real-time statistics on any collection, including document counts, index size, and timestamps to monitor your data health.
- Browse all available collections: Let your agent page through and present all your collections, so you can quickly access, search, or manage your data resources.

## Supported Tools

| Tool slug | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `NEEDLE_ADD_FILES_TO_COLLECTION` | Add files to a collection | Tool to add files to a collection by providing file URLs. Use when you need to add one or more files to an existing collection. URLs can be public or private (generated via the Files API). |
| `NEEDLE_ADD_FILES_TO_LOCAL_CONNECTOR` | Add Files to Local Connector | Tool to add files to a local connector by providing file metadata. Use when you need to add external files to a connector using their URLs. |
| `NEEDLE_CREATE_COLLECTION` | Create Collection | Tool to create a new collection. Use after confirming the collection name. |
| `NEEDLE_CREATE_LOCAL_CONNECTOR` | Create Local Connector | Tool to create a local connector that monitors specified folders on a device. Use when setting up file indexing from a local machine into Needle collections. |
| `NEEDLE_DELETE_FILES_FROM_COLLECTION` | Delete files from a collection | Tool to delete files from a specific collection by providing file IDs. Use after confirming valid file IDs to remove from the collection. |
| `NEEDLE_DELETE_FILES_FROM_LOCAL_CONNECTOR` | Delete files from local connector | Tool to delete files from a local connector by filename or file IDs. Use when you need to remove files from a connector's local storage. |
| `NEEDLE_GET_COLLECTION` | Get Collection | Tool to retrieve details for a specific collection by its ID. Use when you need to get collection metadata including name, creation date, and search query count. |
| `NEEDLE_GET_COLLECTION_STATS` | Get collection stats | Tool to retrieve statistics for a specific collection by its ID. Use when you need document count, index size, and timestamps after confirming the collection exists. Zero document count is a valid response for empty collections, not an error. |
| `NEEDLE_GET_FILE_DOWNLOAD_URL` | Get File Download URL | Tool to get a short-lived signed private download URL for a Needle file. Use when you need to retrieve file content but the public storage URL requires authentication. The returned URL should be used immediately as it expires quickly. |
| `NEEDLE_GET_FILE_UPLOAD_URL` | Get File Upload URL | Tool to get signed URLs for uploading local files to Needle. Use when you need to upload files to a collection. The upload URLs are valid for a short time, so upload files immediately after receiving the URLs. Multiple content types can be specified to generate multiple upload URLs in a single request. |
| `NEEDLE_GET_LOCAL_CONNECTOR` | Get local connector | Tool to retrieve details of a local connector by its ID. Use when you need information about a specific local connector's configuration, device details, and associated folders. |
| `NEEDLE_LIST_COLLECTION_FILES` | List Collection Files | Tool to list all files within a specific collection by its ID. Returns file metadata (including file URLs) only — not document text content; fetch file URLs separately to access content. Use when you have a collection ID and need to retrieve its files. Supports pagination. |
| `NEEDLE_LIST_COLLECTIONS` | List Collections | Tool to list collections. Use after authenticating with your API key to page through collections. Similar collection names can exist; always verify the correct `collection_id` from results before performing subsequent operations. |
| `NEEDLE_LIST_CONNECTORS` | List Connectors | Tool to list connectors. Use to retrieve all configured connectors in your account. |
| `NEEDLE_LIST_LOCAL_CONNECTORS` | List Local Connectors | Tool to list local connectors. Use to retrieve all local connectors configured in your Needle account. |
| `NEEDLE_SEARCH_COLLECTION` | Search Collection | Tool to perform semantic search within a specific Needle collection and return ranked results with source references. Use when you need to retrieve relevant content from a known collection using natural language queries. |

## Supported Triggers

None listed.

## Creating MCP Server - Stand-alone vs Composio SDK

The Needle MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent to Needle. It provides structured and secure access so your agent can perform Needle operations on your behalf through a secure, permission-based interface.
With Composio's managed implementation, you don't have to create your own developer app. For production, if you're building an end product, we recommend using your own credentials. The managed server helps you prototype fast and go from 0-1 faster.

## Step-by-step Guide

### 1. Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
- Composio API Key and Claude/Anthropic API Key
- Primary know-how of Claude Agents SDK
- A Needle account
- Some knowledge of Python

### 1. Getting API Keys for Claude/Anthropic and Composio

Claude/Anthropic API Key
- Go to the [Anthropic Console](https://console.anthropic.com/settings/organization/api-keys) and create an API key. You'll need credits to use the models.
- Keep the API key safe.
Composio API Key
- Log in to the [Composio dashboard](https://dashboard.composio.dev?utm_source=toolkits&utm_medium=framework_docs).
- Navigate to your API settings and generate a new API key.
- Store this key securely as you'll need it for authentication.

### 2. Install dependencies

No description provided.
```python
pip install composio-anthropic claude-agent-sdk python-dotenv
```

```typescript
npm install @anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk @composio/core dotenv
```

### 3. Set up environment variables

Create a .env file in your project root.
What's happening:
- COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio
- USER_ID identifies the user for session management
- ANTHROPIC_API_KEY authenticates with Anthropic/Claude
```bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_anthropic_api_key_here
```

### 4. Import dependencies

No description provided.
```python
import asyncio
from claude_agent_sdk import ClaudeSDKClient, ClaudeAgentOptions
import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()
```

```typescript
import 'dotenv/config';
import readline from 'node:readline';
import { Composio } from '@composio/core';
import { query, type Options } from "@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk";

dotenv.config();
```

### 5. Create a Composio instance and Tool Router session

No description provided.
```python
async def chat_with_remote_mcp():
    api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
    if not api_key:
        raise RuntimeError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set")

    composio = Composio(api_key=api_key)

    # Create Tool Router session for Needle
    mcp_server = composio.create(
        user_id=os.getenv("USER_ID"),
        toolkits=["needle"]
    )

    url = mcp_server.mcp.url

    if not url:
        raise ValueError("Session URL not found")
```

```typescript
async function chat() {
  const { COMPOSIO_API_KEY, USER_ID } = process.env;
  if (!COMPOSIO_API_KEY || !USER_ID) {
    throw new Error('COMPOSIO_API_KEY and USER_ID required in .env');
  }

  const composio = new Composio({ apiKey: COMPOSIO_API_KEY });

  // Create Tool Router session for Needle
  const session = await composio.create(USER_ID, {
    toolkits: ['needle'],
  });
  const mcpUrl = session?.mcp.url;
```

### 6. Configure Claude Agent with MCP

No description provided.
```python
# Configure remote MCP server for Claude
options = ClaudeAgentOptions(
    permission_mode="bypassPermissions",
    mcp_servers={
        "composio": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": url,
            "headers": {
                "x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
            }
        }
    },
    system_prompt="You are a helpful assistant with access to Needle tools via Composio.",
    max_turns=10
)
```

```typescript
const options: Options = {
  permissionMode: 'bypassPermissions',
  mcpServers: {
    composio: {
      type: 'http',
      url: mcpUrl,
      headers: { 'x-api-key': COMPOSIO_API_KEY }
    }
  },
  systemPrompt: 'You are a helpful assistant with access to Needle tools via Composio.',
  maxTurns: 10,
};
```

### 7. Create client and start chat loop

No description provided.
```python
# Create client with context manager
async with ClaudeSDKClient(options=options) as client:
    print("\nChat started. Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")

    # Main chat loop
    while True:
        user_input = input("You: ").strip()
        if user_input.lower() in {"exit", "quit"}:
            print("Goodbye!")
            break

        # Send query
        await client.query(user_input)

        # Receive and print response
        print("Claude: ", end="", flush=True)
        async for message in client.receive_response():
            if hasattr(message, "content"):
                for block in message.content:
                    if hasattr(block, "text"):
                        print(block.text, end="", flush=True)
        print()
```

```typescript
const rl = readline.createInterface({
    input: process.stdin,
    output: process.stdout,
    prompt: 'You: '
  });

  console.log('\nChat started. Type "exit" to quit.\n');

  let isProcessing = false;

  async function ask(prompt: string) {
    isProcessing = true;
    rl.pause();

    process.stdout.write('Claude is thinking...');
    const stream = query({ prompt, options });

    let firstChunk = true;
    for await (const msg of stream) {
      const content = (msg as any).message?.content || (msg as any).content;
      if (Array.isArray(content)) {
        for (const block of content) {
          if (block.type === 'text' && block.text) {
            if (firstChunk) {
              process.stdout.write('\r\x1b[K');
              process.stdout.write('Claude: ');
              firstChunk = false;
            }
            process.stdout.write(block.text);
          }
        }
      }
    }
    process.stdout.write('\n\n');

    isProcessing = false;
    rl.resume();
    rl.prompt();
  }

  rl.on('line', async (line) => {
    if (isProcessing) return;

    const input = line.trim();
    if (input === 'exit') {
      rl.close();
      process.exit(0);
    }
    if (input) await ask(input);
    else rl.prompt();
  });

  await ask('What can you help me with?');
}
```

### 8. Run the application

No description provided.
```python
if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(chat_with_remote_mcp())
```

```typescript
try {
  await chat();
} catch (error) {
  console.error(error);
  process.exit(1);
}
```

## Complete Code

```python
import asyncio
from claude_agent_sdk import ClaudeSDKClient, ClaudeAgentOptions
import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

async def chat_with_remote_mcp():
    api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
    if not api_key:
        raise RuntimeError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set")

    composio = Composio(api_key=api_key)

    # Create Tool Router session for Needle
    mcp_server = composio.create(
        user_id=os.getenv("USER_ID"),
        toolkits=["needle"]
    )

    url = mcp_server.mcp.url

    if not url:
        raise ValueError("Session URL not found")

    # Configure remote MCP server for Claude
    options = ClaudeAgentOptions(
        permission_mode="bypassPermissions",
        mcp_servers={
            "composio": {
                "type": "http",
                "url": url,
                "headers": {
                    "x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
                }
            }
        },
        system_prompt="You are a helpful assistant with access to Needle tools via Composio.",
        max_turns=10
    )

    # Create client with context manager
    async with ClaudeSDKClient(options=options) as client:
        print("\nChat started. Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")

        # Main chat loop
        while True:
            user_input = input("You: ").strip()
            if user_input.lower() in {"exit", "quit"}:
                print("Goodbye!")
                break

            # Send query
            await client.query(user_input)

            # Receive and print response
            print("Claude: ", end="", flush=True)
            async for message in client.receive_response():
                if hasattr(message, "content"):
                    for block in message.content:
                        if hasattr(block, "text"):
                            print(block.text, end="", flush=True)
            print()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(chat_with_remote_mcp())
```

```typescript
import 'dotenv/config';
import readline from 'node:readline';
import { Composio } from '@composio/core';
import { query, type Options } from "@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk";

async function chat() {
  const { COMPOSIO_API_KEY, USER_ID } = process.env;
  if (!COMPOSIO_API_KEY || !USER_ID) {
    throw new Error('COMPOSIO_API_KEY and USER_ID required in .env');
  }

  const composio = new Composio({ apiKey: COMPOSIO_API_KEY });
  const session = await composio.create(USER_ID, {
    toolkits: ['needle']
  });
  const mcp_url = session?.mcp.url;

  const options: Options = {
    permissionMode: 'bypassPermissions',
    mcpServers: {
      composio: {
        type: 'http',
        url: mcp_url,
        headers: { 'x-api-key': COMPOSIO_API_KEY }
      }
    },
    systemPrompt: 'You are a helpful assistant with access to Needle tools via Composio.',
    maxTurns: 10,
  };

  const rl = readline.createInterface({
    input: process.stdin,
    output: process.stdout,
    prompt: 'You: '
  });

  console.log('\nChat started. Type "exit" to quit.\n');

  let isProcessing = false;

  async function ask(prompt: string) {
    isProcessing = true;
    rl.pause();

    process.stdout.write('Claude is thinking...');
    const stream = query({ prompt, options });

    let firstChunk = true;
    for await (const msg of stream) {
      const content = (msg as any).message?.content || (msg as any).content;
      if (Array.isArray(content)) {
        for (const block of content) {
          if (block.type === 'text' && block.text) {
            if (firstChunk) {
              process.stdout.write('\r\x1b[K');
              process.stdout.write('Claude: ');
              firstChunk = false;
            }
            process.stdout.write(block.text);
          }
        }
      }
    }
    process.stdout.write('\n\n');

    isProcessing = false;
    rl.resume();
    rl.prompt();
  }

  rl.on('line', async (line) => {
    if (isProcessing) return;

    const input = line.trim();
    if (input === 'exit') {
      rl.close();
      process.exit(0);
    }
    if (input) await ask(input);
    else rl.prompt();
  });

  await ask('What can you help me with?');
}

try {
  await chat();
} catch (error) {
  console.error(error);
  process.exit(1);
}
```

## Conclusion

You've successfully built a Claude Agent SDK agent that can interact with Needle through Composio's Tool Router.
Key features:
- Native MCP support through Claude's agent framework
- Streaming responses for real-time interaction
- Permission bypass for smooth automated workflows
You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom business logic, or building a web interface around the agent.

## How to build Needle MCP Agent with another framework

- [OpenAI Agents SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/open-ai-agents-sdk)
- [Claude Code](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/claude-code)
- [Claude Cowork](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/claude-cowork)
- [Codex](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/codex)
- [OpenClaw](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/openclaw)
- [Hermes](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/hermes-agent)
- [CLI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/cli)
- [Google ADK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/google-adk)
- [LangChain](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/langchain)
- [Vercel AI SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/ai-sdk)
- [Mastra AI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/mastra-ai)
- [LlamaIndex](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/llama-index)
- [CrewAI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/needle/framework/crew-ai)

## Related Toolkits

- [Composio](https://composio.dev/toolkits/composio) - Composio is an integration platform that connects AI agents with hundreds of business tools. It streamlines authentication and lets you trigger actions across services—no custom code needed.
- [Composio search](https://composio.dev/toolkits/composio_search) - Composio search is a unified web search toolkit spanning travel, e-commerce, news, financial markets, images, and more. It lets you and your apps tap into up-to-date web data from a single, easy-to-integrate service.
- [Perplexityai](https://composio.dev/toolkits/perplexityai) - Perplexityai delivers natural, conversational AI models for generating human-like text. Instantly get context-aware, high-quality responses for chat, search, or complex workflows.
- [Browser tool](https://composio.dev/toolkits/browser_tool) - Browser tool is a virtual browser integration that lets AI agents interact with the web programmatically. It enables automated browsing, scraping, and action-taking from any AI workflow.
- [Ai ml api](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ai_ml_api) - Ai ml api is a suite of AI/ML models for natural language and image tasks. It provides fast, scalable access to advanced AI capabilities for your apps and workflows.
- [Aivoov](https://composio.dev/toolkits/aivoov) - Aivoov is an AI-powered text-to-speech platform offering 1,000+ voices in over 150 languages. Instantly turn written content into natural, human-like audio for any application.
- [All images ai](https://composio.dev/toolkits/all_images_ai) - All-Images.ai is an AI-powered image generation and management platform. It helps you create, search, and organize images effortlessly with advanced AI capabilities.
- [Anthropic administrator](https://composio.dev/toolkits/anthropic_administrator) - Anthropic administrator is an API for managing Anthropic organizational resources like members, workspaces, and API keys. It helps you automate admin tasks and streamline resource management across your Anthropic organization.
- [Api labz](https://composio.dev/toolkits/api_labz) - Api labz is a platform offering a suite of AI-driven APIs and workflow tools. It helps developers automate tasks and build smarter, more efficient applications.
- [Apipie ai](https://composio.dev/toolkits/apipie_ai) - Apipie ai is an AI model aggregator offering a single API for accessing top AI models from multiple providers. It helps developers build cost-efficient, latency-optimized AI solutions without juggling multiple integrations.
- [Astica ai](https://composio.dev/toolkits/astica_ai) - Astica ai provides APIs for computer vision, NLP, and voice synthesis. Integrate advanced AI features into your app with a single API key.
- [Bigml](https://composio.dev/toolkits/bigml) - BigML is a machine learning platform that lets you build, train, and deploy predictive models from your data. Its intuitive interface and robust API make machine learning accessible and efficient.
- [Botbaba](https://composio.dev/toolkits/botbaba) - Botbaba is a platform for building, managing, and deploying conversational AI chatbots across messaging channels. It streamlines chatbot automation, making it easier to integrate AI into customer interactions.
- [Botpress](https://composio.dev/toolkits/botpress) - Botpress is an open-source platform for building, deploying, and managing chatbots. It helps teams automate conversations and deliver rich, interactive messaging experiences.
- [Chatbotkit](https://composio.dev/toolkits/chatbotkit) - Chatbotkit is a platform for building and managing AI-powered chatbots using robust APIs and SDKs. It lets you easily add conversational AI to your apps for better user engagement.
- [Cody](https://composio.dev/toolkits/cody) - Cody is an AI assistant built for businesses, trained on your company's knowledge and data. It delivers instant answers and insights, tailored for your team.
- [Context7 MCP](https://composio.dev/toolkits/context7_mcp) - Context7 MCP delivers live, version-specific code docs and examples right from the source. It helps developers and AI agents instantly retrieve authoritative programming info—no more out-of-date docs.
- [Customgpt](https://composio.dev/toolkits/customgpt) - CustomGPT.ai lets you build and deploy chatbots tailored to your own data and business needs. Get precise and context-aware AI conversations without writing code.
- [Datarobot](https://composio.dev/toolkits/datarobot) - Datarobot is a machine learning platform that automates model development, deployment, and monitoring. It empowers organizations to quickly gain predictive insights from large datasets.
- [Deepgram](https://composio.dev/toolkits/deepgram) - Deepgram is an AI-powered speech recognition platform for accurate audio transcription and understanding. It enables fast, scalable speech-to-text with advanced audio intelligence features.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What are the differences in Tool Router MCP and Needle MCP?

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

### Can I use Tool Router MCP with Claude Agent SDK?

Yes, you can. Claude Agent 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 Needle tools.

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

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

---
[See all toolkits](https://composio.dev/toolkits) · [Composio docs](https://docs.composio.dev/llms.txt)