How to integrate Nextdns MCP with CrewAI

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Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Nextdns to CrewAI using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Nextdns agent that can block access to adult websites for a profile, download dns logs from last week, show top domains queried by my devices, clear all dns logs for my home profile through natural language commands.

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

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

TL;DR

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

The Nextdns MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Nextdns account. It provides structured and secure access to your DNS security and privacy controls, so your agent can perform actions like blocking domains, managing profiles, analyzing DNS analytics, and clearing logs on your behalf.

  • Dynamic domain and TLD blocking: Instantly add domains or top-level domains to your denylist or security blocklist, helping you stay ahead of new threats.
  • Profile management and configuration: Create, update, or delete NextDNS configuration profiles to tailor DNS filtering and security settings for different users or devices.
  • Comprehensive DNS analytics: Retrieve detailed analytics by device, domain, or client IP to monitor DNS activity, spot anomalies, and optimize security policies.
  • Log management and export: Download DNS query logs for audit or troubleshooting, or clear logs entirely to maintain your privacy.
  • Control over block page settings: Enable or disable the block page for any configuration, giving you flexibility over how blocks are displayed to users.

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Add Blocked TLDTool to add a top-level domain to the security blocklist for a nextdns profile.
Add Denylist DomainTool to add a domain to the denylist of a nextdns profile.
Toggle Block PageTool to enable or disable block page for a configuration.
Clear LogsTool to clear dns logs for a nextdns profile.
Create ProfileThis tool allows users to create a new nextdns profile.
Delete NextDNS ConfigurationTool to delete a nextdns configuration profile.
Download LogsTool to download dns logs for a profile.
Get Analytics DevicesTool to retrieve analytics aggregated by devices.
Get Analytics DomainsTool to retrieve analytics data for domains within a specific profile.
Get Analytics IPsTool to retrieve analytics aggregated by client ip addresses.
Get Analytics IP VersionsTool to retrieve analytics grouped by ip version within a specific profile.
Get Analytics Query TypesTool to retrieve dns query counts broken down by query type.
Get Analytics ReasonsTool to retrieve dns query counts broken down by classification reason.
Get Analytics StatusTool to retrieve analytics status for a specific profile.
Get LogsTool to retrieve logs for a specific nextdns profile with optional filters.
Get Profile DetailsRetrieves the details of a specific nextdns profile.
Get Setup InfoTool to get setup information for a provided configuration (profile).
List ConfigurationsTool to list all configurations (profiles) available on the nextdns account.
List Denylist DomainsTool to list domains in the denylist for a profile.
List Security SettingsTool to list current security options for a nextdns configuration.
List SettingsTool to list settings for a nextdns profile.
Log Client IPsTool to enable or disable logging of client ips for a nextdns configuration.
Toggle Domain LoggingTool to enable or disable logging of domains for a nextdns profile.
NextDNS LoginTool to authenticate to the nextdns api.
Get Monthly QueriesTool to get the number of dns queries made in the current month for a profile.
Remove Blocked TLDTool to remove a top-level domain from the security blocklist for a nextdns profile.
Remove Denylist DomainTool to remove a domain from a profile's denylist.
Rename ConfigurationTool to rename a nextdns configuration (profile).
Set AI Threat DetectionTool to enable or disable ai threat detection for a nextdns configuration.
Toggle Cryptojacking ProtectionTool to enable or disable cryptojacking protection for a nextdns configuration.
Set CSAM BlockingTool to enable or disable blocking of child sexual abuse material domains for a nextdns profile.
Toggle DGA ProtectionTool to enable or disable dga (domain generation algorithm) protection for a nextdns configuration.
Set DNS Rebinding ProtectionTool to enable or disable dns rebinding protection for a nextdns configuration.
Set Homograph ProtectionTool to enable or disable homograph attack protection for a nextdns configuration.
Set Newly Registered DomainsTool to enable or disable blocking of newly registered domains for a nextdns profile.
Toggle Parked Domains BlockingTool to enable or disable blocking of parked domains for a nextdns configuration.
Set Safe BrowsingTool to enable or disable google safe browsing for a nextdns configuration.
Toggle Threat Intelligence FeedsTool to enable or disable real-time threat intelligence feeds for a nextdns configuration.
Toggle Typosquatting ProtectionTool to enable or disable typosquatting protection for a nextdns configuration.
Update linked IPTool to update the linked ip for a nextdns profile.
Update Performance SettingsTool to update performance settings of a nextdns profile.
Update Privacy SettingsTool to update privacy settings for a profile.
Update ProfileTool to update an existing profile.

What is the Composio tool router, and how does it fit here?

What is Tool Router?

Composio's Tool Router 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 Tool Router

The tool router generates a secure MCP URL that your agents can access to perform actions.

How the Tool Router works

The Tool Router 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 Nextdns 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 Nextdns 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 Nextdns MCP URL

Create a Composio Tool Router session for Nextdns

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

url = session.mcp.url
What's happening:
  • You create a Nextdns only session through Composio
  • Composio returns an MCP HTTP URL that exposes Nextdns 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 Nextdns 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=["nextdns"],
)
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 Nextdns through Composio's Tool Router. The agent can perform Nextdns 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 Nextdns MCP?

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

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

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

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