How to integrate NocoDB MCP with LlamaIndex

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Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting NocoDB to LlamaIndex using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working NocoDB agent that can list all projects updated this week, add a new record to clients table, update status of task id 42 to done through natural language commands.

This guide will help you understand how to give your LlamaIndex agent real control over a NocoDB account through Composio's NocoDB 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:
  • Set your OpenAI and Composio API keys
  • Install LlamaIndex and Composio packages
  • Create a Composio Tool Router session for NocoDB
  • Connect LlamaIndex to the NocoDB MCP server
  • Build a NocoDB-powered agent using LlamaIndex
  • Interact with NocoDB through natural language

What is LlamaIndex?

LlamaIndex is a data framework for building LLM applications. It provides tools for connecting LLMs to external data sources and services through agents and tools.

Key features include:

  • ReAct Agent: Reasoning and acting pattern for tool-using agents
  • MCP Tools: Native support for Model Context Protocol
  • Context Management: Maintain conversation context across interactions
  • Async Support: Built for async/await patterns

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

The NocoDB MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your NocoDB account. It provides structured and secure access so your agent can perform NocoDB operations on your behalf.

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Get User InfoTool to get authenticated user information including email, name, roles, and profile details.
Forgot PasswordTool to initiate password reset process by sending a reset email to the user.
Sign Out UserTool to sign out the authenticated user and clear their refresh token from the database and cookie.
Get Sort MetadataTool to retrieve sort configuration by ID from NocoDB.
Update View ColumnTool to update a column configuration in a view.
Delete ViewTool to delete a view from a NocoDB table.
Delete Table View RowTool to delete a specific row from a table view in NocoDB.
Get Integration InfoTool to retrieve metadata for a specific NocoDB integration by type and subtype.
List IntegrationsTool to retrieve all available integrations in NocoDB.
Store Integration ConfigurationTool to store configuration for a NocoDB integration.
Delete NotificationTool to delete a notification for the authenticated user.
List NotificationsTool to retrieve paginated notification records for the authenticated user.
Poll NotificationsTool to poll for notifications using long-polling mechanism.
Get Plugin StatusTool to check if a NocoDB plugin is active or not.
List Public Shared View Grouped DataTool to retrieve grouped data from a publicly shared NocoDB view.
Upload Attachments by URLTool to upload attachments from remote URLs to NocoDB storage.
Get Table SchemaTool to retrieve complete schema information for a specific table.
Update User ProfileTool to update authenticated user's profile information including display name, first name, and last name.
Get Aggregated Meta InfoTool to get aggregated meta information such as tableCount, dbViewCount, viewCount and other statistics about the NocoDB instance.
Get Application Health StatusTool to get the NocoDB application health status.
Get Application InfoTool to get comprehensive NocoDB application information including authentication settings, version, limits, and deployment configuration.
Get Cloud FeaturesTool to get NocoDB Cloud features.
Get Command Palette SuggestionsTool to get dynamic command palette suggestions based on scope.
Report ErrorTool to report errors to NocoDB's error tracking system.
Get Product FeedTool to get NocoDB product feed from social media sources including GitHub, YouTube, Twitter, and Cloud.
Convert URL to Database ConfigTool to convert JDBC URL or database connection URL to connection configuration object.
List Workspace BasesTool to list all bases in a NocoDB workspace.

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 you begin, make sure you have:
  • Python 3.8/Node 16 or higher installed
  • A Composio account with the API key
  • An OpenAI API key
  • A NocoDB account and project
  • Basic familiarity with async Python/Typescript

Getting API Keys for OpenAI, Composio, and NocoDB

OpenAI API key (OPENAI_API_KEY)
  • Go to the OpenAI dashboard
  • Create an API key if you don't have one
  • Assign it to OPENAI_API_KEY in .env
Composio API key and user ID
  • Log into the Composio dashboard
  • Copy your API key from Settings
    • Use this as COMPOSIO_API_KEY
  • Pick a stable user identifier (email or ID)
    • Use this as COMPOSIO_USER_ID

Installing dependencies

pip install composio-llamaindex llama-index llama-index-llms-openai llama-index-tools-mcp python-dotenv

Create a new Python project and install the necessary dependencies:

  • composio-llamaindex: Composio's LlamaIndex integration
  • llama-index: Core LlamaIndex framework
  • llama-index-llms-openai: OpenAI LLM integration
  • llama-index-tools-mcp: MCP client for LlamaIndex
  • python-dotenv: Environment variable management

Set environment variables

bash
OPENAI_API_KEY=your-openai-api-key
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your-composio-api-key
COMPOSIO_USER_ID=your-user-id

Create a .env file in your project root:

These credentials will be used to:

  • Authenticate with OpenAI's GPT-5 model
  • Connect to Composio's Tool Router
  • Identify your Composio user session for NocoDB access

Import modules

import asyncio
import os
import dotenv

from composio import Composio
from composio_llamaindex import LlamaIndexProvider
from llama_index.core.agent.workflow import ReActAgent
from llama_index.core.workflow import Context
from llama_index.llms.openai import OpenAI
from llama_index.tools.mcp import BasicMCPClient, McpToolSpec

dotenv.load_dotenv()

Create a new file called nocodb_llamaindex_agent.py and import the required modules:

Key imports:

  • asyncio: For async/await support
  • Composio: Main client for Composio services
  • LlamaIndexProvider: Adapts Composio tools for LlamaIndex
  • ReActAgent: LlamaIndex's reasoning and action agent
  • BasicMCPClient: Connects to MCP endpoints
  • McpToolSpec: Converts MCP tools to LlamaIndex format

Load environment variables and initialize Composio

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

if not OPENAI_API_KEY:
    raise ValueError("OPENAI_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")

What's happening:

This ensures missing credentials cause early, clear errors before the agent attempts to initialise.

Create a Tool Router session and build the agent function

async def build_agent() -> ReActAgent:
    composio_client = Composio(
        api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY,
        provider=LlamaIndexProvider(),
    )

    session = composio_client.create(
        user_id=COMPOSIO_USER_ID,
        toolkits=["nocodb"],
    )

    mcp_url = session.mcp.url
    print(f"Composio MCP URL: {mcp_url}")

    mcp_client = BasicMCPClient(mcp_url, headers={"x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY})
    mcp_tool_spec = McpToolSpec(client=mcp_client)
    tools = await mcp_tool_spec.to_tool_list_async()

    llm = OpenAI(model="gpt-5")

    description = "An agent that uses Composio Tool Router MCP tools to perform NocoDB actions."
    system_prompt = """
    You are a helpful assistant connected to Composio Tool Router.
    Use the available tools to answer user queries and perform NocoDB actions.
    """
    return ReActAgent(tools=tools, llm=llm, description=description, system_prompt=system_prompt, verbose=True)

What's happening here:

  • We create a Composio client using your API key and configure it with the LlamaIndex provider
  • We then create a tool router MCP session for your user, specifying the toolkits we want to use (in this case, nocodb)
  • The session returns an MCP HTTP endpoint URL that acts as a gateway to all your configured tools
  • LlamaIndex will connect to this endpoint to dynamically discover and use the available NocoDB tools.
  • The MCP tools are mapped to LlamaIndex-compatible tools and plug them into the Agent.

Create an interactive chat loop

async def chat_loop(agent: ReActAgent) -> None:
    ctx = Context(agent)
    print("Type 'quit', 'exit', or Ctrl+C to stop.")

    while True:
        try:
            user_input = input("\nYou: ").strip()
        except (KeyboardInterrupt, EOFError):
            print("\nBye!")
            break

        if not user_input or user_input.lower() in {"quit", "exit"}:
            print("Bye!")
            break

        try:
            print("Agent: ", end="", flush=True)
            handler = agent.run(user_input, ctx=ctx)

            async for event in handler.stream_events():
                # Stream token-by-token from LLM responses
                if hasattr(event, "delta") and event.delta:
                    print(event.delta, end="", flush=True)
                # Show tool calls as they happen
                elif hasattr(event, "tool_name"):
                    print(f"\n[Using tool: {event.tool_name}]", flush=True)

            # Get final response
            response = await handler
            print()  # Newline after streaming
        except KeyboardInterrupt:
            print("\n[Interrupted]")
            continue
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"\nError: {e}")

What's happening here:

  • We're creating a direct terminal interface to chat with your NocoDB database
  • The LLM's responses are streamed to the CLI for faster interaction.
  • The agent uses context to maintain conversation history
  • You can type 'quit' or 'exit' to stop the chat loop gracefully
  • Agent responses and any errors are displayed in a clear, readable format

Define the main entry point

async def main() -> None:
    agent = await build_agent()
    await chat_loop(agent)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Handle Ctrl+C gracefully
    signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, lambda s, f: (print("\nBye!"), exit(0)))
    try:
        asyncio.run(main())
    except KeyboardInterrupt:
        print("\nBye!")

What's happening here:

  • We're orchestrating the entire application flow
  • The agent gets built with proper error handling
  • Then we kick off the interactive chat loop so you can start talking to NocoDB

Run the agent

npx ts-node llamaindex-agent.ts

When prompted, authenticate and authorise your agent with NocoDB, then start asking questions.

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with NocoDB and LlamaIndex:

import asyncio
import os
import signal
import dotenv

from composio import Composio
from composio_llamaindex import LlamaIndexProvider
from llama_index.core.agent.workflow import ReActAgent
from llama_index.core.workflow import Context
from llama_index.llms.openai import OpenAI
from llama_index.tools.mcp import BasicMCPClient, McpToolSpec

dotenv.load_dotenv()

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

if not OPENAI_API_KEY:
    raise ValueError("OPENAI_API_KEY is not set")
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")

async def build_agent() -> ReActAgent:
    composio_client = Composio(
        api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY,
        provider=LlamaIndexProvider(),
    )

    session = composio_client.create(
        user_id=COMPOSIO_USER_ID,
        toolkits=["nocodb"],
    )

    mcp_url = session.mcp.url
    print(f"Composio MCP URL: {mcp_url}")

    mcp_client = BasicMCPClient(mcp_url, headers={"x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY})
    mcp_tool_spec = McpToolSpec(client=mcp_client)
    tools = await mcp_tool_spec.to_tool_list_async()

    llm = OpenAI(model="gpt-5")
    description = "An agent that uses Composio Tool Router MCP tools to perform NocoDB actions."
    system_prompt = """
    You are a helpful assistant connected to Composio Tool Router.
    Use the available tools to answer user queries and perform NocoDB actions.
    """
    return ReActAgent(
        tools=tools,
        llm=llm,
        description=description,
        system_prompt=system_prompt,
        verbose=True,
    );

async def chat_loop(agent: ReActAgent) -> None:
    ctx = Context(agent)
    print("Type 'quit', 'exit', or Ctrl+C to stop.")

    while True:
        try:
            user_input = input("\nYou: ").strip()
        except (KeyboardInterrupt, EOFError):
            print("\nBye!")
            break

        if not user_input or user_input.lower() in {"quit", "exit"}:
            print("Bye!")
            break

        try:
            print("Agent: ", end="", flush=True)
            handler = agent.run(user_input, ctx=ctx)

            async for event in handler.stream_events():
                # Stream token-by-token from LLM responses
                if hasattr(event, "delta") and event.delta:
                    print(event.delta, end="", flush=True)
                # Show tool calls as they happen
                elif hasattr(event, "tool_name"):
                    print(f"\n[Using tool: {event.tool_name}]", flush=True)

            # Get final response
            response = await handler
            print()  # Newline after streaming
        except KeyboardInterrupt:
            print("\n[Interrupted]")
            continue
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"\nError: {e}")

async def main() -> None:
    agent = await build_agent()
    await chat_loop(agent)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Handle Ctrl+C gracefully
    signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, lambda s, f: (print("\nBye!"), exit(0)))
    try:
        asyncio.run(main())
    except KeyboardInterrupt:
        print("\nBye!")

Conclusion

You've successfully connected NocoDB to LlamaIndex through Composio's Tool Router MCP layer. Key takeaways:
  • Tool Router dynamically exposes NocoDB tools through an MCP endpoint
  • LlamaIndex's ReActAgent handles reasoning and orchestration; Composio handles integrations
  • The agent becomes more capable without increasing prompt size
  • Async Python provides clean, efficient execution of agent workflows
You can easily extend this to other toolkits like Gmail, Notion, Stripe, GitHub, and more by adding them to the toolkits parameter.

How to build NocoDB MCP Agent with another framework

OpenAI Agents SDK

OpenAI Agents SDK

Use NocoDB MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK

Claude Agent SDK

Claude Agent SDK

Use NocoDB MCP with Claude Agent SDK

Google ADK

Google ADK

Use NocoDB MCP with Google ADK

LangChain

LangChain

Use NocoDB MCP with LangChain

Vercel AI SDK

Vercel AI SDK

Use NocoDB MCP with Vercel AI SDK

Mastra AI

Mastra AI

Use NocoDB MCP with Mastra AI

CrewAI

CrewAI

Use NocoDB MCP with CrewAI

Claude Code

Claude Code

Use NocoDB MCP with Claude Code

Codex

Codex

Use NocoDB MCP with Codex

FAQ

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

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

Can I use Tool Router MCP with LlamaIndex?

Yes, you can. LlamaIndex 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 NocoDB tools.

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

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

Used by agents from

Context
Letta
glean
HubSpot
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Entelligence
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Context
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HubSpot
Agent.ai
Altera
DataStax
Entelligence
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Context
Letta
glean
HubSpot
Agent.ai
Altera
DataStax
Entelligence
Rolai

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