How to integrate Serpapi MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK

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Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Serpapi to the OpenAI Agents SDK using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Serpapi agent that can find latest job postings for python developers, show recent stock news for apple inc, list concerts happening in new york this week through natural language commands.

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

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

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

The Serpapi MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your SerpApi account. It provides structured and secure access to real-time search engine results, so your agent can perform actions like scraping search data, analyzing trends, retrieving product listings, and exploring local business information on your behalf.

  • Real-time web search across engines: Instantly fetch structured search results from Google, Bing, Baidu, and DuckDuckGo for any query, including organic results, ads, and rich snippets.
  • Product and marketplace data extraction: Automatically search eBay for products and retrieve detailed, structured product data to power research or price comparison workflows.
  • Event and job listings discovery: Let your agent search Google Events and Google Jobs to uncover upcoming events, conferences, or relevant job postings with granular location and keyword filters.
  • Financial and stock information retrieval: Seamlessly pull the latest company details, stock prices, market news, and trends from Google Finance using a simple query.
  • Location and map-based search: Enable your agent to perform Google Maps searches to find local businesses, attractions, or venues—complete with structured location data and optional GPS-based results.

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Search Baidu with QuerySearch Baidu (Chinese search engine) and retrieve search results.
Bing Maps SearchTool to scrape Bing Maps results using SerpApi.
Bing SearchRetrieve Bing Search Engine Results via SerpAPI (requires active SerpAPI connection; if unavailable, use COMPOSIO_SEARCH_WEB or COMPOSIO_SEARCH_NEWS).
DuckDuckGo Light SearchTool to access the world's fastest DuckDuckGo Search API via SerpApi.
DuckDuckGo Maps searchScrapes DuckDuckGo Maps results via SerpApi.
DuckDuckGo searchPerforms a DuckDuckGo search via SerpApi to retrieve SERP data, including organic results, ads, and structured information.
eBay SearchRetrieve eBay Search Results via SerpApi (requires active SerpApi connected account).
Search Google EventsSearches for events (e.
Search financeRetrieves structured financial information (e.
Get Location OptionsTool to get available location options for Google searches.
Get Facebook profile informationTool to retrieve public information from a Facebook profile or page using SerpAPI.
Get Google About This ResultTool to get Google 'About this result' information for a website.
Get Google Hotels AutocompleteTool to get autocomplete suggestions for Google Hotels destination searches.
Get Google Images Related ContentGet related content for a specific Google Images result.
Get Google Patent DetailsTool to retrieve detailed information about a specific patent or scholar document from Google Patents via SerpApi.
Get Search ArchiveTool to retrieve results from a previous async search using its search ID.
Google Domains ListRetrieve the list of supported Google domains for search queries.
Google Forums SearchTool to scrape forum results from Google's Forums Platform using SerpApi.
Google Jobs SearchRetrieve Google Jobs Search Results via SerpApi.
Google Lens searchPerforms reverse image search using Google Lens to find visually similar images, products, and related content.
Google Light SearchRetrieve Google Light Search Results via SerpApi.
Google Maps PostsScrapes Google Maps Posts for a business location via SerpApi.
Google maps searchPerforms a Google Maps search via SERP API.
Google Play Product SearchTool to retrieve detailed Google Play product information using SerpApi.
Google Scholar Author ProfileScrapes full Google Scholar Author page including articles, citations, metrics, and co-authors.
Google Scholar CiteScrapes full Google Scholar Citations with multiple citation formats.
Google Videos Light SearchTool to scrape Google Videos results using SerpApi's ultra-fast Google Videos Light API.
Hotel SearchRetrieve Google Hotel Search Results.
Image searchSearches Google Images via SERP API for a given query, returning structured image results.
Naver SearchTool to search Naver (South Korea's leading search engine) for Korean web results and content.
Search for news articlesSearches Google News (via SerpApi, `tbm=nws`) for articles matching a query; precise key-phrase queries yield best results.
OpenTable Reviews SearchTool to scrape OpenTable restaurant reviews using SerpApi.
Google Play SearchRetrieve Google Play Store Search Results.
Search Google ScholarSearches Google Scholar via SerpApi for academic literature, papers, articles, and citations based on a query.
Serp API searchPerforms a real-time Google search via the SerpAPI connection (must be active; if unavailable, use COMPOSIO_SEARCH_WEB or other COMPOSIO_SEARCH_* tools).
Search Apple App StoreTool to search Apple App Store for iOS and Mac apps.
Google Images Light SearchTool to scrape Google Images results using SerpApi's Google Images Light API.
Search Google Local ServicesSearch Google Local Services for service providers like electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, and more.
Search Yelp businessesTool to search Yelp for businesses and places using SerpApi.
Shopping searchSearches Google Shopping via SerpAPI for a specific product, returning structured listings in results.
Google Trends searchFetches Google Trends data; returns relative 0–100 interest indices (not absolute volumes) meaningful only when comparing queries within the same request.
Walmart Product ReviewsTool to scrape full Walmart product reviews using SerpApi's Walmart Product Reviews API.
Walmart SearchRetrieve Walmart Search Results.
Yahoo SearchRetrieve Yahoo!
Yahoo Videos SearchScrape Yahoo!
Yandex Images SearchTool to search Yandex Images for image results with advanced filters.
Yandex SearchRetrieve Yandex Search Results.
YouTube SearchRetrieve YouTube Search Results.

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 Serpapi 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 Serpapi.

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 Serpapi Tool Router session
session = composio.create(
    user_id=user_id,
    toolkits=["serpapi"]
)

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

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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FAQ

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

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

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

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

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Context
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Agent.ai
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Rolai

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