How to integrate Taxjar MCP with CrewAI

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Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Taxjar to CrewAI using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Taxjar agent that can calculate sales tax for a new order, list all order transactions this month, show my current nexus regions, create a refund transaction for order 123 through natural language commands.

This guide will help you understand how to give your CrewAI agent real control over a Taxjar account through Composio's Taxjar 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 Taxjar connection
  • Set up CrewAI with an MCP enabled agent
  • Create a Tool Router session or standalone MCP server for Taxjar
  • Build a conversational loop where your agent can execute Taxjar 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 Taxjar MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Taxjar MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Taxjar account. It provides structured and secure access to your sales tax data, so your agent can perform actions like calculating sales tax, managing transactions, listing customers, and monitoring nexus regions on your behalf.

  • Real-time tax calculation for orders: Instantly calculate accurate sales tax for new orders, factoring in nexus addresses, line items, shipping, and exemptions.
  • Order and refund transaction management: Let your agent create, list, or delete order and refund transactions to streamline your sales and returns workflow.
  • Customer database access: Effortlessly retrieve, list, or delete customer records for tax reporting and compliance purposes.
  • Nexus region insights: Quickly identify and list all nexus regions where your business has sales tax obligations.
  • Automated transaction reporting: Access up-to-date lists of transactions and refunds for reconciliation, filing, and audit readiness.

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Calculate Sales Tax For An OrderTool to calculate sales tax for an order.
Create Order TransactionTool to create a new order transaction.
Create Refund TransactionTool to create a new refund transaction.
Delete CustomerTool to delete an existing customer.
Delete Order TransactionTool to delete an existing order transaction.
Delete Refund TransactionTool to delete an existing refund transaction.
List CustomersTool to list existing customers.
List Nexus RegionsTool to list existing nexus regions for an account.
List Order TransactionsTool to list existing order transactions.
List refund transactionsTool to list refund transactions.
List Tax CategoriesTool to list all product tax categories and their codes.
Show CustomerTool to show an existing customer.
Show Order TransactionTool to show an existing order transaction by id.
Show Refund TransactionTool to show a refund transaction.
Show Tax Rates for a LocationTool to show sales tax rates for a location.
Summarize Tax Rates for All RegionsTool to retrieve minimum and average sales tax rates by region.
Update Order TransactionTool to update an existing order transaction.
Validate VAT NumberTool to validate a vat number for tax-exempt status.

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 Taxjar 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 python-dotenv
What's happening:
  • composio connects your agent to Taxjar via MCP
  • crewai provides Agent, Task, Crew, and LLM primitives
  • crewai-tools 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
from crewai import Agent, Task, Crew, LLM
from crewai_tools import MCPServerAdapter  # optional import if you plan to adapt tools
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os
from crewai.mcp import MCPServerHTTP

load_dotenv()
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 Taxjar MCP URL

Create a Composio Tool Router session for Taxjar

python
composio = Composio(api_key=os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY"))
session = composio.create(
    user_id=os.getenv("USER_ID"),
    toolkits=["taxjar"],
)
url = session.mcp.url
What's happening:
  • You create a Taxjar only session through Composio
  • Composio returns an MCP HTTP URL that exposes Taxjar tools

Configure the LLM

python
llm = LLM(
    model="gpt-5-mini",
    api_key=os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY"),
)
What's happening:
  • CrewAI will call this LLM for planning and responses
  • You can swap in a different model if needed

Attach the MCP server and create the agent

python
toolkit_agent = Agent(
    role="Taxjar Assistant",
    goal="Help users interact with Taxjar through natural language commands",
    backstory=(
        "You are an expert assistant with access to Taxjar tools. "
        "You can perform various Taxjar operations on behalf of the user."
    ),
    mcps=[
        MCPServerHTTP(
            url=url,
            streamable=True,
            cache_tools_list=True,
            headers={"x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")},
        ),
    ],
    llm=llm,
    verbose=True,
    max_iter=10,
)
What's happening:
  • MCPServerHTTP connects the agent to the Taxjar MCP endpoint
  • cache_tools_list saves a tools catalog for faster subsequent runs
  • verbose helps you see what the agent is doing

Add a REPL loop with Task and Crew

python
print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")
print("Try asking the agent to perform Taxjar operations.\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"Based on the conversation history:\n{conversation_context}\n\n"
            f"Current user request: {user_input}\n\n"
            f"Please help the user with their Taxjar related request."
        ),
        expected_output="A helpful response addressing the user's request",
        agent=toolkit_agent,
    )

    crew = Crew(
        agents=[toolkit_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:
  • You build a simple chat loop and keep a running context
  • Each user turn becomes a Task handled by the same agent
  • Crew executes the task and returns a response

Run the application

python
if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()
What's happening:
  • Standard Python entry point so you can run python crewai_taxjar_agent.py

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Taxjar and CrewAI:

python
# file: crewai_taxjar_agent.py
from crewai import Agent, Task, Crew, LLM
from crewai_tools import MCPServerAdapter  # optional
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os
from crewai.mcp import MCPServerHTTP

load_dotenv()

def main():
    # Initialize Composio and create a Taxjar session
    composio = Composio(api_key=os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY"))
    session = composio.create(
        user_id=os.getenv("USER_ID"),
        toolkits=["taxjar"],
    )
    url = session.mcp.url

    # Configure LLM
    llm = LLM(
        model="gpt-5-mini",
        api_key=os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY"),
    )

    # Create Taxjar assistant agent
    toolkit_agent = Agent(
        role="Taxjar Assistant",
        goal="Help users interact with Taxjar through natural language commands",
        backstory=(
            "You are an expert assistant with access to Taxjar tools. "
            "You can perform various Taxjar operations on behalf of the user."
        ),
        mcps=[
            MCPServerHTTP(
                url=url,
                streamable=True,
                cache_tools_list=True,
                headers={"x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")},
            ),
        ],
        llm=llm,
        verbose=True,
        max_iter=10,
    )

    print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end the conversation.\n")
    print("Try asking the agent to perform Taxjar operations.\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"Based on the conversation history:\n{conversation_context}\n\n"
                f"Current user request: {user_input}\n\n"
                f"Please help the user with their Taxjar related request."
            ),
            expected_output="A helpful response addressing the user's request",
            agent=toolkit_agent,
        )

        crew = Crew(
            agents=[toolkit_agent],
            tasks=[task],
            verbose=False,
        )

        result = crew.kickoff()
        response = str(result)

        conversation_context += f"Agent: {response}\n"
        print(f"Agent: {response}\n")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Conclusion

You now have a CrewAI agent connected to Taxjar through Composio's Tool Router. The agent can perform Taxjar 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

How to build Taxjar MCP Agent with another framework

FAQ

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

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

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

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

Used by agents from

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

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