How to integrate Toggl MCP with CrewAI

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Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Toggl to CrewAI using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Toggl agent that can start a new time entry for coding, list all clients in my workspace, get details of my current running timer, create a new project for marketing through natural language commands.

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

The Toggl MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Toggl account. It provides structured and secure access to your time tracking data, so your agent can perform actions like logging time entries, managing clients and projects, handling tags, and retrieving detailed activity reports on your behalf.

  • Automated time entry management: Let your agent start, stop, and create new time entries with precise details, making it easy to track your work hours hands-free.
  • Client and project organization: Easily add new clients or projects, fetch client details, or remove outdated clients to keep your workspace up to date and well-structured.
  • Real-time activity tracking: Ask your agent to retrieve the currently running time entry or list recent activities, so you always know where your time is going.
  • Tag management and organization: Automatically create or delete tags to categorize your time entries, helping you analyze how your time is spent across different tasks.
  • Comprehensive workspace administration: Have your agent create organizations, set up workspaces, and ensure all your time tracking infrastructure is ready to go without manual setup.

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Create ClientTool to create a new client in a workspace.
Create OrganizationTool to create a new organization with a default workspace.
Create ProjectTool to create a new project in a workspace.
Create TagTool to create a new tag in a workspace.
Create Time EntryTool to create a new time entry in the specified workspace.
Delete Toggl ClientTool to delete a client in toggl.
Delete TagTool to delete a tag from a workspace.
Get Client DetailsTool to retrieve details of a specific client.
Get Current Time EntryTool to retrieve the current running time entry for the authenticated user.
List ClientsTool to retrieve a list of clients from a toggl workspace.
Get Organization DetailsTool to retrieve details of a specific organization by its id.
Get Organization GroupsTool to retrieve list of groups in a specified organization.
Get Organization UsersTool to retrieve all users in a toggl organization by organization id.
Get Project DetailsTool to retrieve details of a specific project.
Get ProjectsTool to retrieve a list of projects from a toggl workspace.
Get TagsTool to retrieve all tags in a toggl workspace.
List TasksTool to list tasks in a workspace or within a specific project.
Get Time EntriesTool to list the latest time entries for the authenticated user.
Get Time EntryTool to retrieve a specific time entry by its id.
Get User ClientsTool to fetch the list of clients accessible by the authenticated user.
Get User PreferencesTool to retrieve current user's preferences and alpha features.
Get User ProjectsTool to retrieve all projects for the authenticated user.
Get User TagsTool to retrieve tags associated with the current user.
Get User TasksTool to retrieve tasks from projects in which the authenticated user is participating.
Get User WorkspacesTool to retrieve all workspaces the authenticated user belongs to.
Get Workspace DetailsTool to retrieve details of a specific workspace.
Get Workspace PreferencesTool to retrieve workspace preferences.
Get Workspace UsersTool to retrieve all users in a toggl workspace by workspace id.
Stop Time EntryTool to stop a running time entry in a workspace.
Update TagTool to update an existing tag in a specified workspace.
Update ClientTool to update details of a specific client.

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 Toggl 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 Toggl 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 Toggl MCP URL

Create a Composio Tool Router session for Toggl

python
composio = Composio(api_key=os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY"))
session = composio.create(
    user_id=os.getenv("USER_ID"),
    toolkits=["toggl"],
)
url = session.mcp.url
What's happening:
  • You create a Toggl only session through Composio
  • Composio returns an MCP HTTP URL that exposes Toggl 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="Toggl Assistant",
    goal="Help users interact with Toggl through natural language commands",
    backstory=(
        "You are an expert assistant with access to Toggl tools. "
        "You can perform various Toggl 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 Toggl 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 Toggl 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 Toggl 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_toggl_agent.py

Complete Code

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

python
# file: crewai_toggl_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 Toggl session
    composio = Composio(api_key=os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY"))
    session = composio.create(
        user_id=os.getenv("USER_ID"),
        toolkits=["toggl"],
    )
    url = session.mcp.url

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

    # Create Toggl assistant agent
    toolkit_agent = Agent(
        role="Toggl Assistant",
        goal="Help users interact with Toggl through natural language commands",
        backstory=(
            "You are an expert assistant with access to Toggl tools. "
            "You can perform various Toggl 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 Toggl 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 Toggl 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 Toggl through Composio's Tool Router. The agent can perform Toggl 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 Toggl MCP Agent with another framework

FAQ

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

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

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

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

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