How to integrate Zulip MCP with CrewAI

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Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Zulip to CrewAI using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Zulip agent that can post daily standup summary to #team stream, list unread messages from #support stream, reply to the latest thread in #engineering through natural language commands.

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

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

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Add Alert WordsTool to add alert words to the current user's configuration.
Add APNs Device TokenTool to add an APNs (Apple Push Notification service) device token to Zulip.
Add Default StreamTool to add a channel as a default stream in Zulip.
Add LinkifierTool to add a linkifier to a Zulip realm.
Add Navigation ViewTool to add a navigation view in Zulip.
Add ReactionTool to add an emoji reaction to a Zulip message.
Archive ChannelTool to archive a channel in Zulip.
Check Messages Match NarrowTool to check if specific messages match a narrow filter.
Create BigBlueButton video callTool to create a BigBlueButton video call in Zulip.
Create ChannelTool to create a new channel in Zulip.
Create Channel FolderTool to create a new channel folder in Zulip.
Create custom profile fieldTool to create a custom profile field in Zulip.
Create DraftsTool to create one or more draft messages in Zulip.
Create reusable invitation linkTool to create a reusable invitation link for the Zulip organization.
Create Message ReminderTool to create a message reminder in Zulip.
Create Saved SnippetTool to create a saved snippet in Zulip.
Create Scheduled MessageTool to create a scheduled message in Zulip.
Delete DraftTool to delete a draft in Zulip.
Delete MessageTool to delete a message in Zulip.
Delete Event QueueTool to delete an event queue previously registered via POST /api/v1/register.
Delete ReminderTool to delete a reminder from Zulip.
Delete Saved SnippetTool to delete a saved snippet by its ID.
Delete Scheduled MessageTool to delete a scheduled message in Zulip.
Delete TopicTool to delete a topic from a Zulip channel/stream.
Edit DraftTool to edit an existing draft message in Zulip.
Edit Navigation ViewTool to update a navigation view in Zulip.
Edit Saved SnippetTool to edit a saved snippet by updating its title and/or content.
Export RealmTool to create a Zulip realm data export.
Get alert wordsTool to retrieve all configured alert words for the authenticated user.
Get Another User PresenceTool to get the presence status for a specific user in Zulip.
Get AttachmentsTool to retrieve metadata on files uploaded by the requesting user.
Get Channel FoldersTool to retrieve all channel folders in the organization, sorted by display order.
Get custom emojiTool to retrieve all custom emoji configured in the Zulip realm.
Get custom profile fieldsTool to get all custom profile fields configured for the Zulip realm.
Get draftsTool to fetch all drafts for the authenticated user.
Get EventsTool to get events from a Zulip event queue.
Get file temporary URLTool to get a public temporary URL for an uploaded file in Zulip.
Get realm iconTool to retrieve the URL of the Zulip realm's icon.
Get all invitationsTool to retrieve all unexpired invitations for the Zulip organization.
Get user group membership statusTool to check if a user is a member of a specific user group.
Get linkifiersTool to retrieve all configured linkifiers in the Zulip realm.
Get messageTool to fetch a single message by ID from Zulip.
Get Message HistoryTool to fetch the complete edit history of a Zulip message.
Get MessagesTool to fetch messages from Zulip.
Get Navigation ViewsTool to fetch all navigation views for the authenticated user.
Get own userTool to retrieve the profile information for the authenticated user.
Get Read ReceiptsTool to retrieve read receipts for a message in Zulip.
Get realm export consentsTool to retrieve data export consent state for users in a realm.
Get all data exportsTool to retrieve all data exports for the Zulip organization.
Get Realm PresenceTool to get the presence status for all users in the Zulip realm.
Get remindersTool to fetch all undelivered reminders for the authenticated user.
Get Saved SnippetsTool to fetch all saved snippets for the authenticated user.
Get Scheduled MessagesTool to fetch all scheduled messages for the authenticated user.
Get server settingsTool to retrieve server configuration and available authentication methods.
Get Channel by IDTool to get detailed information about a Zulip channel by its ID.
Get channel email addressTool to retrieve the email address for a Zulip channel.
Get Channel IDTool to get a channel's unique ID by its name.
Get All ChannelsTool to retrieve all channels (streams) in Zulip that match specified filters.
Get stream topicsTool to retrieve all topics in a Zulip channel.
Get Channel SubscribersTool to get all subscribers of a Zulip channel.
Get SubscriptionsTool to retrieve all channels (streams) the authenticated user is subscribed to.
Get subscription statusTool to check whether a specific user is subscribed to a particular channel (stream).
Get user by emailTool to fetch a user by email address from Zulip.
Get user channelsTool to retrieve the list of channel IDs that a specific user is subscribed to.
Get user group membersTool to retrieve all members of a specific user group.
Get user groupsTool to retrieve all user groups in the Zulip organization.
Get user group subgroupsTool to retrieve subgroups of a user group.
Get user statusTool to retrieve the status currently set by a user in the Zulip organization.
Mark All Messages as ReadTool to mark all messages as read for the authenticated user.
Mark Stream as ReadTool to mark all messages in a Zulip channel as read.
Mark Topic as ReadTool to mark all messages in a topic as read.
Mute TopicTool to mute or unmute a topic in a Zulip channel.
Reactivate UserTool to reactivate a deactivated user in Zulip.
Register Push DeviceTool to register an E2EE (end-to-end encrypted) push device for mobile notifications.
Register Event QueueTool to register an event queue for receiving Zulip events.
Remove Alert WordsTool to remove alert words from the current user's configuration.
Remove AttachmentTool to delete an attachment in Zulip.
Remove Code PlaygroundTool to remove a code playground from a Zulip realm.
Remove Default StreamTool to remove a channel from default streams in Zulip.
Remove FCM TokenTool to remove an FCM registration token for Android push notifications.
Remove LinkifierTool to remove a linkifier from a Zulip realm.
Remove Navigation ViewTool to remove a navigation view in Zulip.
Remove ReactionTool to remove an emoji reaction from a Zulip message.
Render MessageTool to render a message to HTML in Zulip.
Reorder Channel FoldersTool to reorder channel folders in Zulip.
Reorder Custom Profile FieldsTool to reorder custom profile fields in Zulip.
Reorder LinkifiersTool to reorder linkifiers in Zulip.
Revoke Email InvitationTool to revoke an email invitation in Zulip.
Revoke reusable invitation linkTool to revoke a reusable invitation link for the Zulip organization.
Send MessageTool to send a message in Zulip.
Send Test NotificationTool to send a test notification to mobile device(s).
Set Typing StatusTool to set typing status in Zulip.
Set Typing Status for Message EditTool to set typing status when editing a message in Zulip.
Subscribe to ChannelTool to subscribe users to one or more Zulip channels.
Test Welcome Bot Custom MessageTool to test welcome bot custom message in Zulip.
Unsubscribe From ChannelTool to unsubscribe from one or more channels (streams) in Zulip.
Update Channel FolderTool to update a channel folder in Zulip.
Update LinkifierTool to update a linkifier in a Zulip realm.
Update MessageTool to edit a message in Zulip.
Update Message FlagsTool to update personal message flags in Zulip.
Update Message Flags for NarrowTool to update personal message flags (e.
Update Realm User Settings DefaultsTool to update realm-level defaults of user settings in Zulip.
Update Scheduled MessageTool to edit a scheduled message in Zulip.
Update SettingsTool to update user settings in Zulip.
Update StatusTool to update your status in Zulip.
Update status for userTool to update the status for a specific user in the Zulip organization.
Update ChannelTool to update a channel in Zulip.
Update SubscriptionsTool to update channel subscriptions by subscribing to new channels or unsubscribing from existing ones.
Update Subscription SettingsTool to update the user's personal settings for channels they are subscribed to.
Update user by emailTool to update a user by email address in Zulip.
Update User TopicTool to update personal preferences for a topic in a Zulip channel.

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 Zulip 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 Zulip 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 Zulip MCP URL

Create a Composio Tool Router session for Zulip

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

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

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

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

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

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