How to integrate Boxhero MCP with Pydantic AI

This guide walks you through connecting Boxhero to Pydantic AI using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Boxhero agent that can check current stock levels for a product, list inventory items low on quantity, generate inventory report for this week through natural language commands. This guide will help you understand how to give your Pydantic AI agent real control over a Boxhero account through Composio's Boxhero MCP server. Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the key ideas and tools involved.

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Boxhero is a cloud-based inventory management platform for SMBs, offering real-time updates, barcode scanning, and team collaboration. It helps businesses streamline stock tracking and analytics for smarter inventory decisions.

14 Tools

Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Boxhero to Pydantic AI using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Boxhero agent that can check current stock levels for a product, list inventory items low on quantity, generate inventory report for this week through natural language commands.

This guide will help you understand how to give your Pydantic AI agent real control over a Boxhero account through Composio's Boxhero MCP server.

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

Also integrate Boxhero with

OpenAI Agents SDKClaude Agent SDKClaude CodeClaude CoworkCodexOpenClawHermesCLIGoogle ADKLangChainVercel AI SDKMastra AILlamaIndexCrewAI

TL;DR

Here's what you'll learn:
  • How to set up your Composio API key and User ID
  • How to create a Composio Tool Router session for Boxhero
  • How to attach an MCP Server to a Pydantic AI agent
  • How to stream responses and maintain chat history
  • How to build a simple REPL-style chat interface to test your Boxhero workflows

What is Pydantic AI?

Pydantic AI is a Python framework for building AI agents with strong typing and validation. It leverages Pydantic's data validation capabilities to create robust, type-safe AI applications.

Key features include:

  • Type Safety: Built on Pydantic for automatic data validation
  • MCP Support: Native support for Model Context Protocol servers
  • Streaming: Built-in support for streaming responses
  • Async First: Designed for async/await patterns

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

The Boxhero MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Boxhero account. It provides structured and secure access to your inventory data, so your agent can perform actions like tracking stock levels, managing item records, processing barcode scans, and generating analytics reports on your behalf.

  • Real-time inventory tracking: Instantly let your agent check current stock levels for any item or product in your Boxhero account.
  • Barcode-based item management: Have your agent update inventory using barcode scans, making it easy to add, remove, or audit items with accuracy.
  • Collaborative team updates: Empower your agent to log inventory changes, notify team members, or assign tasks to keep everyone in sync.
  • Inventory analytics and reporting: Ask your agent to generate insights—like low-stock alerts or usage trends—to help you make smarter decisions.
  • Streamlined item entry and editing: Let your agent create new inventory items or update existing records, including descriptions, quantities, and categories.

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

Step by step09 STEPS
1

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Python 3.9 or higher
  • A Composio account with an active API key
  • Basic familiarity with Python and async programming
2

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.
3

Install dependencies

bash
pip install composio pydantic-ai python-dotenv

Install the required libraries.

What's happening:

  • composio connects your agent to external SaaS tools like Boxhero
  • pydantic-ai lets you create structured AI agents with tool support
  • python-dotenv loads your environment variables securely from a .env file
4

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

Create a .env file in your project root.

What's happening:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates your agent to Composio's API
  • USER_ID associates your session with your account for secure tool access
  • OPENAI_API_KEY to access OpenAI LLMs
5

Import dependencies

python
import asyncio
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from composio import Composio
from pydantic_ai import Agent
from pydantic_ai.mcp import MCPServerStreamableHTTP

load_dotenv()
What's happening:
  • We load environment variables and import required modules
  • Composio manages connections to Boxhero
  • MCPServerStreamableHTTP connects to the Boxhero MCP server endpoint
  • Agent from Pydantic AI lets you define and run the AI assistant
6

Create a Tool Router Session

python
async def main():
    api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
    user_id = os.getenv("USER_ID")
    if not api_key or not user_id:
        raise RuntimeError("Set COMPOSIO_API_KEY and USER_ID in your environment")

    # Create a Composio Tool Router session for Boxhero
    composio = Composio(api_key=api_key)
    session = composio.create(
        user_id=user_id,
        toolkits=["boxhero"],
    )
    url = session.mcp.url
    if not url:
        raise ValueError("Composio session did not return an MCP URL")
What's happening:
  • We're creating a Tool Router session that gives your agent access to Boxhero tools
  • The create method takes the user ID and specifies which toolkits should be available
  • The returned session.mcp.url is the MCP server URL that your agent will use
7

Initialize the Pydantic AI Agent

python
# Attach the MCP server to a Pydantic AI Agent
boxhero_mcp = MCPServerStreamableHTTP(url, headers={"x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY})
agent = Agent(
    "openai:gpt-5",
    toolsets=[boxhero_mcp],
    instructions=(
        "You are a Boxhero assistant. Use Boxhero tools to help users "
        "with their requests. Ask clarifying questions when needed."
    ),
)
What's happening:
  • The MCP client connects to the Boxhero endpoint
  • The agent uses GPT-5 to interpret user commands and perform Boxhero operations
  • The instructions field defines the agent's role and behavior
8

Build the chat interface

python
# Simple REPL with message history
history = []
print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")
print("Try asking the agent to help you with Boxhero.\n")

while True:
    user_input = input("You: ").strip()
    if user_input.lower() in {"exit", "quit", "bye"}:
        print("\nGoodbye!")
        break
    if not user_input:
        continue

    print("\nAgent is thinking...\n", flush=True)

    async with agent.run_stream(user_input, message_history=history) as stream_result:
        collected_text = ""
        async for chunk in stream_result.stream_output():
            text_piece = None
            if isinstance(chunk, str):
                text_piece = chunk
            elif hasattr(chunk, "delta") and isinstance(chunk.delta, str):
                text_piece = chunk.delta
            elif hasattr(chunk, "text"):
                text_piece = chunk.text
            if text_piece:
                collected_text += text_piece
        result = stream_result

    print(f"Agent: {collected_text}\n")
    history = result.all_messages()
What's happening:
  • The agent reads input from the terminal and streams its response
  • Boxhero API calls happen automatically under the hood
  • The model keeps conversation history to maintain context across turns
9

Run the application

python
if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())
What's happening:
  • The asyncio loop launches the agent and keeps it running until you exit

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Boxhero and Pydantic AI:

python
import asyncio
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from composio import Composio
from pydantic_ai import Agent
from pydantic_ai.mcp import MCPServerStreamableHTTP

load_dotenv()

async def main():
    api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
    user_id = os.getenv("USER_ID")
    if not api_key or not user_id:
        raise RuntimeError("Set COMPOSIO_API_KEY and USER_ID in your environment")

    # Create a Composio Tool Router session for Boxhero
    composio = Composio(api_key=api_key)
    session = composio.create(
        user_id=user_id,
        toolkits=["boxhero"],
    )
    url = session.mcp.url
    if not url:
        raise ValueError("Composio session did not return an MCP URL")

    # Attach the MCP server to a Pydantic AI Agent
    boxhero_mcp = MCPServerStreamableHTTP(url, headers={"x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY})
    agent = Agent(
        "openai:gpt-5",
        toolsets=[boxhero_mcp],
        instructions=(
            "You are a Boxhero assistant. Use Boxhero tools to help users "
            "with their requests. Ask clarifying questions when needed."
        ),
    )

    # Simple REPL with message history
    history = []
    print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")
    print("Try asking the agent to help you with Boxhero.\n")

    while True:
        user_input = input("You: ").strip()
        if user_input.lower() in {"exit", "quit", "bye"}:
            print("\nGoodbye!")
            break
        if not user_input:
            continue

        print("\nAgent is thinking...\n", flush=True)

        async with agent.run_stream(user_input, message_history=history) as stream_result:
            collected_text = ""
            async for chunk in stream_result.stream_output():
                text_piece = None
                if isinstance(chunk, str):
                    text_piece = chunk
                elif hasattr(chunk, "delta") and isinstance(chunk.delta, str):
                    text_piece = chunk.delta
                elif hasattr(chunk, "text"):
                    text_piece = chunk.text
                if text_piece:
                    collected_text += text_piece
            result = stream_result

        print(f"Agent: {collected_text}\n")
        history = result.all_messages()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())

Conclusion

You've built a Pydantic AI agent that can interact with Boxhero through Composio's Tool Router. With this setup, your agent can perform real Boxhero actions through natural language. You can extend this further by:
  • Adding other toolkits like Gmail, HubSpot, or Salesforce
  • Building a web-based chat interface around this agent
  • Using multiple MCP endpoints to enable cross-app workflows (for example, Gmail + Boxhero for workflow automation)
This architecture makes your AI agent "agent-native", able to securely use APIs in a unified, composable way without custom integrations.
TOOLS

Supported Tools

Every Boxhero action and event your agent gets out of the box.

Delete Item

Tool to delete a specific item (barcode) by its ID.

BoxHero - Delete Location

Tool to delete a specific warehouse location by its ID.

Get Item

Tool to retrieve a specific item (barcode) by ID.

Get Item Attribute

Tool to retrieve a specific item attribute by ID.

Get Location

Tool to retrieve a specific location by ID.

Get Member

Tool to retrieve a specific team member by ID.

Get Linked Team Info

Tool to get information about the linked team and its mode.

BoxHero - List Basic Transactions

Tool to list basic inventory transactions.

List Item Attributes

Tool to retrieve the list of item attribute specifications used within the team.

List Items

Tool to list items.

BoxHero - List Locations

Tool to list warehouse locations.

BoxHero - List Location Transactions

Tool to retrieve the list of transactions in location mode.

List Team Members

Tool to retrieve the list of team members.

BoxHero - List Partners

Tool to list partners (suppliers and customers).

FRAMEWORKS

How to build Boxhero MCP Agent with another framework

OpenAI Agents SDK logo

OpenAI Agents SDK

Use Boxhero MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK

Claude Agent SDK logo

Claude Agent SDK

Use Boxhero MCP with Claude Agent SDK

Claude Code logo

Claude Code

Use Boxhero MCP with Claude Code

Claude Cowork logo

Claude Cowork

Use Boxhero MCP with Claude Cowork

Codex logo

Codex

Use Boxhero MCP with Codex

OpenClaw logo

OpenClaw

Use Boxhero MCP with OpenClaw

Hermes logo

Hermes

Use Boxhero MCP with Hermes

CLI logo

CLI

Use Boxhero MCP with CLI

Google ADK logo

Google ADK

Use Boxhero MCP with Google ADK

LangChain logo

LangChain

Use Boxhero MCP with LangChain

Vercel AI SDK logo

Vercel AI SDK

Use Boxhero MCP with Vercel AI SDK

Mastra AI logo

Mastra AI

Use Boxhero MCP with Mastra AI

LlamaIndex logo

LlamaIndex

Use Boxhero MCP with LlamaIndex

CrewAI logo

CrewAI

Use Boxhero MCP with CrewAI

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

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

Yes, you can. Pydantic AI 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 Boxhero tools.

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Boxhero 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.

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 Boxhero data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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