How to integrate Zulip MCP with Claude Agent SDK

This guide walks you through connecting Zulip to the Claude Agent SDK 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 Claude Agent SDK 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.

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Basic

Zulip is a chat platform for distributed teams that blends real-time chat with email-style threading. It keeps conversations organized, making team communication clearer and more productive.

111 Tools

Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Zulip to the Claude Agent SDK 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 Claude Agent SDK 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.

Also integrate Zulip with

ChatGPTOpenAI Agents SDKClaude CodeClaude CoworkCodexOpenCodeCursorVS CodeOpenClawHermesCLIGoogle ADKLangChainVercel AI SDKMastra AILlamaIndexCrewAI

TL;DR

Here's what you'll learn:
  • Get and set up your Claude/Anthropic and Composio API keys
  • Install the necessary dependencies
  • Initialize Composio and create a Tool Router session for Zulip
  • Configure an AI agent that can use Zulip as a tool
  • Run a live chat session where you can ask the agent to perform Zulip operations

What is Claude Agent SDK?

The Claude Agent SDK is Anthropic's official framework for building AI agents powered by Claude. It provides a streamlined interface for creating agents with MCP tool support and conversation management.

Key features include:

  • Native MCP Support: Built-in support for Model Context Protocol servers
  • Permission Modes: Control tool execution permissions
  • Streaming Responses: Real-time response streaming for interactive applications
  • Context Manager: Clean async context management for sessions

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.

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:
  • Composio API Key and Claude/Anthropic API Key
  • Primary know-how of Claude Agents SDK
  • A Zulip account
  • Some knowledge of Python
2

Getting API Keys for Claude/Anthropic and Composio

Claude/Anthropic API Key
  • Go to the Anthropic Console and create an API key. You'll need credits to use the models.
  • 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

npm install @anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk @composio/core dotenv

Install the Composio SDK and the Claude Agents SDK.

What's happening:

  • @composio/core provides Composio integration for Anthropic
  • @anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk is the core agent framework
  • dotenv/config loads environment variables
4

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_anthropic_api_key_here

Create a .env file in your project root.

What's happening:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio
  • USER_ID identifies the user for session management
  • ANTHROPIC_API_KEY authenticates with Anthropic/Claude
5

Import dependencies

import 'dotenv/config';
import readline from 'node:readline';
import { Composio } from '@composio/core';
import { query, type Options } from "@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk";

dotenv.config();
What's happening:
  • We're importing all necessary libraries including the Claude Agent SDK and Composio
  • The dotenv.config() function loads environment variables from your .env file
  • This setup prepares the foundation for connecting Claude with Zulip functionality
6

Create a Composio instance and Tool Router session

async function chat() {
  const { COMPOSIO_API_KEY, USER_ID } = process.env;
  if (!COMPOSIO_API_KEY || !USER_ID) {
    throw new Error('COMPOSIO_API_KEY and USER_ID required in .env');
  }

  const composio = new Composio({ apiKey: COMPOSIO_API_KEY });

  // Create Tool Router session for Zulip
  const session = await composio.create(USER_ID, {
    toolkits: ['zulip'],
  });
  const mcpUrl = session?.mcp.url;
What's happening:
  • The function checks for the required COMPOSIO_API_KEY environment variable
  • We're creating a Composio instance using our API key
  • The create method creates a Tool Router session for Zulip
  • The returned url is the MCP server URL that your agent will use
7

Configure Claude Agent with MCP

const options: Options = {
  permissionMode: 'bypassPermissions',
  mcpServers: {
    composio: {
      type: 'http',
      url: mcpUrl,
      headers: { 'x-api-key': COMPOSIO_API_KEY }
    }
  },
  systemPrompt: 'You are a helpful assistant with access to Zulip tools via Composio.',
  maxTurns: 10,
};
What's happening:
  • We're configuring the Claude Agent options with the MCP server URL
  • permissionMode: 'bypassPermissions' allows the agent to execute operations without asking for permission each time
  • The system prompt instructs the agent that it has access to Zulip
  • maxTurns: 10 limits the conversation length to prevent excessive API usage
8

Create client and start chat loop

const rl = readline.createInterface({
    input: process.stdin,
    output: process.stdout,
    prompt: 'You: '
  });

  console.log('\nChat started. Type "exit" to quit.\n');

  let isProcessing = false;

  async function ask(prompt: string) {
    isProcessing = true;
    rl.pause();

    process.stdout.write('Claude is thinking...');
    const stream = query({ prompt, options });

    let firstChunk = true;
    for await (const msg of stream) {
      const content = (msg as any).message?.content || (msg as any).content;
      if (Array.isArray(content)) {
        for (const block of content) {
          if (block.type === 'text' && block.text) {
            if (firstChunk) {
              process.stdout.write('\r\x1b[K');
              process.stdout.write('Claude: ');
              firstChunk = false;
            }
            process.stdout.write(block.text);
          }
        }
      }
    }
    process.stdout.write('\n\n');

    isProcessing = false;
    rl.resume();
    rl.prompt();
  }

  rl.on('line', async (line) => {
    if (isProcessing) return;

    const input = line.trim();
    if (input === 'exit') {
      rl.close();
      process.exit(0);
    }
    if (input) await ask(input);
    else rl.prompt();
  });

  await ask('What can you help me with?');
}
What's happening:
  • The readline interface is created to handle user input and output
  • The query function is used to send the user's input to the agent
  • The chat loop continues until the user types 'exit' or 'quit'
9

Run the application

try {
  await chat();
} catch (error) {
  console.error(error);
  process.exit(1);
}
What's happening:
  • The chat function is the entry point for the application
  • The try-catch block is used to handle any errors that occur

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Zulip and Claude Agent SDK:

import 'dotenv/config';
import readline from 'node:readline';
import { Composio } from '@composio/core';
import { query, type Options } from "@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk";

async function chat() {
  const { COMPOSIO_API_KEY, USER_ID } = process.env;
  if (!COMPOSIO_API_KEY || !USER_ID) {
    throw new Error('COMPOSIO_API_KEY and USER_ID required in .env');
  }

  const composio = new Composio({ apiKey: COMPOSIO_API_KEY });
  const session = await composio.create(USER_ID, {
    toolkits: ['zulip']
  });
  const mcp_url = session?.mcp.url;

  const options: Options = {
    permissionMode: 'bypassPermissions',
    mcpServers: {
      composio: {
        type: 'http',
        url: mcp_url,
        headers: { 'x-api-key': COMPOSIO_API_KEY }
      }
    },
    systemPrompt: 'You are a helpful assistant with access to Zulip tools via Composio.',
    maxTurns: 10,
  };

  const rl = readline.createInterface({
    input: process.stdin,
    output: process.stdout,
    prompt: 'You: '
  });

  console.log('\nChat started. Type "exit" to quit.\n');

  let isProcessing = false;

  async function ask(prompt: string) {
    isProcessing = true;
    rl.pause();

    process.stdout.write('Claude is thinking...');
    const stream = query({ prompt, options });

    let firstChunk = true;
    for await (const msg of stream) {
      const content = (msg as any).message?.content || (msg as any).content;
      if (Array.isArray(content)) {
        for (const block of content) {
          if (block.type === 'text' && block.text) {
            if (firstChunk) {
              process.stdout.write('\r\x1b[K');
              process.stdout.write('Claude: ');
              firstChunk = false;
            }
            process.stdout.write(block.text);
          }
        }
      }
    }
    process.stdout.write('\n\n');

    isProcessing = false;
    rl.resume();
    rl.prompt();
  }

  rl.on('line', async (line) => {
    if (isProcessing) return;

    const input = line.trim();
    if (input === 'exit') {
      rl.close();
      process.exit(0);
    }
    if (input) await ask(input);
    else rl.prompt();
  });

  await ask('What can you help me with?');
}

try {
  await chat();
} catch (error) {
  console.error(error);
  process.exit(1);
}

Conclusion

You've successfully built a Claude Agent SDK agent that can interact with Zulip through Composio's Tool Router.

Key features:

  • Native MCP support through Claude's agent framework
  • Streaming responses for real-time interaction
  • Permission bypass for smooth automated workflows
You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom business logic, or building a web interface around the agent.
TOOLS

Supported Tools

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

Add Alert Words

Tool to add alert words to the current user's configuration.

Add APNs Device Token

Tool to add an APNs (Apple Push Notification service) device token to Zulip.

Add Default Stream

Tool to add a channel as a default stream in Zulip.

Add Linkifier

Tool to add a linkifier to a Zulip realm.

Add Navigation View

Tool to add a navigation view in Zulip.

Add Reaction

Tool to add an emoji reaction to a Zulip message.

Archive Channel

Tool to archive a channel in Zulip.

Check Messages Match Narrow

Tool to check if specific messages match a narrow filter.

Create BigBlueButton video call

Tool to create a BigBlueButton video call in Zulip.

Create Channel

Tool to create a new channel in Zulip.

Create Channel Folder

Tool to create a new channel folder in Zulip.

Create custom profile field

Tool to create a custom profile field in Zulip.

Create Drafts

Tool to create one or more draft messages in Zulip.

Create reusable invitation link

Tool to create a reusable invitation link for the Zulip organization.

Create Message Reminder

Tool to create a message reminder in Zulip.

Create Saved Snippet

Tool to create a saved snippet in Zulip.

Create Scheduled Message

Tool to create a scheduled message in Zulip.

Delete Draft

Tool to delete a draft in Zulip.

Delete Message

Tool to delete a message in Zulip.

Delete Event Queue

Tool to delete an event queue previously registered via POST /api/v1/register.

Delete Reminder

Tool to delete a reminder from Zulip.

Delete Saved Snippet

Tool to delete a saved snippet by its ID.

Delete Scheduled Message

Tool to delete a scheduled message in Zulip.

Delete Topic

Tool to delete a topic from a Zulip channel/stream.

Edit Draft

Tool to edit an existing draft message in Zulip.

Edit Navigation View

Tool to update a navigation view in Zulip.

Edit Saved Snippet

Tool to edit a saved snippet by updating its title and/or content.

Export Realm

Tool to create a Zulip realm data export.

Get alert words

Tool to retrieve all configured alert words for the authenticated user.

Get Another User Presence

Tool to get the presence status for a specific user in Zulip.

Get Attachments

Tool to retrieve metadata on files uploaded by the requesting user.

Get Channel Folders

Tool to retrieve all channel folders in the organization, sorted by display order.

Get custom emoji

Tool to retrieve all custom emoji configured in the Zulip realm.

Get custom profile fields

Tool to get all custom profile fields configured for the Zulip realm.

Get drafts

Tool to fetch all drafts for the authenticated user.

Get Events

Tool to get events from a Zulip event queue.

Get file temporary URL

Tool to get a public temporary URL for an uploaded file in Zulip.

Get realm icon

Tool to retrieve the URL of the Zulip realm's icon.

Get all invitations

Tool to retrieve all unexpired invitations for the Zulip organization.

Get user group membership status

Tool to check if a user is a member of a specific user group.

Get linkifiers

Tool to retrieve all configured linkifiers in the Zulip realm.

Get message

Tool to fetch a single message by ID from Zulip.

Get Message History

Tool to fetch the complete edit history of a Zulip message.

Get Messages

Tool to fetch messages from Zulip.

Get Navigation Views

Tool to fetch all navigation views for the authenticated user.

Get own user

Tool to retrieve the profile information for the authenticated user.

Get Read Receipts

Tool to retrieve read receipts for a message in Zulip.

Get realm export consents

Tool to retrieve data export consent state for users in a realm.

Get all data exports

Tool to retrieve all data exports for the Zulip organization.

Get Realm Presence

Tool to get the presence status for all users in the Zulip realm.

Get reminders

Tool to fetch all undelivered reminders for the authenticated user.

Get Saved Snippets

Tool to fetch all saved snippets for the authenticated user.

Get Scheduled Messages

Tool to fetch all scheduled messages for the authenticated user.

Get server settings

Tool to retrieve server configuration and available authentication methods.

Get Channel by ID

Tool to get detailed information about a Zulip channel by its ID.

Get channel email address

Tool to retrieve the email address for a Zulip channel.

Get Channel ID

Tool to get a channel's unique ID by its name.

Get All Channels

Tool to retrieve all channels (streams) in Zulip that match specified filters.

Get stream topics

Tool to retrieve all topics in a Zulip channel.

Get Channel Subscribers

Tool to get all subscribers of a Zulip channel.

Get Subscriptions

Tool to retrieve all channels (streams) the authenticated user is subscribed to.

Get subscription status

Tool to check whether a specific user is subscribed to a particular channel (stream).

Get user by email

Tool to fetch a user by email address from Zulip.

Get user channels

Tool to retrieve the list of channel IDs that a specific user is subscribed to.

Get user group members

Tool to retrieve all members of a specific user group.

Get user groups

Tool to retrieve all user groups in the Zulip organization.

Get user group subgroups

Tool to retrieve subgroups of a user group.

Get user status

Tool to retrieve the status currently set by a user in the Zulip organization.

Mark All Messages as Read

Tool to mark all messages as read for the authenticated user.

Mark Stream as Read

Tool to mark all messages in a Zulip channel as read.

Mark Topic as Read

Tool to mark all messages in a topic as read.

Mute Topic

Tool to mute or unmute a topic in a Zulip channel.

Reactivate User

Tool to reactivate a deactivated user in Zulip.

Register Push Device

Tool to register an E2EE (end-to-end encrypted) push device for mobile notifications.

Register Event Queue

Tool to register an event queue for receiving Zulip events.

Remove Alert Words

Tool to remove alert words from the current user's configuration.

Remove Attachment

Tool to delete an attachment in Zulip.

Remove Code Playground

Tool to remove a code playground from a Zulip realm.

Remove Default Stream

Tool to remove a channel from default streams in Zulip.

Remove FCM Token

Tool to remove an FCM registration token for Android push notifications.

Remove Linkifier

Tool to remove a linkifier from a Zulip realm.

Remove Navigation View

Tool to remove a navigation view in Zulip.

Remove Reaction

Tool to remove an emoji reaction from a Zulip message.

Render Message

Tool to render a message to HTML in Zulip.

Reorder Channel Folders

Tool to reorder channel folders in Zulip.

Reorder Custom Profile Fields

Tool to reorder custom profile fields in Zulip.

Reorder Linkifiers

Tool to reorder linkifiers in Zulip.

Revoke Email Invitation

Tool to revoke an email invitation in Zulip.

Revoke reusable invitation link

Tool to revoke a reusable invitation link for the Zulip organization.

Send Message

Tool to send a message in Zulip.

Send Test Notification

Tool to send a test notification to mobile device(s).

Set Typing Status

Tool to set typing status in Zulip.

Set Typing Status for Message Edit

Tool to set typing status when editing a message in Zulip.

Subscribe to Channel

Tool to subscribe users to one or more Zulip channels.

Test Welcome Bot Custom Message

Tool to test welcome bot custom message in Zulip.

Unsubscribe From Channel

Tool to unsubscribe from one or more channels (streams) in Zulip.

Update Channel Folder

Tool to update a channel folder in Zulip.

Update Linkifier

Tool to update a linkifier in a Zulip realm.

Update Message

Tool to edit a message in Zulip.

Update Message Flags

Tool to update personal message flags in Zulip.

Update Message Flags for Narrow

Tool to update personal message flags (e.

Update Realm User Settings Defaults

Tool to update realm-level defaults of user settings in Zulip.

Update Scheduled Message

Tool to edit a scheduled message in Zulip.

Update Settings

Tool to update user settings in Zulip.

Update Status

Tool to update your status in Zulip.

Update status for user

Tool to update the status for a specific user in the Zulip organization.

Update Channel

Tool to update a channel in Zulip.

Update Subscriptions

Tool to update channel subscriptions by subscribing to new channels or unsubscribing from existing ones.

Update Subscription Settings

Tool to update the user's personal settings for channels they are subscribed to.

Update user by email

Tool to update a user by email address in Zulip.

Update User Topic

Tool to update personal preferences for a topic in a Zulip channel.

FRAMEWORKS

How to build Zulip MCP Agent with another framework

ChatGPT logo

ChatGPT

Use Zulip MCP with ChatGPT

OpenAI Agents SDK logo

OpenAI Agents SDK

Use Zulip MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK

Claude Code logo

Claude Code

Use Zulip MCP with Claude Code

Claude Cowork logo

Claude Cowork

Use Zulip MCP with Claude Cowork

Codex logo

Codex

Use Zulip MCP with Codex

Cursor logo

Cursor

Use Zulip MCP with Cursor

OpenClaw logo

OpenClaw

Use Zulip MCP with OpenClaw

Hermes logo

Hermes

Use Zulip MCP with Hermes

CLI logo

CLI

Use Zulip MCP with CLI

Google ADK logo

Google ADK

Use Zulip MCP with Google ADK

LangChain logo

LangChain

Use Zulip MCP with LangChain

Vercel AI SDK logo

Vercel AI SDK

Use Zulip MCP with Vercel AI SDK

Mastra AI logo

Mastra AI

Use Zulip MCP with Mastra AI

LlamaIndex logo

LlamaIndex

Use Zulip MCP with LlamaIndex

CrewAI logo

CrewAI

Use Zulip MCP with CrewAI

OpenCode logo

OpenCode

Use Zulip MCP with OpenCode

VS Code logo

VS Code

Use Zulip MCP with VS Code

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

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.

Yes, you can. Claude Agent 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 Zulip tools.

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.

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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Karan skipped his own birthday party to fix our critical issue. It was 10pm and he diverted his Waymo to help us instead. This really sets the bar — it shows the commitment you need when users rely on your software.

Harsha Gaddipati
Harsha Gaddipati
Co-founder, Slashy

A lot of students tell us that the moment their connected tools start talking to each other inside Opennote feels almost magical. The agent just knows them, and it's immensely helped keep new users on the platform.

Abhi Arya
Abhi Arya
Co-founder, Opennote

We chose Composio over Pipedream because it delivered depth where it mattered — niche tools and tricky edge cases other platforms simply ignored. That gave us confidence to scale without compromising.

Nirman Dave
Nirman Dave
CEO, Zams

As a solo builder, shipping fast is life or death. The only way I can outcompete incumbents is by outmanoeuvring them. Getting bogged down managing agent auth would have been a death sentence.

Ryan Yu
Ryan Yu
Founder, Extra Thursday

Before Composio, adding tool integrations was slow and resource-intensive. Each one could take weeks of engineering time, and maintaining them meant constantly keeping up with API changes.

Tomisin Jenrola
Tomisin Jenrola
Founder & CEO, SwarmZero

With hands-on help from their founder, we integrated Gmail and Google Drive in just 30 minutes. This level of personal support and commitment is exactly what startups should strive for.

Jerome Leclanche
Jerome Leclanche
Co-Founder, Ingram Technologies