How to integrate Zulip MCP with LlamaIndex

This guide walks you through connecting Zulip to LlamaIndex 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 LlamaIndex 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.

Zulip logoZulip
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 LlamaIndex 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 LlamaIndex 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

TL;DR

Here's what you'll learn:
  • Set your OpenAI and Composio API keys
  • Install LlamaIndex and Composio packages
  • Create a Composio Tool Router session for Zulip
  • Connect LlamaIndex to the Zulip MCP server
  • Build a Zulip-powered agent using LlamaIndex
  • Interact with Zulip through natural language

What is LlamaIndex?

LlamaIndex is a data framework for building LLM applications. It provides tools for connecting LLMs to external data sources and services through agents and tools.

Key features include:

  • ReAct Agent: Reasoning and acting pattern for tool-using agents
  • MCP Tools: Native support for Model Context Protocol
  • Context Management: Maintain conversation context across interactions
  • Async Support: Built for async/await patterns

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 step10 STEPS
1

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:
  • Python 3.8/Node 16 or higher installed
  • A Composio account with the API key
  • An OpenAI API key
  • A Zulip account and project
  • Basic familiarity with async Python/Typescript
2

Getting API Keys for OpenAI, Composio, and Zulip

OpenAI API key (OPENAI_API_KEY)
  • Go to the OpenAI dashboard
  • Create an API key if you don't have one
  • Assign it to OPENAI_API_KEY in .env
Composio API key and user ID
  • Log into the Composio dashboard
  • Copy your API key from Settings
    • Use this as COMPOSIO_API_KEY
  • Pick a stable user identifier (email or ID)
    • Use this as COMPOSIO_USER_ID
3

Installing dependencies

npm install @composio/llamaindex @llamaindex/openai @llamaindex/tools @llamaindex/workflow dotenv

Create a new Typescript project and install the necessary dependencies:

  • @composio/llamaindex: Composio's LlamaIndex integration
  • @llamaindex/openai: OpenAI LLM integration
  • @llamaindex/tools: MCP client for LlamaIndex
  • @llamaindex/workflow: Workflow framework for LlamaIndex
  • dotenv: Environment variable management
4

Set environment variables

bash
OPENAI_API_KEY=your-openai-api-key
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your-composio-api-key
COMPOSIO_USER_ID=your-user-id

Create a .env file in your project root:

These credentials will be used to:

  • Authenticate with OpenAI's GPT-5 model
  • Connect to Composio's Tool Router
  • Identify your Composio user session for Zulip access
5

Import modules

import "dotenv/config";
import readline from "node:readline/promises";
import { stdin as input, stdout as output } from "node:process";

import { Composio } from "@composio/core";

import { mcp } from "@llamaindex/tools";
import { agent as createAgent } from "@llamaindex/workflow";
import { openai } from "@llamaindex/openai";

dotenv.config();

Create a new file called zulip_llamaindex_agent.ts and import the required modules:

Key imports:

  • dotenv.config loads .env at runtime
  • readline gives us a simple CLI chat loop
  • Composio is the main Composio SDK client
  • mcp connects to an MCP endpoint
  • createAgent builds a LlamaIndex agent
  • openai configures the LLM backend
6

Load environment variables and initialize Composio

const OPENAI_API_KEY = process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY;
const COMPOSIO_API_KEY = process.env.COMPOSIO_API_KEY;
const COMPOSIO_USER_ID = process.env.COMPOSIO_USER_ID;

if (!OPENAI_API_KEY) throw new Error("OPENAI_API_KEY is not set");
if (!COMPOSIO_API_KEY) throw new Error("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set");
if (!COMPOSIO_USER_ID) throw new Error("COMPOSIO_USER_ID is not set");

What's happening:

This ensures missing credentials cause early, clear errors before the agent attempts to initialise.

7

Create a Tool Router session and build the agent function

async function buildAgent() {

  console.log(`Initializing Composio client...${COMPOSIO_USER_ID!}...`);
  console.log(`COMPOSIO_USER_ID: ${COMPOSIO_USER_ID!}...`);

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

  const session = await composio.create(
    COMPOSIO_USER_ID!,
    {
      toolkits: ["zulip"],
    },
  );

  const mcpUrl = session.mcp.url;
  console.log(`Composio Tool Router MCP URL: ${mcpUrl}`);

  const server = mcp({
    url: mcpUrl,
    clientName: "composio_tool_router_with_llamaindex",
    requestInit: {
      headers: {
        "x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY!,
      },
    },
    // verbose: true,
  });

  const tools = await server.tools();

  const llm = openai({ apiKey: OPENAI_API_KEY, model: "gpt-5" });

  const agent = createAgent({
    name: "composio_tool_router_with_llamaindex",
        description : "An agent that uses Composio Tool Router MCP tools to perform actions.",
    systemPrompt:
      "You are a helpful assistant connected to Composio Tool Router."+
"Use the available tools to answer user queries and perform Zulip actions." ,
    llm,
    tools,
  });

  return agent;
}

What's happening here:

  • We create a Composio client using your API key and configure it with the LlamaIndex provider
  • We then create a tool router MCP session for your user, specifying the toolkits we want to use (in this case, zulip)
  • The session returns an MCP HTTP endpoint URL that acts as a gateway to all your configured tools
  • LlamaIndex will connect to this endpoint to dynamically discover and use the available Zulip tools.
  • The MCP tools are mapped to LlamaIndex-compatible tools and plug them into the Agent.
8

Create an interactive chat loop

async function chatLoop(agent: ReturnType<typeof createAgent>) {
  const rl = readline.createInterface({ input, output });

  console.log("Type 'quit' or 'exit' to stop.");

  while (true) {
    let userInput: string;

    try {
      userInput = (await rl.question("\nYou: ")).trim();
    } catch {
      console.log("\nAgent: Bye!");
      break;
    }

    if (!userInput) {
      continue;
    }

    const lower = userInput.toLowerCase();
    if (lower === "quit" || lower === "exit") {
      console.log("Agent: Bye!");
      break;
    }

    try {
      process.stdout.write("Agent: ");

      const stream = agent.runStream(userInput);
      let finalResult: any = null;

      for await (const event of stream) {
        // The event.data contains the streamed content
        const data: any = event.data;

        // Check for streaming delta content
        if (data?.delta) {
          process.stdout.write(data.delta);
        }

        // Store final result for fallback
        if (data?.result || data?.message) {
          finalResult = data;
        }
      }

      // If no streaming happened, show the final result
      if (finalResult) {
        const answer =
          finalResult.result ??
          finalResult.message?.content ??
          finalResult.message ??
          "";
        if (answer && typeof answer === "string" && !answer.includes("[object")) {
          process.stdout.write(answer);
        }
      }

      console.log(); // New line after streaming completes
    } catch (err: any) {
      console.error("\nAgent error:", err?.message ?? err);
    }
  }

  rl.close();
}

What's happening:

  • We're creating a direct terminal interface to chat with Zulip
  • The LLM's responses are streamed to the CLI for faster interaction.
  • The agent uses context to maintain conversation history
  • The agent processes the request, selects appropriate Zulip tools, and returns a result
  • We extract the answer from the result data structure and display it to the user
  • You can type 'quit' or 'exit' to stop the chat loop gracefully
  • Agent responses and any errors are streamed in a clear, readable format
9

Define the main entry point

async function main() {
  try {
    const agent = await buildAgent();
    await chatLoop(agent);
  } catch (err) {
    console.error("Failed to start agent:", err);
    process.exit(1);
  }
}

main();

What's happening here:

  • We're orchestrating the entire application flow
  • The agent gets built with proper error handling
  • Then we kick off the interactive chat loop so you can start talking to Zulip
10

Run the agent

npx ts-node llamaindex-agent.ts

When prompted, authenticate and authorise your agent with Zulip, then start asking questions.

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Zulip and LlamaIndex:

import "dotenv/config";
import readline from "node:readline/promises";
import { stdin as input, stdout as output } from "node:process";

import { Composio } from "@composio/core";
import { LlamaindexProvider } from "@composio/llamaindex";

import { mcp } from "@llamaindex/tools";
import { agent as createAgent } from "@llamaindex/workflow";
import { openai } from "@llamaindex/openai";

dotenv.config();

const OPENAI_API_KEY = process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY;
const COMPOSIO_API_KEY = process.env.COMPOSIO_API_KEY;
const COMPOSIO_USER_ID = process.env.COMPOSIO_USER_ID;

if (!OPENAI_API_KEY) {
    throw new Error("OPENAI_API_KEY is not set in the environment");
  }
if (!COMPOSIO_API_KEY) {
    throw new Error("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set in the environment");
  }
if (!COMPOSIO_USER_ID) {
    throw new Error("COMPOSIO_USER_ID is not set in the environment");
  }

async function buildAgent() {

  console.log(`Initializing Composio client...${COMPOSIO_USER_ID!}...`);
  console.log(`COMPOSIO_USER_ID: ${COMPOSIO_USER_ID!}...`);

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

  const session = await composio.create(
    COMPOSIO_USER_ID!,
    {
      toolkits: ["zulip"],
    },
  );

  const mcpUrl = session.mcp.url;
  console.log(`Composio Tool Router MCP URL: ${mcpUrl}`);

  const server = mcp({
    url: mcpUrl,
    clientName: "composio_tool_router_with_llamaindex",
    requestInit: {
      headers: {
        "x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY!,
      },
    },
    // verbose: true,
  });

  const tools = await server.tools();

  const llm = openai({ apiKey: OPENAI_API_KEY, model: "gpt-5" });

  const agent = createAgent({
    name: "composio_tool_router_with_llamaindex",
    description:
      "An agent that uses Composio Tool Router MCP tools to perform actions.",
    systemPrompt:
      "You are a helpful assistant connected to Composio Tool Router."+
"Use the available tools to answer user queries and perform Zulip actions." ,
    llm,
    tools,
  });

  return agent;
}

async function chatLoop(agent: ReturnType<typeof createAgent>) {
  const rl = readline.createInterface({ input, output });

  console.log("Type 'quit' or 'exit' to stop.");

  while (true) {
    let userInput: string;

    try {
      userInput = (await rl.question("\nYou: ")).trim();
    } catch {
      console.log("\nAgent: Bye!");
      break;
    }

    if (!userInput) {
      continue;
    }

    const lower = userInput.toLowerCase();
    if (lower === "quit" || lower === "exit") {
      console.log("Agent: Bye!");
      break;
    }

    try {
      process.stdout.write("Agent: ");

      const stream = agent.runStream(userInput);
      let finalResult: any = null;

      for await (const event of stream) {
        // The event.data contains the streamed content
        const data: any = event.data;

        // Check for streaming delta content
        if (data?.delta) {
          process.stdout.write(data.delta);
        }

        // Store final result for fallback
        if (data?.result || data?.message) {
          finalResult = data;
        }
      }

      // If no streaming happened, show the final result
      if (finalResult) {
        const answer =
          finalResult.result ??
          finalResult.message?.content ??
          finalResult.message ??
          "";
        if (answer && typeof answer === "string" && !answer.includes("[object")) {
          process.stdout.write(answer);
        }
      }

      console.log(); // New line after streaming completes
    } catch (err: any) {
      console.error("\nAgent error:", err?.message ?? err);
    }
  }

  rl.close();
}

async function main() {
  try {
    const agent = await buildAgent();
    await chatLoop(agent);
  } catch (err: any) {
    console.error("Failed to start agent:", err?.message ?? err);
    process.exit(1);
  }
}

main();

Conclusion

You've successfully connected Zulip to LlamaIndex through Composio's Tool Router MCP layer. Key takeaways:
  • Tool Router dynamically exposes Zulip tools through an MCP endpoint
  • LlamaIndex's ReActAgent handles reasoning and orchestration; Composio handles integrations
  • The agent becomes more capable without increasing prompt size
  • Async Python provides clean, efficient execution of agent workflows
You can easily extend this to other toolkits like Gmail, Notion, Stripe, GitHub, and more by adding them to the toolkits parameter.
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.

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. LlamaIndex 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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