Basecamp Automation via Rube MCP

Automate Basecamp operations including project management, to-do list creation, task management, message board posting, people management, and to-do group organization through Composio's Basecamp toolkit.

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/basecamp

Prerequisites

• Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)

• Active Basecamp connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit basecamp

• Always call RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

• Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds

• Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit basecamp

• If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Basecamp OAuth

• Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Manage To-Do Lists and Tasks

When to use: User wants to create to-do lists, add tasks, or organize work within a Basecamp project

Tool sequence:

• BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS

• List projects to find the target bucket_id [Prerequisite]

• BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS

• Get the to-do set within a project [Prerequisite]

• BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS_TODOLISTS

• List existing to-do lists to avoid duplicates [Optional]

• BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_TODOSETS_TODOLISTS

• Create a new to-do list in a to-do set [Required for list creation]

• BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS

• Get details of a specific to-do list [Optional]

• BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_TODOS

• Create a to-do item in a to-do list [Required for task creation]

• BASECAMP_CREATE_TODO

• Alternative tool for creating individual to-dos [Alternative]

• BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_TODOS

• List to-dos within a to-do list [Optional]

Key parameters for creating to-do lists:

• bucket_id : Integer project/bucket ID (from GET_PROJECTS)

• todoset_id : Integer to-do set ID (from GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS)

• name : Title of the to-do list (required)

• description : HTML-formatted description (supports Rich text)

Key parameters for creating to-dos:

• bucket_id : Integer project/bucket ID

• todolist_id : Integer to-do list ID

• content : What the to-do is for (required)

• description : HTML details about the to-do

• assignee_ids : Array of integer person IDs

• due_on : Due date in YYYY-MM-DD format

• starts_on : Start date in YYYY-MM-DD format

• notify : Boolean to notify assignees (defaults to false)

• completion_subscriber_ids : Person IDs notified upon completion

Pitfalls:

• A project (bucket) can contain multiple to-do sets; selecting the wrong todoset_id creates lists in the wrong section

• Always check existing to-do lists before creating to avoid near-duplicate names

• Success payloads include user-facing URLs (app_url , app_todos_url ); prefer returning these over raw IDs

• All IDs (bucket_id , todoset_id , todolist_id ) are integers, not strings

• Descriptions support HTML formatting only, not Markdown

2. Post and Manage Messages

When to use: User wants to post messages to a project message board or update existing messages

Tool sequence:

• BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS

• Find the target project and bucket_id [Prerequisite]

• BASECAMP_GET_MESSAGE_BOARD

• Get the message board ID for the project [Prerequisite]

• BASECAMP_CREATE_MESSAGE

• Create a new message on the board [Required]

• BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_MESSAGE_BOARDS_MESSAGES

• Alternative message creation tool [Fallback]

• BASECAMP_GET_MESSAGE

• Read a specific message by ID [Optional]

• BASECAMP_PUT_BUCKETS_MESSAGES

• Update an existing message [Optional]

Key parameters:

• bucket_id : Integer project/bucket ID

• message_board_id : Integer message board ID (from GET_MESSAGE_BOARD)

• subject : Message title (required)

• content : HTML body of the message

• status : Set to "active" to publish immediately

• category_id : Message type classification (optional)

• subscriptions : Array of person IDs to notify; omit to notify all project members

Pitfalls:

• status="draft" can produce HTTP 400; use status="active" as the reliable option

• bucket_id and message_board_id must belong to the same project; mismatches fail or misroute

• Message content supports HTML tags only; not Markdown

• Updates via PUT_BUCKETS_MESSAGES replace the entire body -- include the full corrected content, not just a diff

• Prefer app_url from the response for user-facing confirmation links

• Both CREATE_MESSAGE and POST_BUCKETS_MESSAGE_BOARDS_MESSAGES do the same thing; use CREATE_MESSAGE first and fall back to POST if it fails

3. Manage People and Access

When to use: User wants to list people, manage project access, or add new users

Tool sequence:

• BASECAMP_GET_PEOPLE

• List all people visible to the current user [Required]

• BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS

• Find the target project [Prerequisite]

• BASECAMP_LIST_PROJECT_PEOPLE

• List people on a specific project [Required]

• BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS_PEOPLE

• Alternative to list project members [Alternative]

• BASECAMP_PUT_PROJECTS_PEOPLE_USERS

• Grant or revoke project access [Required for access changes]

Key parameters for PUT_PROJECTS_PEOPLE_USERS:

• project_id : Integer project ID

• grant : Array of integer person IDs to add to the project

• revoke : Array of integer person IDs to remove from the project

• create : Array of objects with name , email_address , and optional company_name , title for new users

• At least one of grant , revoke , or create must be provided

Pitfalls:

• Person IDs are integers; always resolve names to IDs via GET_PEOPLE first

• project_id for people management is the same as bucket_id for other operations

• LIST_PROJECT_PEOPLE and GET_PROJECTS_PEOPLE are near-identical; use either

• Creating users via create also grants them project access in one step

4. Organize To-Dos with Groups

When to use: User wants to organize to-dos within a list into color-coded groups

Tool sequence:

• BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS

• Find the target project [Prerequisite]

• BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS

• Get the to-do list details [Prerequisite]

• BASECAMP_GET_TODOLIST_GROUPS

• List existing groups in a to-do list [Optional]

• BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_GROUPS

• Alternative group listing [Alternative]

• BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_GROUPS

• Create a new group in a to-do list [Required]

• BASECAMP_CREATE_TODOLIST_GROUP

• Alternative group creation tool [Alternative]

Key parameters:

• bucket_id : Integer project/bucket ID

• todolist_id : Integer to-do list ID

• name : Group title (required)

• color : Visual color identifier -- one of: white , red , orange , yellow , green , blue , aqua , purple , gray , pink , brown

• status : Filter for listing -- "archived" or "trashed" (omit for active groups)

Pitfalls:

• POST_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_GROUPS and CREATE_TODOLIST_GROUP are near-identical; use either

• Color values must be from the fixed palette; arbitrary hex/rgb values are not supported

• Groups are sub-sections within a to-do list, not standalone entities

5. Browse and Inspect Projects

When to use: User wants to list projects, get project details, or explore project structure

Tool sequence:

• BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS

• List all active projects [Required]

• BASECAMP_GET_PROJECT

• Get comprehensive details for a specific project [Optional]

• BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS_BY_PROJECT_ID

• Alternative project detail retrieval [Alternative]

Key parameters:

• status : Filter by "archived" or "trashed" ; omit for active projects

• project_id : Integer project ID for detailed retrieval

Pitfalls:

• Projects are sorted by most recently created first

• The response includes a dock array with tools (todoset, message_board, etc.) and their IDs

• Use the dock tool IDs to find todoset_id , message_board_id , etc. for downstream operations

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Basecamp uses a hierarchical ID structure. Always resolve top-down:

• Project (bucket_id): BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS -- find by name, capture the id

• To-do set (todoset_id): Found in project dock or via BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS

• Message board (message_board_id): Found in project dock or via BASECAMP_GET_MESSAGE_BOARD

• To-do list (todolist_id): BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS_TODOLISTS

• People (person_id): BASECAMP_GET_PEOPLE or BASECAMP_LIST_PROJECT_PEOPLE

• Note: bucket_id and project_id refer to the same entity in different contexts

Pagination

Basecamp uses page-based pagination on list endpoints:

• Response headers or body may indicate more pages available

• GET_PROJECTS , GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS_TODOLISTS , and list endpoints return paginated results

• Continue fetching until no more results are returned

Content Formatting

• All rich text fields use HTML, not Markdown

• Wrap content in <div> tags; use <strong> , <em> , <ul> , <ol> , <li> , <a> etc.

• Example: <div><strong>Important:</strong> Complete by Friday</div>

Known Pitfalls

ID Formats

• All Basecamp IDs are integers, not strings or UUIDs

• bucket_id = project_id (same entity, different parameter names across tools)

• To-do set IDs, to-do list IDs, and message board IDs are found in the project's dock array

• Person IDs are integers; resolve names via GET_PEOPLE before operations

Status Field

• status="draft" for messages can cause HTTP 400; always use status="active"

• Project/to-do list status filters: "archived" , "trashed" , or omit for active

Content Format

• HTML only, never Markdown

• Updates replace the entire body, not a partial diff

• Invalid HTML tags may be silently stripped

Rate Limits

• Basecamp API has rate limits; space out rapid sequential requests

• Large projects with many to-dos should be paginated carefully

URL Handling

• Prefer app_url from API responses for user-facing links

• Do not reconstruct Basecamp URLs manually from IDs

Quick Reference

Task Tool Slug Key Params

List projects BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS

status

Get project BASECAMP_GET_PROJECT

project_id

Get project detail BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS_BY_PROJECT_ID

project_id

Get to-do set BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS

bucket_id , todoset_id

List to-do lists BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS_TODOLISTS

bucket_id , todoset_id

Get to-do list BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS

bucket_id , todolist_id

Create to-do list BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_TODOSETS_TODOLISTS

bucket_id , todoset_id , name

Create to-do BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_TODOS

bucket_id , todolist_id , content

Create to-do (alt) BASECAMP_CREATE_TODO

bucket_id , todolist_id , content

List to-dos BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_TODOS

bucket_id , todolist_id

List to-do groups BASECAMP_GET_TODOLIST_GROUPS

bucket_id , todolist_id

Create to-do group BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_GROUPS

bucket_id , todolist_id , name , color

Create to-do group (alt) BASECAMP_CREATE_TODOLIST_GROUP

bucket_id , todolist_id , name

Get message board BASECAMP_GET_MESSAGE_BOARD

bucket_id , message_board_id

Create message BASECAMP_CREATE_MESSAGE

bucket_id , message_board_id , subject , status

Create message (alt) BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_MESSAGE_BOARDS_MESSAGES

bucket_id , message_board_id , subject

Get message BASECAMP_GET_MESSAGE

bucket_id , message_id

Update message BASECAMP_PUT_BUCKETS_MESSAGES

bucket_id , message_id

List all people BASECAMP_GET_PEOPLE

(none)

List project people BASECAMP_LIST_PROJECT_PEOPLE

project_id

Manage access BASECAMP_PUT_PROJECTS_PEOPLE_USERS

project_id , grant , revoke , create

Powered by Composio