--- title: Native Tools vs MCP description: When to use Composio's native SDK vs MCP servers keywords: [mcp, native tools, function calling, model context protocol, architecture, decision] --- **Native tools** give your LLM tool schemas as function definitions. Composio formats them for your specific framework (OpenAI, Anthropic, Vercel AI, etc.) through [provider packages](/docs/providers). **MCP** exposes tools through the [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io). Any MCP-compatible client can connect to a Composio MCP server URL. No provider packages needed. | | Native tools | MCP | |---|---|---| | **Setup** | [Provider package](/docs/providers) for your framework | SDK or just a URL | | **Intercepting tool calls** | Yes, you can log, retry, or require approval before each call | Limited, depends on what the MCP client supports | | **Context window** | You control what's loaded | Client loads all tools the server exposes | | **Latency** | SDK calls Composio API directly | MCP protocol adds overhead for tool list discovery and each execution | With native tools, you choose exactly which schemas enter your LLM's context. With MCP, the client pulls the full tool list from the server. A [5-server setup can consume ~55K tokens](https://www.anthropic.com/engineering/advanced-tool-use) before the conversation starts. If you're working with many tools, native tools give you more control over that cost. ## Native tools ```python from composio import Composio from composio_openai import OpenAIProvider composio = Composio(provider=OpenAIProvider()) session = composio.create(user_id="user_123") tools = session.tools() # Returns meta tools (COMPOSIO_SEARCH_TOOLS, COMPOSIO_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS, etc.) # Agent discovers and executes tools at runtime ``` ```typescript import { Composio } from '@composio/core'; import { OpenAIProvider } from '@composio/openai'; const composio = new Composio({ apiKey: process.env.COMPOSIO_API_KEY, provider: new OpenAIProvider(), }); const session = await composio.create("user_123"); const tools = await session.tools(); // Returns meta tools (COMPOSIO_SEARCH_TOOLS, COMPOSIO_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS, etc.) ``` ## MCP ```python from composio import Composio composio = Composio() session = composio.create(user_id="user_123") mcp_url = session.mcp.url mcp_headers = session.mcp.headers ``` ```typescript import { Composio } from '@composio/core'; const composio = new Composio(); const session = await composio.create("user_123"); const mcpUrl = session.mcp.url; const mcpHeaders = session.mcp.headers; ``` Then pass `session.mcp.url` and `session.mcp.headers` to your framework: ```python from agents import Agent, HostedMCPTool agent = Agent( name="Assistant", tools=[ HostedMCPTool( tool_config={ "type": "mcp", "server_label": "composio", "server_url": session.mcp.url, "headers": session.mcp.headers, "require_approval": "never", } ) ], ) ``` ```python from claude_agent_sdk import ClaudeAgentOptions options = ClaudeAgentOptions( mcp_servers={ "composio": { "type": "http", "url": session.mcp.url, "headers": session.mcp.headers, } }, ) ``` ```typescript import { Composio } from "@composio/core"; import { createMCPClient } from "@ai-sdk/mcp"; const composio = new Composio(); const { mcp } = await composio.create("user_123"); const client = await createMCPClient({ transport: { type: "http", url: mcp.url, headers: mcp.headers, }, }); const tools = await client.tools(); ``` See the [quickstart](/docs/quickstart) for full working examples. ## Next steps } title="Quickstart" href="/docs/quickstart" description="Build an agent with sessions" /> } title="Providers" href="/docs/providers" description="OpenAI, Anthropic, Vercel AI, LangChain" />