Zoho CRM Automation via Rube MCP

Automate Zoho CRM operations through Composio's Zoho toolkit via Rube MCP.

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/zoho

Prerequisites

• Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)

• Active Zoho CRM connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit zoho

• 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 zoho

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

• Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Search and Retrieve Records

When to use: User wants to find specific CRM records by criteria

Tool sequence:

• ZOHO_LIST_MODULES

• List available CRM modules [Prerequisite]

• ZOHO_GET_MODULE_FIELDS

• Get field definitions for a module [Optional]

• ZOHO_SEARCH_ZOHO_RECORDS

• Search records by criteria [Required]

• ZOHO_GET_ZOHO_RECORDS

• Get records from a module [Alternative]

Key parameters:

• module : Module name (e.g., 'Leads', 'Contacts', 'Deals', 'Accounts')

• criteria : Search criteria string (e.g., 'Email:equals:john@example.com')

• fields : Comma-separated list of fields to return

• per_page : Number of records per page

• page : Page number for pagination

Pitfalls:

• Module names are case-sensitive (e.g., 'Leads' not 'leads')

• Search criteria uses specific syntax: 'Field:operator:value'

• Supported operators: equals, starts_with, contains, not_equal, greater_than, less_than

• Complex criteria use parentheses and AND/OR: '(Email:equals:john@example.com)AND(Last_Name:equals:Doe)'

• GET_ZOHO_RECORDS returns all records with optional filtering; SEARCH is for targeted lookups

2. Create Records

When to use: User wants to add new leads, contacts, deals, or other CRM records

Tool sequence:

• ZOHO_GET_MODULE_FIELDS

• Get required fields for the module [Prerequisite]

• ZOHO_CREATE_ZOHO_RECORD

• Create a new record [Required]

Key parameters:

• module : Target module name (e.g., 'Leads', 'Contacts')

• data : Record data object with field-value pairs

• Required fields vary by module (e.g., Last_Name for Contacts)

Pitfalls:

• Each module has mandatory fields; use GET_MODULE_FIELDS to identify them

• Field names use underscores (e.g., 'Last_Name', 'Email', 'Phone')

• Lookup fields require the related record ID, not the name

• Date fields must use 'yyyy-MM-dd' format

• Creating duplicates is allowed unless duplicate check rules are configured

3. Update Records

When to use: User wants to modify existing CRM records

Tool sequence:

• ZOHO_SEARCH_ZOHO_RECORDS

• Find the record to update [Prerequisite]

• ZOHO_UPDATE_ZOHO_RECORD

• Update the record [Required]

Key parameters:

• module : Module name

• record_id : ID of the record to update

• data : Object with fields to update (only changed fields needed)

Pitfalls:

• record_id must be the Zoho record ID (numeric string)

• Only provide fields that need to change; other fields are preserved

• Read-only and system fields cannot be updated

• Lookup field updates require the related record ID

4. Convert Leads

When to use: User wants to convert a lead into a contact, account, and/or deal

Tool sequence:

• ZOHO_SEARCH_ZOHO_RECORDS

• Find the lead to convert [Prerequisite]

• ZOHO_CONVERT_ZOHO_LEAD

• Convert the lead [Required]

Key parameters:

• lead_id : ID of the lead to convert

• deal : Deal details if creating a deal during conversion

• account : Account details for the conversion

• contact : Contact details for the conversion

Pitfalls:

• Lead conversion is irreversible; the lead record is removed from the Leads module

• Conversion can create up to three records: Contact, Account, and Deal

• Existing account matching may occur based on company name

• Custom field mappings between Lead and Contact/Account/Deal modules affect the outcome

5. Manage Tags and Related Records

When to use: User wants to tag records or manage relationships between records

Tool sequence:

• ZOHO_CREATE_ZOHO_TAG

• Create a new tag [Optional]

• ZOHO_UPDATE_RELATED_RECORDS

• Update related/linked records [Optional]

Key parameters:

• module : Module for the tag

• tag_name : Name of the tag

• record_id : Parent record ID (for related records)

• related_module : Module of the related record

• data : Related record data to update

Pitfalls:

• Tags are module-specific; a tag created for Leads is not available in Contacts

• Related records require both the parent record ID and the related module

• Tag names must be unique within a module

• Bulk tag operations may hit rate limits

Common Patterns

Module and Field Discovery

1. Call ZOHO_LIST_MODULES to get all available modules
2. Call ZOHO_GET_MODULE_FIELDS with module name
3. Identify required fields, field types, and picklist values
4. Use field API names (not display labels) in data objects

Search Criteria Syntax

Simple search:

criteria: '(Email:equals:john@example.com)'

Combined criteria:

criteria: '((Last_Name:equals:Doe)AND(Email:contains:example.com))'

Supported operators:

• equals , not_equal

• starts_with , contains

• greater_than , less_than , greater_equal , less_equal

• between (for dates/numbers)

Pagination

• Set per_page (max 200) and page starting at 1

• Check response info.more_records flag

• Increment page until more_records is false

• Total count available in response info

Known Pitfalls

Field Names:

• Use API names, not display labels (e.g., 'Last_Name' not 'Last Name')

• Custom fields have API names like 'Custom_Field1' or user-defined names

• Picklist values must match exactly (case-sensitive)

Rate Limits:

• API call limits depend on your Zoho CRM plan

• Free plan: 5000 API calls/day; Enterprise: 25000+/day

• Implement delays between bulk operations

• Monitor 429 responses and respect rate limit headers

Data Formats:

• Dates: 'yyyy-MM-dd' format

• DateTime: 'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss+HH:mm' format

• Currency: Numeric values without formatting

• Phone: String values (no specific format enforced)

Module Access:

• Access depends on user role and profile permissions

• Some modules may be hidden or restricted in your CRM setup

• Custom modules have custom API names

Quick Reference

Task Tool Slug Key Params

List modules ZOHO_LIST_MODULES (none)

Get module fields ZOHO_GET_MODULE_FIELDS module

Search records ZOHO_SEARCH_ZOHO_RECORDS module, criteria

Get records ZOHO_GET_ZOHO_RECORDS module, fields, per_page, page

Create record ZOHO_CREATE_ZOHO_RECORD module, data

Update record ZOHO_UPDATE_ZOHO_RECORD module, record_id, data

Convert lead ZOHO_CONVERT_ZOHO_LEAD lead_id, deal, account, contact

Create tag ZOHO_CREATE_ZOHO_TAG module, tag_name

Update related records ZOHO_UPDATE_RELATED_RECORDS module, record_id, related_module, data

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