Trello Automation via Rube MCP

Automate Trello board management, card creation, and team workflows through Composio's Rube MCP integration.

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/trello

Prerequisites

• Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)

• Active Trello connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit trello

• 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 trello

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

• Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Create a Card on a Board

When to use: User wants to add a new card/task to a Trello board

Tool sequence:

• TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BOARDS_BY_ID_MEMBER

• List boards to find target board ID [Prerequisite]

• TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_LISTS_BY_ID_BOARD

• Get lists on board to find target list ID [Prerequisite]

• TRELLO_ADD_CARDS

• Create the card on the resolved list [Required]

• TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_CHECKLISTS_BY_ID_CARD

• Add a checklist to the card [Optional]

• TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_CHECKLIST_CHECK_ITEM_BY_ID_CARD_BY_ID_CHECKLIST

• Add items to the checklist [Optional]

Key parameters:

• idList : 24-char hex ID (NOT list name)

• name : Card title

• desc : Card description (supports Markdown)

• pos : Position ('top'/'bottom')

• due : Due date (ISO 8601 format)

Pitfalls:

• Store returned id (idCard) immediately; downstream checklist operations fail without it

• Checklist payload may be nested (data.data); extract idChecklist from inner object

• One API call per checklist item; large checklists can trigger rate limits

2. Manage Boards and Lists

When to use: User wants to view, browse, or restructure board layout

Tool sequence:

• TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BOARDS_BY_ID_MEMBER

• List all boards for the user [Required]

• TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_BY_ID_BOARD

• Get detailed board info [Required]

• TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_LISTS_BY_ID_BOARD

• Get lists (columns) on the board [Optional]

• TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_MEMBERS_BY_ID_BOARD

• Get board members [Optional]

• TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_LABELS_BY_ID_BOARD

• Get labels on the board [Optional]

Key parameters:

• idMember : Use 'me' for authenticated user

• filter : 'open', 'starred', or 'all'

• idBoard : 24-char hex or 8-char shortLink (NOT board name)

Pitfalls:

• Some runs return boards under response.data.details[]—don't assume flat top-level array

• Lists may be nested under results[0].response.data.details—parse defensively

• ISO 8601 timestamps with trailing 'Z' must be parsed as timezone-aware

3. Move Cards Between Lists

When to use: User wants to change a card's status by moving it to another list

Tool sequence:

• TRELLO_GET_SEARCH

• Find the card by name or keyword [Prerequisite]

• TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_LISTS_BY_ID_BOARD

• Get destination list ID [Prerequisite]

• TRELLO_UPDATE_CARDS_BY_ID_CARD

• Update card's idList to move it [Required]

Key parameters:

• idCard : Card ID from search

• idList : Destination list ID

• pos : Optional ordering within new list

Pitfalls:

• Search returns partial matches; verify card name before updating

• Moving doesn't update position within new list; set pos if ordering matters

4. Assign Members to Cards

When to use: User wants to assign team members to cards

Tool sequence:

• TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_MEMBERS_BY_ID_BOARD

• Get member IDs from the board [Prerequisite]

• TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_ID_MEMBERS_BY_ID_CARD

• Add a member to the card [Required]

Key parameters:

• idCard : Target card ID

• value : Member ID to assign

Pitfalls:

• UPDATE_CARDS_ID_MEMBERS replaces entire member list; use ADD_CARDS_ID_MEMBERS to append

• Member must have board permissions

5. Search and Filter Cards

When to use: User wants to find specific cards across boards

Tool sequence:

• TRELLO_GET_SEARCH
• Search by query string [Required]

Key parameters:

• query : Search string (supports board:, list:, label:, is:open/archived operators)

• modelTypes : Set to 'cards'

• partial : Set to 'true' for prefix matching

Pitfalls:

• Search indexing has delay; newly created cards may not appear for several minutes

• For exact name matching, use TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_CARDS_BY_ID_BOARD and filter locally

• Query uses word tokenization; common words may be ignored as stop words

6. Add Comments and Attachments

When to use: User wants to add context to an existing card

Tool sequence:

• TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_ACTIONS_COMMENTS_BY_ID_CARD

• Post a comment on the card [Required]

• TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_ATTACHMENTS_BY_ID_CARD

• Attach a file or URL [Optional]

Key parameters:

• text : Comment text (1-16384 chars, supports Markdown and @mentions)

• url OR file : Attachment source (not both)

• name : Attachment display name

• mimeType : File MIME type

Pitfalls:

• Comments don't support file attachments; use the attachment tool separately

• Attachment deletion is irreversible

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Always resolve display names to IDs before operations:

• Board name → Board ID: TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BOARDS_BY_ID_MEMBER with idMember='me'

• List name → List ID: TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_LISTS_BY_ID_BOARD with resolved board ID

• Card name → Card ID: TRELLO_GET_SEARCH with query string

• Member name → Member ID: TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_MEMBERS_BY_ID_BOARD

Pagination

Most list endpoints return all items. For boards with 1000+ cards, use limit and before parameters on card listing endpoints.

Rate Limits

300 requests per 10 seconds per token. Use TRELLO_GET_BATCH for bulk read operations to stay within limits.

Known Pitfalls

• ID Requirements: Nearly every tool requires IDs, not display names. Always resolve names to IDs first.

• Board ID Format: Board IDs must be 24-char hex or 8-char shortLink. URL slugs like 'my-board' are NOT valid.

• Search Delays: Search indexing has delays; newly created/updated cards may not appear immediately.

• Nested Responses: Response data is often nested (data.data or data.details[]); parse defensively.

• Rate Limiting: 300 req/10s per token. Batch reads with TRELLO_GET_BATCH.

Quick Reference

Task Tool Slug Key Params

List user's boards TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BOARDS_BY_ID_MEMBER idMember='me', filter='open'

Get board details TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_BY_ID_BOARD idBoard (24-char hex)

List board lists TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_LISTS_BY_ID_BOARD idBoard

Create card TRELLO_ADD_CARDS idList, name, desc, pos, due

Update card TRELLO_UPDATE_CARDS_BY_ID_CARD idCard, idList (to move)

Search cards TRELLO_GET_SEARCH query, modelTypes='cards'

Add checklist TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_CHECKLISTS_BY_ID_CARD idCard, name

Add comment TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_ACTIONS_COMMENTS_BY_ID_CARD idCard, text

Assign member TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_ID_MEMBERS_BY_ID_CARD idCard, value (member ID)

Attach file/URL TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_ATTACHMENTS_BY_ID_CARD idCard, url OR file

Get board members TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_MEMBERS_BY_ID_BOARD idBoard

Batch read TRELLO_GET_BATCH urls (comma-separated paths)

Powered by Composio