Custom Tools and Toolkits (Experimental)
Custom tools are experimental. The experimental_ prefix and experimental session option may change in future releases. TypeScript only.
Custom tools work with native tools (session.tools()). MCP support is coming soon — custom tools are not available via the MCP server URL yet.
Custom tools let you define tools that run in-process alongside remote Composio tools within a session. There are three patterns:
- Standalone tools — for internal app logic that doesn't need Composio auth (DB lookups, in-memory data, business rules)
- Extension tools — wrap a Composio toolkit's API with custom business logic via
extendsToolkit, usingctx.proxyExecute()for authenticated requests - Custom toolkits — group related standalone tools under a namespace
The example below defines one of each and binds them to a session:
// ── Standalone tool ─────────────────────────────────────────────
// Internal data lookup — no Composio auth needed.
// ctx.userId identifies which user's session is running.
const profiles: Record<string, { name: string; email: string; tier: string }> = {
"user_1": { name: "Alice Johnson", email: "alice@myapp.com", tier: "enterprise" },
"user_2": { name: "Bob Smith", email: "bob@myapp.com", tier: "free" },
};
const getUserProfile = experimental_createTool("GET_USER_PROFILE", {
name: "Get user profile",
description: "Retrieve the current user's profile from the internal directory",
inputParams: z.object({}),
execute: async (_input, ctx) => {
const profile = profiles[ctx.userId];
if (!profile) throw new Error(`No profile found for user "${ctx.userId}"`);
return profile;
},
});
// ── Extension tool ──────────────────────────────────────────────
// Wraps Gmail API with business logic. Inherits auth via extendsToolkit,
// so ctx.proxyExecute() handles credentials automatically.
const sendPromoEmail = experimental_createTool("SEND_PROMO_EMAIL", {
name: "Send promo email",
description: "Send the standard promotional email to a recipient",
extendsToolkit: "gmail",
inputParams: z.object({
to: z.string().describe("Recipient email address"),
}),
execute: async (input, ctx) => {
const subject = "You're invited to try MyApp Pro";
const body = "Hi there,\n\nWe'd love for you to try MyApp Pro — free for 14 days.\n\nBest,\nThe MyApp Team";
const raw = btoa(`To: ${input.to}\r\nSubject: ${subject}\r\nContent-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8\r\n\r\n${body}`);
const res = await ctx.proxyExecute({
toolkit: "gmail",
endpoint: "https://gmail.googleapis.com/gmail/v1/users/me/messages/send",
method: "POST",
body: { raw },
});
return { status: res.status, to: input.to };
},
});
// ── Custom toolkit ──────────────────────────────────────────────
// Groups standalone tools that don't need Composio auth under a toolkit.
// Tools inside a toolkit cannot use extendsToolkit.
const userManagement = experimental_createToolkit("USER_MANAGEMENT", {
name: "User management",
description: "Manage user roles and permissions",
tools: [
experimental_createTool("ASSIGN_ROLE", {
name: "Assign role",
description: "Assign a role to a user in the internal system",
inputParams: z.object({
user_id: z.string().describe("Target user ID"),
role: z.enum(["admin", "editor", "viewer"]).describe("Role to assign"),
}),
execute: async ({ user_id, role }) => ({ user_id, role, assigned: true }),
}),
],
});
// ── Bind to session ─────────────────────────────────────────────
// Pass custom tools and toolkits via the experimental option.
// session.tools() returns both remote Composio tools and your custom tools.
const composio = new Composio({ apiKey: "your_api_key" });
const session = await composio.create("user_1", {
toolkits: ["gmail"],
experimental: {
customTools: [getUserProfile, sendPromoEmail],
customToolkits: [userManagement],
},
});
const tools = await session.tools();How custom tools work with meta tools
Custom tools integrate seamlessly with Composio's meta tools:
COMPOSIO_SEARCH_TOOLSautomatically includes your custom tools and toolkits in search results, giving slight priority to tools that don't require auth or are already connectedCOMPOSIO_GET_TOOL_SCHEMASreturns schemas for custom tools alongside remote tools — the agent sees them as first-class toolsCOMPOSIO_MULTI_EXECUTE_TOOLintelligently splits execution — custom tools run in-process while remote tools go to the backend, results are merged transparentlyCOMPOSIO_MANAGE_CONNECTIONShandles auth for extension tools — if a tool extendsgmail, the agent can prompt the user to connect Gmail just like any other toolkit- Custom tools are not supported in Workbench — the LLM is made aware of this and will not attempt to use them there
Best practices
- Descriptive names and slugs — The agent sees your tool's name and description to decide when to use it. Be specific: "Send weekly promo email" is better than "Send email". Slugs should be uppercase with underscores:
SEND_PROMO_EMAIL. - Detailed descriptions — Include what the tool does, when to use it, and what it returns. The agent relies on this to pick the right tool.
- Use
extendsToolkitfor auth — If your tool needs Gmail/GitHub/etc. auth forctx.proxyExecute()orctx.execute(), setextendsToolkitso connection management is handled seamlessly viaCOMPOSIO_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS. - Tool names get prefixed — Slugs exposed to the agent are automatically prefixed with
LOCAL_and the toolkit name (if any).GET_USER_PROFILEbecomesLOCAL_GET_USER_PROFILE,ASSIGN_ROLEinUSER_MANAGEMENTbecomesLOCAL_USER_MANAGEMENT_ASSIGN_ROLE. Your slugs cannot start withLOCAL_— this prefix is reserved.
For more best practices, see How to Build Tools for AI Agents: A Field Guide.
Verifying registration
Use session.customTools() to list registered tools (with their final LOCAL_ prefixed slugs), or filter by toolkit with session.customTools({ toolkit: "USER_MANAGEMENT" }). Use session.customToolkits() to list registered toolkits.
Programmatic execution
Use session.execute() to run custom tools directly, outside of an agent loop (e.g. session.execute("GET_USER_PROFILE")). Custom tools execute in-process; remote tools are sent to the backend automatically.
SessionContext
Every custom tool's execute function receives (input, ctx). The ctx object provides:
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
ctx.userId | The user ID for the current session. |
ctx.proxyExecute(params) | Authenticated HTTP request via Composio's auth layer. Params: toolkit, endpoint, method, body?, parameters? (array of { in: "query" | "header", name, value }). |
ctx.execute(toolSlug, args) | Execute any Composio native tool from within your custom tool. |