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.

1. Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds
2. Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit zoho
3. If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Zoho OAuth
4. 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:

1. ZOHO_LIST_MODULES - List available CRM modules [Prerequisite]
2. ZOHO_GET_MODULE_FIELDS - Get field definitions for a module [Optional]
3. ZOHO_SEARCH_ZOHO_RECORDS - Search records by criteria [Required]
4. 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:

1. ZOHO_GET_MODULE_FIELDS - Get required fields for the module [Prerequisite]
2. 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:

1. ZOHO_SEARCH_ZOHO_RECORDS - Find the record to update [Prerequisite]
2. 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:

1. ZOHO_SEARCH_ZOHO_RECORDS - Find the lead to convert [Prerequisite]
2. 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:

1. ZOHO_CREATE_ZOHO_TAG - Create a new tag [Optional]
2. 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

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