Trello Automation via Rube MCP

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

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.

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

1. TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BOARDS_BY_ID_MEMBER - List boards to find target board ID [Prerequisite]
2. TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_LISTS_BY_ID_BOARD - Get lists on board to find target list ID [Prerequisite]
3. TRELLO_ADD_CARDS - Create the card on the resolved list [Required]
4. TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_CHECKLISTS_BY_ID_CARD - Add a checklist to the card [Optional]
5. 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:

1. TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BOARDS_BY_ID_MEMBER - List all boards for the user [Required]
2. TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_BY_ID_BOARD - Get detailed board info [Required]
3. TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_LISTS_BY_ID_BOARD - Get lists (columns) on the board [Optional]
4. TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_MEMBERS_BY_ID_BOARD - Get board members [Optional]
5. 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:

1. TRELLO_GET_SEARCH - Find the card by name or keyword [Prerequisite]
2. TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_LISTS_BY_ID_BOARD - Get destination list ID [Prerequisite]
3. 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:

1. TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_MEMBERS_BY_ID_BOARD - Get member IDs from the board [Prerequisite]
2. 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:

1. 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

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