How to integrate Bart MCP with Claude Agent SDK

This guide walks you through connecting Bart to the Claude Agent SDK using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Bart agent that can find next departures from embarcadero station, get real-time trip updates for richmond line, check current bart service advisories and alerts through natural language commands. This guide will help you understand how to give your Claude Agent SDK agent real control over a Bart account through Composio's Bart MCP server. Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the key ideas and tools involved.

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Bart is the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, providing fast public transportation across the San Francisco Bay Area. It helps commuters and travelers get real-time schedule info, plan routes, and stay updated on service changes.

18 Tools

Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Bart to the Claude Agent SDK using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Bart agent that can find next departures from embarcadero station, get real-time trip updates for richmond line, check current bart service advisories and alerts through natural language commands.

This guide will help you understand how to give your Claude Agent SDK agent real control over a Bart account through Composio's Bart MCP server.

Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the key ideas and tools involved.

Also integrate Bart with

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TL;DR

Here's what you'll learn:
  • Get and set up your Claude/Anthropic and Composio API keys
  • Install the necessary dependencies
  • Initialize Composio and create a Tool Router session for Bart
  • Configure an AI agent that can use Bart as a tool
  • Run a live chat session where you can ask the agent to perform Bart operations

What is Claude Agent SDK?

The Claude Agent SDK is Anthropic's official framework for building AI agents powered by Claude. It provides a streamlined interface for creating agents with MCP tool support and conversation management.

Key features include:

  • Native MCP Support: Built-in support for Model Context Protocol servers
  • Permission Modes: Control tool execution permissions
  • Streaming Responses: Real-time response streaming for interactive applications
  • Context Manager: Clean async context management for sessions

What is the Bart MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Bart MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to BART's public transit data. It provides structured and secure access to real-time schedules, route information, station details, and service advisories, so your agent can plan trips, fetch live updates, check advisories, and explore routes for you.

  • Trip planning with live schedules: Instantly retrieve train arrival or departure times and help users plan journeys between any BART stations based on the latest schedule data.
  • Live service advisories and alerts: Keep travelers informed by fetching up-to-date system-wide or station-specific service advisories, ensuring users know about delays or disruptions before they travel.
  • Route and station discovery: Access detailed information about BART routes and stations, including amenities and configuration, so your agent can answer travel questions or recommend stations.
  • Real-time trip and schedule updates: Get the latest trip updates and schedule changes in real time, allowing users to adapt plans quickly if there are changes or issues along their route.
  • Access to static and GTFS feeds: Download the latest BART GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) data for offline schedule planning, analysis, or integration with third-party transit tools.

What is the Composio tool router, and how does it fit here?

What is Composio SDK?

Composio's Composio SDK helps agents find the right tools for a task at runtime. You can plug in multiple toolkits (like Gmail, HubSpot, and GitHub), and the agent will identify the relevant app and action to complete multi-step workflows. This can reduce token usage and improve the reliability of tool calls. Read more here: Getting started with Composio SDK

The tool router generates a secure MCP URL that your agents can access to perform actions.

How the Composio SDK works

The Composio SDK follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Step by step09 STEPS
1

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Composio API Key and Claude/Anthropic API Key
  • Primary know-how of Claude Agents SDK
  • A Bart account
  • Some knowledge of Python
2

Getting API Keys for Claude/Anthropic and Composio

Claude/Anthropic API Key
  • Go to the Anthropic Console and create an API key. You'll need credits to use the models.
  • Keep the API key safe.
Composio API Key
  • Log in to the Composio dashboard.
  • Navigate to your API settings and generate a new API key.
  • Store this key securely as you'll need it for authentication.
3

Install dependencies

npm install @anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk @composio/core dotenv

Install the Composio SDK and the Claude Agents SDK.

What's happening:

  • @composio/core provides Composio integration for Anthropic
  • @anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk is the core agent framework
  • dotenv/config loads environment variables
4

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_anthropic_api_key_here

Create a .env file in your project root.

What's happening:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio
  • USER_ID identifies the user for session management
  • ANTHROPIC_API_KEY authenticates with Anthropic/Claude
5

Import dependencies

import 'dotenv/config';
import readline from 'node:readline';
import { Composio } from '@composio/core';
import { query, type Options } from "@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk";

dotenv.config();
What's happening:
  • We're importing all necessary libraries including the Claude Agent SDK and Composio
  • The dotenv.config() function loads environment variables from your .env file
  • This setup prepares the foundation for connecting Claude with Bart functionality
6

Create a Composio instance and Tool Router session

async function chat() {
  const { COMPOSIO_API_KEY, USER_ID } = process.env;
  if (!COMPOSIO_API_KEY || !USER_ID) {
    throw new Error('COMPOSIO_API_KEY and USER_ID required in .env');
  }

  const composio = new Composio({ apiKey: COMPOSIO_API_KEY });

  // Create Tool Router session for Bart
  const session = await composio.create(USER_ID, {
    toolkits: ['bart'],
  });
  const mcpUrl = session?.mcp.url;
What's happening:
  • The function checks for the required COMPOSIO_API_KEY environment variable
  • We're creating a Composio instance using our API key
  • The create method creates a Tool Router session for Bart
  • The returned url is the MCP server URL that your agent will use
7

Configure Claude Agent with MCP

const options: Options = {
  permissionMode: 'bypassPermissions',
  mcpServers: {
    composio: {
      type: 'http',
      url: mcpUrl,
      headers: { 'x-api-key': COMPOSIO_API_KEY }
    }
  },
  systemPrompt: 'You are a helpful assistant with access to Bart tools via Composio.',
  maxTurns: 10,
};
What's happening:
  • We're configuring the Claude Agent options with the MCP server URL
  • permissionMode: 'bypassPermissions' allows the agent to execute operations without asking for permission each time
  • The system prompt instructs the agent that it has access to Bart
  • maxTurns: 10 limits the conversation length to prevent excessive API usage
8

Create client and start chat loop

const rl = readline.createInterface({
    input: process.stdin,
    output: process.stdout,
    prompt: 'You: '
  });

  console.log('\nChat started. Type "exit" to quit.\n');

  let isProcessing = false;

  async function ask(prompt: string) {
    isProcessing = true;
    rl.pause();

    process.stdout.write('Claude is thinking...');
    const stream = query({ prompt, options });

    let firstChunk = true;
    for await (const msg of stream) {
      const content = (msg as any).message?.content || (msg as any).content;
      if (Array.isArray(content)) {
        for (const block of content) {
          if (block.type === 'text' && block.text) {
            if (firstChunk) {
              process.stdout.write('\r\x1b[K');
              process.stdout.write('Claude: ');
              firstChunk = false;
            }
            process.stdout.write(block.text);
          }
        }
      }
    }
    process.stdout.write('\n\n');

    isProcessing = false;
    rl.resume();
    rl.prompt();
  }

  rl.on('line', async (line) => {
    if (isProcessing) return;

    const input = line.trim();
    if (input === 'exit') {
      rl.close();
      process.exit(0);
    }
    if (input) await ask(input);
    else rl.prompt();
  });

  await ask('What can you help me with?');
}
What's happening:
  • The readline interface is created to handle user input and output
  • The query function is used to send the user's input to the agent
  • The chat loop continues until the user types 'exit' or 'quit'
9

Run the application

try {
  await chat();
} catch (error) {
  console.error(error);
  process.exit(1);
}
What's happening:
  • The chat function is the entry point for the application
  • The try-catch block is used to handle any errors that occur

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Bart and Claude Agent SDK:

import 'dotenv/config';
import readline from 'node:readline';
import { Composio } from '@composio/core';
import { query, type Options } from "@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk";

async function chat() {
  const { COMPOSIO_API_KEY, USER_ID } = process.env;
  if (!COMPOSIO_API_KEY || !USER_ID) {
    throw new Error('COMPOSIO_API_KEY and USER_ID required in .env');
  }

  const composio = new Composio({ apiKey: COMPOSIO_API_KEY });
  const session = await composio.create(USER_ID, {
    toolkits: ['bart']
  });
  const mcp_url = session?.mcp.url;

  const options: Options = {
    permissionMode: 'bypassPermissions',
    mcpServers: {
      composio: {
        type: 'http',
        url: mcp_url,
        headers: { 'x-api-key': COMPOSIO_API_KEY }
      }
    },
    systemPrompt: 'You are a helpful assistant with access to Bart tools via Composio.',
    maxTurns: 10,
  };

  const rl = readline.createInterface({
    input: process.stdin,
    output: process.stdout,
    prompt: 'You: '
  });

  console.log('\nChat started. Type "exit" to quit.\n');

  let isProcessing = false;

  async function ask(prompt: string) {
    isProcessing = true;
    rl.pause();

    process.stdout.write('Claude is thinking...');
    const stream = query({ prompt, options });

    let firstChunk = true;
    for await (const msg of stream) {
      const content = (msg as any).message?.content || (msg as any).content;
      if (Array.isArray(content)) {
        for (const block of content) {
          if (block.type === 'text' && block.text) {
            if (firstChunk) {
              process.stdout.write('\r\x1b[K');
              process.stdout.write('Claude: ');
              firstChunk = false;
            }
            process.stdout.write(block.text);
          }
        }
      }
    }
    process.stdout.write('\n\n');

    isProcessing = false;
    rl.resume();
    rl.prompt();
  }

  rl.on('line', async (line) => {
    if (isProcessing) return;

    const input = line.trim();
    if (input === 'exit') {
      rl.close();
      process.exit(0);
    }
    if (input) await ask(input);
    else rl.prompt();
  });

  await ask('What can you help me with?');
}

try {
  await chat();
} catch (error) {
  console.error(error);
  process.exit(1);
}

Conclusion

You've successfully built a Claude Agent SDK agent that can interact with Bart through Composio's Tool Router.

Key features:

  • Native MCP support through Claude's agent framework
  • Streaming responses for real-time interaction
  • Permission bypass for smooth automated workflows
You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom business logic, or building a web interface around the agent.
TOOLS

Supported Tools

Every Bart action and event your agent gets out of the box.

Get BART API Version

Get the current version of the BART API.

Get Elevator Status

Tool to fetch current elevator status across all BART stations.

Get Estimated Departures

Tool to get real-time estimated departure times for a specified BART station.

Get BART Fare

Get fare information between two BART stations including Clipper and cash prices.

Get GTFS-RT Service Alerts

Tool to fetch GTFS-RT service alerts in protobuf format for integration with GTFS static feed.

Get GTFS-RT Trip Updates

Tool to fetch real-time trip updates in GTFS-Realtime format.

Download GTFS Static Schedule Feed

Downloads the BART static GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) schedule feed as a ZIP archive.

Get Route Info

Tool to fetch detailed information about a specific BART route.

Get Route Schedule

Tool to get detailed schedule information for a specific BART route showing all trains and their stops.

Get BART Schedule Arrive

Tool to retrieve schedule information based on a specified arrival time.

Get BART Schedule Depart

Get BART train schedules departing from an origin station to a destination station at a specified time.

Get Service Advisories

Tool to fetch current BART service advisories.

Get Station Access

Get comprehensive station access information including parking, transit, bike facilities, and lockers.

Get Station Info

Get detailed information for a specific BART station by its abbreviation code.

Get BART Stations

Get a list of all BART stations with their complete information.

Get Station Schedule

Get detailed scheduled departure information for a specific BART station.

Get Train Count

Tool to fetch current count of trains active in the BART system.

List BART Routes

Tool to get a list of all current BART routes/lines with basic information.

FRAMEWORKS

How to build Bart MCP Agent with another framework

OpenAI Agents SDK logo

OpenAI Agents SDK

Use Bart MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK

Claude Code logo

Claude Code

Use Bart MCP with Claude Code

Claude Cowork logo

Claude Cowork

Use Bart MCP with Claude Cowork

Codex logo

Codex

Use Bart MCP with Codex

OpenClaw logo

OpenClaw

Use Bart MCP with OpenClaw

Hermes logo

Hermes

Use Bart MCP with Hermes

CLI logo

CLI

Use Bart MCP with CLI

Google ADK logo

Google ADK

Use Bart MCP with Google ADK

LangChain logo

LangChain

Use Bart MCP with LangChain

Vercel AI SDK logo

Vercel AI SDK

Use Bart MCP with Vercel AI SDK

Mastra AI logo

Mastra AI

Use Bart MCP with Mastra AI

LlamaIndex logo

LlamaIndex

Use Bart MCP with LlamaIndex

CrewAI logo

CrewAI

Use Bart MCP with CrewAI

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

With a standalone Bart MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Bart tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Bart and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Yes, you can. Claude Agent SDK fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Bart tools.

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Bart scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Bart data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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