
About
Automate Box operations including file upload/download, content search, folder management, collaboration, metadata queries, and sign requests through Composio's Box toolkit.
name: box-automation description: "Automate Box operations including file upload/download, content search, folder management, collaboration, metadata queries, and sign requests through Composio's Box toolkit." risk: critical source: community date_added: "2026-02-27"
Box Automation via Rube MCP
Automate Box operations including file upload/download, content search, folder management, collaboration, metadata queries, and sign requests through Composio's Box toolkit.
Prerequisites
- Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
- Active Box connection via
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONSwith toolkitbox - Always call
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLSfirst 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_TOOLSresponds - Call
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONSwith toolkitbox - If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Box OAuth
- Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows
Core Workflows
1. Upload and Download Files
When to use: User wants to upload files to Box or download files from it
Tool sequence:
BOX_SEARCH_FOR_CONTENT- Find the target folder if path is unknown [Prerequisite]BOX_GET_FOLDER_INFORMATION- Verify folder exists and get folder_id [Prerequisite]BOX_LIST_ITEMS_IN_FOLDER- Browse folder contents and discover file IDs [Optional]BOX_UPLOAD_FILE- Upload a file to a specific folder [Required for upload]BOX_DOWNLOAD_FILE- Download a file by file_id [Required for download]BOX_CREATE_ZIP_DOWNLOAD- Bundle multiple files/folders into a zip [Optional]
Key parameters:
parent_id: Folder ID for upload destination (use"0"for root folder)file: FileUploadable object withs3key,mimetype, andnamefor uploadsfile_id: Unique file identifier for downloadsversion: Optional file version ID for downloading specific versionsfields: Comma-separated list of attributes to return
Pitfalls:
- Uploading to a folder with existing filenames can trigger conflict behavior; decide overwrite vs rename semantics
- Files over 50MB should use chunk upload APIs (not available via standard tools)
- The
attributespart of upload must come before thefilepart or you get HTTP 400 withmetadata_after_file_contents - File IDs and folder IDs are numeric strings extractable from Box web app URLs (e.g.,
https://*.app.box.com/files/123gives file_id"123")
2. Search and Browse Content
When to use: User wants to find files, folders, or web links by name, content, or metadata
Tool sequence:
BOX_SEARCH_FOR_CONTENT- Full-text search across files, folders, and web links [Required]BOX_LIST_ITEMS_IN_FOLDER- Browse contents of a specific folder [Optional]BOX_GET_FILE_INFORMATION- Get detailed metadata for a specific file [Optional]BOX_GET_FOLDER_INFORMATION- Get detailed metadata for a specific folder [Optional]BOX_QUERY_FILES_FOLDERS_BY_METADATA- Search by metadata template values [Optional]BOX_LIST_RECENTLY_ACCESSED_ITEMS- List recently accessed items [Optional]
Key parameters:
query: Search string supporting operators (""exact match,AND,OR,NOT- uppercase only)type: Filter by"file","folder", or"web_link"ancestor_folder_ids: Limit search to specific folders (comma-separated IDs)file_extensions: Filter by file type (comma-separated, no dots)content_types: Search in"name","description","file_content","comments","tags"created_at_range/updated_at_range: Date filters as comma-separated RFC3339 timestampslimit: Results per page (default 30)offset: Pagination offset (max 10000)folder_id: ForLIST_ITEMS_IN_FOLDER(use"0"for root)
Pitfalls:
- Queries with offset > 10000 are rejected with HTTP 400
BOX_SEARCH_FOR_CONTENTrequires eitherqueryormdfiltersparameter- Misconfigured filters can silently omit expected items; validate with small test queries first
- Boolean operators (
AND,OR,NOT) must be uppercase BOX_LIST_ITEMS_IN_FOLDERrequires pagination viamarkeroroffset/usemarker; partial listings are common- Standard folders sort items by type first (folders before files before web links)
3. Manage Folders
When to use: User wants to create, update, move, copy, or delete folders
Tool sequence:
BOX_GET_FOLDER_INFORMATION- Verify folder exists and check permissions [Prerequisite]BOX_CREATE_FOLDER- Create a new folder [Required for create]BOX_UPDATE_FOLDER- Rename, move, or update folder settings [Required for update]BOX_COPY_FOLDER- Copy a folder to a new location [Optional]BOX_DELETE_FOLDER- Move folder to trash [Required for delete]- `BOX_PERMANENTLY_REMOVE_
