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name: helpdesk-automation description: "Automate HelpDesk tasks via Rube MCP (Composio): list tickets, manage views, use canned responses, and configure custom fields. Always search tools first for current schemas." risk: critical source: community date_added: "2026-02-27"

HelpDesk Automation via Rube MCP

Automate HelpDesk ticketing operations through Composio's HelpDesk toolkit via Rube MCP.

Prerequisites

• Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
• Active HelpDesk connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit helpdesk
• 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 helpdesk
3. If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete HelpDesk authentication
4. Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. List and Browse Tickets

When to use: User wants to retrieve, browse, or paginate through support tickets

Tool sequence:

1. HELPDESK_LIST_TICKETS - List tickets with sorting and pagination [Required]

Key parameters:

• silo: Ticket folder - 'tickets', 'archive', 'trash', or 'spam' (default: 'tickets')
• sortBy: Sort field - 'createdAt', 'updatedAt', or 'lastMessageAt' (default: 'createdAt')
• order: Sort direction - 'asc' or 'desc' (default: 'desc')
• pageSize: Results per page, 1-100 (default: 20)
• next.value: Timestamp cursor for forward pagination
• next.ID: ID cursor for forward pagination
• prev.value: Timestamp cursor for backward pagination
• prev.ID: ID cursor for backward pagination

Pitfalls:

• Pagination uses cursor-based approach with timestamp + ID pairs
• Forward pagination requires both next.value and next.ID from previous response
• Backward pagination requires both prev.value and prev.ID
• silo determines which folder to list from; default is active tickets
• pageSize max is 100; default is 20
• Archived and trashed tickets are in separate silos

2. Manage Ticket Views

When to use: User wants to see saved agent views for organizing tickets

Tool sequence:

1. HELPDESK_LIST_VIEWS - List all agent views [Required]

Key parameters: (none required)

Pitfalls:

• Views are predefined saved filters configured by agents in the HelpDesk UI
• View definitions include filter criteria that can be used to understand ticket organization
• Views cannot be created or modified via API; they are managed in the HelpDesk UI

3. Use Canned Responses

When to use: User wants to list available canned (template) responses for tickets

Tool sequence:

1. HELPDESK_LIST_CANNED_RESPONSES - Retrieve all predefined reply templates [Required]

Key parameters: (none required)

Pitfalls:

• Canned responses are predefined templates for common replies
• They may include placeholder variables that need to be filled in
• Canned responses are managed through the HelpDesk UI
• Response content may include HTML formatting

4. Inspect Custom Fields

When to use: User wants to view custom field definitions for the account

Tool sequence:

1. HELPDESK_LIST_CUSTOM_FIELDS - List all custom field definitions [Required]

Key parameters: (none required)

Pitfalls:

• Custom fields extend the default ticket schema with organization-specific data
• Field definitions include field type, name, and validation rules
• Custom fields are configured in the HelpDesk admin panel
• Field values appear on tickets when the field has been populated

Common Patterns

Ticket Browsing Pattern

1. Call HELPDESK_LIST_TICKETS with desired silo and sortBy
2. Process the returned page of tickets
3. Extract next.value and next.ID from the response
4. Call HELPDESK_LIST_TICKETS with those cursor values for next page
5. Continue until no more cursor values are returned

Ticket Folder Navigation

Active tickets:  silo='tickets'
Archived:        silo='archive'
Trashed:         silo='trash'
Spam:            silo='spam'

Cursor-Based Pagination

Forward pagination:
  - Use next.value (timestamp) and next.ID from response
  - Pass as next.value and next.ID parameters in next call

Backward pagination:
  - Use prev.value (timestamp) and prev.ID from response
  - Pass as prev.value and prev.ID parameters in next call

Known Pitfalls

Cursor Pagination:

• Both timestamp and ID are required for cursor navigation
• Cursor values are timestamps in ISO 8601 date-time format
• Mixing forward and backward cursors in the same request is undefined behavior

Silo Filtering:

• Tickets are physically separated into silos (folders)
• Moving tickets between silos is done in the HelpDesk UI
• Each silo query is independe