Rei-skills basecamp-automation

Automate Basecamp project management, to-dos, messages, people, and to-do list organization via Rube MCP (Composio). Always search tools first for current schemas.

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/rootcastleco/rei-skills

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/rootcastleco/rei-skills "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/basecamp-automation" ~/.claude/skills/rootcastleco-rei-skills-basecamp-automation && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: skills/basecamp-automation/SKILL.md

source content

⚠️ AUTHORIZED USE ONLY — This skill is intended for authorized security professionals only. Use only against systems you own or have explicit written permission to test. Unauthorized use may violate applicable laws.

Basecamp Automation via Rube MCP

Automate Basecamp operations including project management, to-do list creation, task management, message board posting, people management, and to-do group organization through Composio's Basecamp toolkit.

Prerequisites

Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)
Active Basecamp connection via
```
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS
```
with toolkit
```
basecamp
```
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.

Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming
```
RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS
```
responds
Call
```
RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS
```
with toolkit
```
basecamp
```
If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Basecamp OAuth
Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Manage To-Do Lists and Tasks

When to use: User wants to create to-do lists, add tasks, or organize work within a Basecamp project

Tool sequence:

```
BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS
```
- List projects to find the target bucket_id [Prerequisite]
```
BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS
```
- Get the to-do set within a project [Prerequisite]
```
BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS_TODOLISTS
```
- List existing to-do lists to avoid duplicates [Optional]
```
BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_TODOSETS_TODOLISTS
```
- Create a new to-do list in a to-do set [Required for list creation]
```
BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS
```
- Get details of a specific to-do list [Optional]
```
BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_TODOS
```
- Create a to-do item in a to-do list [Required for task creation]
```
BASECAMP_CREATE_TODO
```
- Alternative tool for creating individual to-dos [Alternative]
```
BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_TODOS
```
- List to-dos within a to-do list [Optional]

Key parameters for creating to-do lists:

```
bucket_id
```
: Integer project/bucket ID (from GET_PROJECTS)
```
todoset_id
```
: Integer to-do set ID (from GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS)
```
name
```
: Title of the to-do list (required)
```
description
```
: HTML-formatted description (supports Rich text)

Key parameters for creating to-dos:

```
bucket_id
```
: Integer project/bucket ID
```
todolist_id
```
: Integer to-do list ID
```
content
```
: What the to-do is for (required)
```
description
```
: HTML details about the to-do
```
assignee_ids
```
: Array of integer person IDs
```
due_on
```
: Due date in
```
YYYY-MM-DD
```
format
```
starts_on
```
: Start date in
```
YYYY-MM-DD
```
format
```
notify
```
: Boolean to notify assignees (defaults to false)
```
completion_subscriber_ids
```
: Person IDs notified upon completion

Pitfalls:

A project (bucket) can contain multiple to-do sets; selecting the wrong
```
todoset_id
```
creates lists in the wrong section
Always check existing to-do lists before creating to avoid near-duplicate names
Success payloads include user-facing URLs (
```
app_url
```
,
```
app_todos_url
```
); prefer returning these over raw IDs
All IDs (
```
bucket_id
```
,
```
todoset_id
```
,
```
todolist_id
```
) are integers, not strings
Descriptions support HTML formatting only, not Markdown

2. Post and Manage Messages

When to use: User wants to post messages to a project message board or update existing messages

Tool sequence:

```
BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS
```
- Find the target project and bucket_id [Prerequisite]
```
BASECAMP_GET_MESSAGE_BOARD
```
- Get the message board ID for the project [Prerequisite]
```
BASECAMP_CREATE_MESSAGE
```
- Create a new message on the board [Required]
```
BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_MESSAGE_BOARDS_MESSAGES
```
- Alternative message creation tool [Fallback]
```
BASECAMP_GET_MESSAGE
```
- Read a specific message by ID [Optional]
```
BASECAMP_PUT_BUCKETS_MESSAGES
```
- Update an existing message [Optional]

Key parameters:

```
bucket_id
```
: Integer project/bucket ID
```
message_board_id
```
: Integer message board ID (from GET_MESSAGE_BOARD)
```
subject
```
: Message title (required)
```
content
```
: HTML body of the message
```
status
```
: Set to
```
"active"
```
to publish immediately
```
category_id
```
: Message type classification (optional)
```
subscriptions
```
: Array of person IDs to notify; omit to notify all project members

Pitfalls:

```
status="draft"
```
can produce HTTP 400; use
```
status="active"
```
as the reliable option
```
bucket_id
```
and
```
message_board_id
```
must belong to the same project; mismatches fail or misroute
Message content supports HTML tags only; not Markdown
Updates via
```
PUT_BUCKETS_MESSAGES
```
replace the entire body -- include the full corrected content, not just a diff
Prefer
```
app_url
```
from the response for user-facing confirmation links
Both
```
CREATE_MESSAGE
```
and
```
POST_BUCKETS_MESSAGE_BOARDS_MESSAGES
```
do the same thing; use CREATE_MESSAGE first and fall back to POST if it fails

3. Manage People and Access

When to use: User wants to list people, manage project access, or add new users

Tool sequence:

```
BASECAMP_GET_PEOPLE
```
- List all people visible to the current user [Required]
```
BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS
```
- Find the target project [Prerequisite]
```
BASECAMP_LIST_PROJECT_PEOPLE
```
- List people on a specific project [Required]
```
BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS_PEOPLE
```
- Alternative to list project members [Alternative]
```
BASECAMP_PUT_PROJECTS_PEOPLE_USERS
```
- Grant or revoke project access [Required for access changes]

Key parameters for PUT_PROJECTS_PEOPLE_USERS:

```
project_id
```
: Integer project ID
```
grant
```
: Array of integer person IDs to add to the project
```
revoke
```
: Array of integer person IDs to remove from the project
```
create
```
: Array of objects with
```
name
```
,
```
email_address
```
, and optional
```
company_name
```
,
```
title
```
for new users
At least one of
```
grant
```
,
```
revoke
```
, or
```
create
```
must be provided

Pitfalls:

Person IDs are integers; always resolve names to IDs via GET_PEOPLE first
```
project_id
```
for people management is the same as
```
bucket_id
```
for other operations
```
LIST_PROJECT_PEOPLE
```
and
```
GET_PROJECTS_PEOPLE
```
are near-identical; use either
Creating users via
```
create
```
also grants them project access in one step

4. Organize To-Dos with Groups

When to use: User wants to organize to-dos within a list into color-coded groups

Tool sequence:

```
BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS
```
- Find the target project [Prerequisite]
```
BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS
```
- Get the to-do list details [Prerequisite]
```
BASECAMP_GET_TODOLIST_GROUPS
```
- List existing groups in a to-do list [Optional]
```
BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_GROUPS
```
- Alternative group listing [Alternative]
```
BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_GROUPS
```
- Create a new group in a to-do list [Required]
```
BASECAMP_CREATE_TODOLIST_GROUP
```
- Alternative group creation tool [Alternative]

Key parameters:

```
bucket_id
```
: Integer project/bucket ID
```
todolist_id
```
: Integer to-do list ID
```
name
```
: Group title (required)

color

: Visual color identifier -- one of:

white

red

orange

yellow

green

blue

aqua

purple

gray

pink

brown

```
status
```
: Filter for listing --
```
"archived"
```
or
```
"trashed"
```
(omit for active groups)

Pitfalls:

POST_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_GROUPS

and

CREATE_TODOLIST_GROUP

are near-identical; use either

Color values must be from the fixed palette; arbitrary hex/rgb values are not supported
Groups are sub-sections within a to-do list, not standalone entities

5. Browse and Inspect Projects

When to use: User wants to list projects, get project details, or explore project structure

Tool sequence:

```
BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS
```
- List all active projects [Required]
```
BASECAMP_GET_PROJECT
```
- Get comprehensive details for a specific project [Optional]
```
BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS_BY_PROJECT_ID
```
- Alternative project detail retrieval [Alternative]

Key parameters:

```
status
```
: Filter by
```
"archived"
```
or
```
"trashed"
```
; omit for active projects
```
project_id
```
: Integer project ID for detailed retrieval

Pitfalls:

Projects are sorted by most recently created first
The response includes a
```
dock
```
array with tools (todoset, message_board, etc.) and their IDs
Use the dock tool IDs to find
```
todoset_id
```
,
```
message_board_id
```
, etc. for downstream operations

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Basecamp uses a hierarchical ID structure. Always resolve top-down:

Project (bucket_id):
```
BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS
```
-- find by name, capture the
```
id
```
To-do set (todoset_id): Found in project dock or via
```
BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS
```
Message board (message_board_id): Found in project dock or via
```
BASECAMP_GET_MESSAGE_BOARD
```
To-do list (todolist_id):
```
BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS_TODOLISTS
```

People (person_id):

BASECAMP_GET_PEOPLE

BASECAMP_LIST_PROJECT_PEOPLE

Note:
```
bucket_id
```
and
```
project_id
```
refer to the same entity in different contexts

Pagination

Basecamp uses page-based pagination on list endpoints:

Response headers or body may indicate more pages available
```
GET_PROJECTS
```
,
```
GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS_TODOLISTS
```
, and list endpoints return paginated results
Continue fetching until no more results are returned

Content Formatting

All rich text fields use HTML, not Markdown
Wrap content in
```
<div>
```
tags; use
```
<strong>
```
,
```
<em>
```
,
```
<ul>
```
,
```
<ol>
```
,
```
<li>
```
,
```
<a>
```
etc.

Example:

<div><strong>Important:</strong> Complete by Friday</div>

Known Pitfalls

ID Formats

All Basecamp IDs are integers, not strings or UUIDs
```
bucket_id
```
=
```
project_id
```
(same entity, different parameter names across tools)
To-do set IDs, to-do list IDs, and message board IDs are found in the project's
```
dock
```
array
Person IDs are integers; resolve names via
```
GET_PEOPLE
```
before operations

Status Field

```
status="draft"
```
for messages can cause HTTP 400; always use
```
status="active"
```
Project/to-do list status filters:
```
"archived"
```
,
```
"trashed"
```
, or omit for active

Content Format

HTML only, never Markdown
Updates replace the entire body, not a partial diff
Invalid HTML tags may be silently stripped

Rate Limits

Basecamp API has rate limits; space out rapid sequential requests
Large projects with many to-dos should be paginated carefully

URL Handling

Prefer
```
app_url
```
from API responses for user-facing links
Do not reconstruct Basecamp URLs manually from IDs

Quick Reference

Task	Tool Slug	Key Params
List projects	`BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS`	`status`
Get project	`BASECAMP_GET_PROJECT`	`project_id`
Get project detail	`BASECAMP_GET_PROJECTS_BY_PROJECT_ID`	`project_id`
Get to-do set	`BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS`	`bucket_id` , `todoset_id`
List to-do lists	`BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOSETS_TODOLISTS`	`bucket_id` , `todoset_id`
Get to-do list	`BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS`	`bucket_id` , `todolist_id`
Create to-do list	`BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_TODOSETS_TODOLISTS`	`bucket_id` , `todoset_id` , `name`
Create to-do	`BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_TODOS`	`bucket_id` , `todolist_id` , `content`
Create to-do (alt)	`BASECAMP_CREATE_TODO`	`bucket_id` , `todolist_id` , `content`
List to-dos	`BASECAMP_GET_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_TODOS`	`bucket_id` , `todolist_id`
List to-do groups	`BASECAMP_GET_TODOLIST_GROUPS`	`bucket_id` , `todolist_id`
Create to-do group	`BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_TODOLISTS_GROUPS`	`bucket_id` , `todolist_id` , `name` , `color`
Create to-do group (alt)	`BASECAMP_CREATE_TODOLIST_GROUP`	`bucket_id` , `todolist_id` , `name`
Get message board	`BASECAMP_GET_MESSAGE_BOARD`	`bucket_id` , `message_board_id`
Create message	`BASECAMP_CREATE_MESSAGE`	`bucket_id` , `message_board_id` , `subject` , `status`
Create message (alt)	`BASECAMP_POST_BUCKETS_MESSAGE_BOARDS_MESSAGES`	`bucket_id` , `message_board_id` , `subject`
Get message	`BASECAMP_GET_MESSAGE`	`bucket_id` , `message_id`
Update message	`BASECAMP_PUT_BUCKETS_MESSAGES`	`bucket_id` , `message_id`
List all people	`BASECAMP_GET_PEOPLE`	(none)
List project people	`BASECAMP_LIST_PROJECT_PEOPLE`	`project_id`
Manage access	`BASECAMP_PUT_PROJECTS_PEOPLE_USERS`	`project_id` , `grant` , `revoke` , `create`

When to Use

This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.

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