Asana Project Ops MCP Server

Asana Project Ops is a high-performance Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that transforms how AI assistants interact with Asana. Optimized for efficiency and speed through advanced batch operations following the best practices of Vulcan File Ops MCP Server batch operations and selective tool activation.

This server is designed for project managers, developers, and anyone working on projects across any domain who need to manage complex task hierarchies without leaving their AI application. Unlike original single-operation approaches that become inefficient for hundreds of tasks (which AI agents actively discourage), Asana Project Ops enables seamless workflows from project brainstorming to task execution entirely within AI applications.

This is an enhanced fork of roychri/mcp-server-asana with enterprise-grade optimizations and comprehensive batch capabilities.

KEY New Features/Functionality

Advanced Batch Operations

• 150-operation batch limits designed to work within Asana's free tier rate limits (150 requests/minute)
• Unified section management with asana_section_operations (create/update/delete in single tool)
• Complex task hierarchies with asana_batch_create_tasks_with_subtasks (50 tasks × 50 subtasks each)

Direct Section Assignment

• Tasks created directly in specific sections during creation (eliminates separate API calls)
• Significant reduction in API calls for sectioned workflows (from 2 calls per task to 1)
• Available across all task creation tools

Enterprise-Grade Reliability

• Enhanced error handling with continue_on_error support
• Comprehensive input validation for all operations

Selective Tool Activation

• Tool categories for focused workflows (workspaces, projects, tasks, batch, etc.)
• Security controls for restricting sensitive operations
• Performance optimization by limiting available tools

Table of Contents

• Security
• Background
• Install
• Setup
• Usage
• API
• Contributing
• License

Security

Asana Project Ops implements enterprise-grade security measures designed for safe project management operations:

Credential Protection

• Environment Variable Only: Asana access tokens are exclusively managed through environment variables, never logged or exposed in application output
• No Token Persistence: Tokens are not stored, cached, or persisted beyond the current session
• Secure Transmission: All API communications use HTTPS with Asana's official endpoints

Operation Controls

• Read-Only Mode: Set READ_ONLY_MODE=true to disable all write operations, perfect for testing, audits, or restricted environments
• Selective Tool Activation: Configure which tools are available using --enabled-tool-categories or --enabled-tools to restrict capabilities based on user roles or compliance requirements
• Batch Operation Safety: All batch operations include continue_on_error support to prevent complete failures from individual item errors

Content Security

• HTML Validation: Comprehensive validation of HTML content in task descriptions and comments prevents injection attacks while supporting Asana's allowed HTML tags
• Input Sanitization: All user inputs are validated and sanitized before API submission
• Error Isolation: Batch operations isolate errors per item, preventing cascade failures that could expose sensitive information

Compliance Features

• Audit Trail: Clear error messages and operation logging for compliance monitoring
• Rate Limit Awareness: Built-in respect for Asana's API rate limits prevents accidental abuse
• Access Control: Tool-level restrictions enable role-based access control for different team members

Background

Project Origin

Asana Project Ops is an enhanced evolution of roychri/mcp-server-asana, a foundational MCP server for Asana API integration. While the original project provided essential connectivity, it was limited by single-operation workflows that couldn't scale to enterprise project management needs.

The Problem Solved

Traditional project management with Asana often involves inefficient workflows:

• Single-operation limitations: Creating hundreds of tasks requires individual API calls
• Context switching: Users must leave AI applications for CSV imports or manual organization
• Rate limit challenges: Sequential operations hit API limits quickly
• Manual organization: Tasks created in default sections require separate reassignment calls

Enterprise-Grade Solution

Asana Project Ops transforms these limitations into streamlined workflows:

• Batch operations: Create, update, and organize hundreds of tasks in single operations
• Direct section assignment: Tasks created exactly where they belong, eliminating reorganization steps
• Intelligent rate limit management: Optimized for Asana's free tier limits (150 requests/minute)
• AI-native workflows: Complete project lifecycles without leaving your AI application

Technical Innovation

The server introduces several architectural improvements:

• Unified section operations: Single tool for create, update, and delete operations
• Complex task hierarchies: Support for nested subtasks with batch processing
• Enhanced validation: Comprehensive HTML content validation and error reporting
• Selective tool activation: Performance optimization through configurable tool sets

Install

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ (for development) or Node.js 22+ (for MCP Inspector)
• Valid Asana account with API access token

Environment Setup

Create an Asana personal access token:

1. Visit Asana Developer Console
2. Generate a personal access token
3. Set environment variable: ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_token_here

Installation Options

For Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "asana-project-ops": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@n0zer0d4y/asana-project-ops"],
      "env": {
        "ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-asana-access-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Local Development/Cursor

1. Build the project:

npm run build

2. Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "asana-project-ops-local": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/your/project/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-asana-access-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Claude Code

claude mcp add asana-project-ops -e ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN=<TOKEN> -- npx -y @n0zer0d4y/asana-project-ops

Usage

Asana Project Ops enables seamless project management workflows entirely within your AI application. Activate specific tool categories or individual tools to optimize performance and focus on your current workflow.

Environment Variables

• ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN: (Required) Your Asana access token
• READ_ONLY_MODE: (Optional) Set to 'true' to disable all write operations. In this mode:
  • Tools that modify Asana data (create, update, delete) will be disabled
  • The create-task prompt will be disabled
  • Only read operations will be available This is useful for testing or when you want to ensure no changes can be made to your Asana workspace.

Rate Limits

The Asana API enforces rate limits to ensure fair usage:

• Free tier: 150 requests per minute
• Paid tier: 1500 requests per minute
• Concurrent requests: 15 simultaneous POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE operations

Batch operations use sequential processing, making them naturally compliant with rate limits. Each individual API call in a batch counts toward the rate limit (150 requests/minute for free tier). While batch tools support up to 150 operations per batch, smaller batches (10 operations) are recommended for optimal performance and to avoid rate limiting.

Selective Tool Activation

You can control which tools are available to the AI assistant by configuring tool categories or specific tools in your MCP client configuration. This is useful for:

• Reducing cognitive load by limiting available tools
• Security by restricting access to sensitive operations
• Performance optimization by reducing tool count
• Focused workflows by enabling only relevant tools

Tool Categories

The following categories are available:

• workspaces - Workspace management tools
• projects - Project management tools
• project-status - Project status update tools
• tasks - Individual task management tools
• subtasks - Subtask creation tools
• batch - Batch operation tools (create, update, delete multiple items)
• dependencies - Task dependency tools
• stories - Task story/comment tools
• tags - Tag management tools
• sections - Section management tools
• all - All tools (default behavior)

Configuration Examples

Enable only task-related tools:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "asana-project-ops-local": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/dist/index.js",
        "--enabled-tool-categories",
        "tasks,batch"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Enable specific tools:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "asana-project-ops-local": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/dist/index.js",
        "--enabled-tools",
        "asana_create_task,asana_update_task,asana_search_tasks"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Mixed configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "asana-project-ops-local": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/dist/index.js",
        "--enabled-tool-categories",
        "projects",
        "--enabled-tools",
        "asana_create_task,asana_update_task"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Workflow-specific examples:

For batch operations and task management:

# Enable task and batch operations for efficient project setup
--enabled-tool-categories "tasks,batch"

For comprehensive project management:

# Enable all project, section, and task management tools
--enabled-tool-categories "projects,tasks,batch"

For specific workflows:

# Enable only section operations and task creation
--enabled-tools "asana_section_operations,asana_create_task,asana_batch_create_tasks"

Note: If no --enabled-tool-categories or --enabled-tools are specified, all tools are enabled by default (backward compatible).

Workflow Examples

For comprehensive end-to-end workflows covering project setup, task management, subtasks, and organization, see the Basic Workflow Guide.

Quick Examples:

Project Setup Workflow:

1. Activate batch operations: --enabled-tool-categories "batch"
2. Ask your AI agent: _"Create a new project called 'Q1 Product Launch' with sections for Planning, Development, Testing, and Deployment