Automate SendGrid Marketing Campaigns and Contact Management

SendGrid Automation via Rube MCP

Automate SendGrid email delivery workflows including marketing campaigns (Single Sends), contact and list management, sender identity setup, and email analytics through Composio's SendGrid toolkit.

Prerequisites

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

Core Workflows

1. Create and Send Marketing Campaigns (Single Sends)

When to use: User wants to create and send a marketing email campaign to a contact list or segment.

Tool sequence:

1. SENDGRID_RETRIEVE_ALL_LISTS - List available marketing lists to target [Prerequisite]
2. SENDGRID_CREATE_A_LIST - Create a new list if needed [Optional]
3. SENDGRID_ADD_OR_UPDATE_A_CONTACT - Add contacts to the list [Optional]
4. SENDGRID_GET_ALL_SENDER_IDENTITIES - Get verified sender ID [Prerequisite]
5. SENDGRID_CREATE_SINGLE_SEND - Create the campaign with content, sender, and recipients [Required]

Key parameters for SENDGRID_CREATE_SINGLE_SEND:

• name: Campaign name (required)
• email__config__subject: Email subject line
• email__config__html__content: HTML body content
• email__config__plain__content: Plain text version
• email__config__sender__id: Verified sender identity ID
• email__config__design__id: Use instead of html_content for pre-built designs
• send__to__list__ids: Array of list UUIDs to send to
• send__to__segment__ids: Array of segment UUIDs
• send__to__all: true to send to all contacts
• email__config__suppression__group__id or email__config__custom__unsubscribe__url: One required for compliance

Pitfalls:

• Setting send_at on CREATE does NOT schedule the send; it only prepopulates the UI date; use the Schedule endpoint separately
• send_at: "now" is only valid with the Schedule endpoint, not CREATE
• Must provide either suppression_group_id or custom_unsubscribe_url for unsubscribe compliance
• Sender must be verified before use; check with SENDGRID_GET_ALL_SENDER_IDENTITIES
• Nested params use double-underscore notation (e.g., email__config__subject)

2. Manage Contacts and Lists

When to use: User wants to create contact lists, add/update contacts, search for contacts, or remove contacts from lists.

Tool sequence:

1. SENDGRID_RETRIEVE_ALL_LISTS - List all marketing lists [Required]
2. SENDGRID_CREATE_A_LIST - Create a new contact list [Optional]
3. SENDGRID_GET_A_LIST_BY_ID - Get list details and sample contacts [Optional]
4. SENDGRID_ADD_OR_UPDATE_A_CONTACT - Upsert contacts with list association [Required]
5. SENDGRID_GET_CONTACTS_BY_EMAILS - Look up contacts by email [Optional]
6. SENDGRID_GET_CONTACTS_BY_IDENTIFIERS - Look up contacts by email, phone, or external ID [Optional]
7. SENDGRID_GET_LIST_CONTACT_COUNT - Verify contact count after operations [Optional]
8. SENDGRID_REMOVE_CONTACTS_FROM_A_LIST - Remove contacts from a list without deleting [Optional]
9. SENDGRID_REMOVE_LIST_AND_OPTIONAL_CONTACTS - Delete an entire list [Optional]
10. SENDGRID_IMPORT_CONTACTS - Bulk import from CSV [Optional]

Key parameters for SENDGRID_ADD_OR_UPDATE_A_CONTACT:

• contacts: Array of contact objects (max 30,000 or 6MB), each with at least one identifier: email, phone_number_id, external_id, or anonymous_id (required)
• list_ids: Array of list UUID strings to associate contacts with

Pitfalls:

• SENDGRID_ADD_OR_UPDATE_A_CONTACT is asynchronous; returns 202 with job_id; contacts may take 10-30 seconds to appear
• List IDs are UUIDs (e.g., "ca7a3796-e8a8-4029-9ccb-df8937940562"), not integers
• List names must be unique; duplicate names cause 400 errors
• SENDGRID_ADD_A_SINGLE_RECIPIENT_TO_A_LIST uses the legacy API; prefer SENDGRID_ADD_OR_UPDATE_A_CONTACT with list_ids
• SENDGRID_REMOVE_LIST_AND_OPTIONAL_CONTACTS is irreversible; require explicit user confirmation
• Email addresses are automatically lowercased by SendGrid

3. Manage Sender Identities

When to use: User wants to set up or view sender identities (From addresses) for sending emails.

Tool sequence:

1. SENDGRID_GET_ALL_SENDER_IDENTITIES - List all existing sender identities [Required]
2. SENDGRID_CREATE_A_SENDER_IDENTITY - Create a new sender identity [Optional]
3. SENDGRID_VIEW_A_SENDER_IDENTITY - View details for a specific sender [Optional]
4. SENDGRID_UPDATE_A_SENDER_IDENTITY - Update sender details [Optional]
5. SENDGRID_CREATE_VERIFIED_SENDER_REQUEST - Create and verify a new sender [Optional]
6. SENDGRID_AUTHENTICATE_A_DOMAIN - Set up domain authentication for auto-verification [Optional]

Key parameters for SENDGRID_CREATE_A_SENDER_IDENTITY:

• from__email: From email address (required)
• from__name: Display name (required)
• reply__to__email: Reply-to address (required)
• nickname: Internal identifier (required)
• address, city, country: Physical address for CAN-SPAM compliance (required)

Pitfalls:

• New senders must be verified before use; if domain is not authenticated, a verification email is sent
• Up to 100 unique sender identities per account
• Avoid using domains with strict DMARC policies (gmail.com, yahoo.com) as from addresses
• SENDGRID_CREATE_VERIFIED_SENDER_REQUEST sends a verification email; sender is unusable until verified

4. View Email Statistics and Activity

When to use: User wants to review email delivery stats, bounce rates, open/click metrics, or message activity.

Tool sequence:

1. SENDGRID_RETRIEVE_GLOBAL_EMAIL_STATISTICS - Get account-wide delivery metrics [Required]
2. SENDGRID_GET_ALL_CATEGORIES - Discover available categories for filtering [Optional]
3. SENDGRID_RETRIEVE_EMAIL_STATISTICS_FOR_CATEGORIES - Get stats broken down by category [Optional]
4. SENDGRID_FILTER_ALL_MESSAGES - Search email activity feed by recipient, status, or date [Optional]
5. SENDGRID_FILTER_MESSAGES_BY_MESSAGE_ID - Get detailed events for a specific message [Optional]
6. SENDGRID_REQUEST_CSV - Export activity data as CSV for large datasets [Optional]
7. SENDGRID_DOWNLOAD_CSV - Download the exported CSV file [Optional]

Key parameters for SENDGRID_RETRIEVE_GLOBAL_EMAIL_STATISTICS:

• start_date: Start date YYYY-MM-DD (required)
• end_date: End date YYYY-MM-DD
• aggregated_by: "day", "week", or "month"
• limit / offset: Pagination (default 500)

Key parameters for SENDGRID_FILTER_ALL_MESSAGES:

• query: SQL-like query string, e.g., status="delivered", to_email="user@example.com", date ranges with BETWEEN TIMESTAMP
• limit: 1-1000 (default 10)

Pitfalls:

• SENDGRID_FILTER_ALL_MESSAGES requires the "30 Days Additional Email Activity History" paid add-on; returns 403 without it
• Global statistics are nested under details[].stats[0].metrics, not a flat structure
• Category statistics are only available for the previous 13 months
• Maximum 10 categories per request in SENDGRID_RETRIEVE_EMAIL_STATISTICS_FOR_CATEGORIES
• CSV export is limited to one request per 12 hours; link expires after 3 days

5. Manage Suppressions

When to use: User wants to check or manage unsubscribe groups for email compliance.

Tool sequence:

1. SENDGRID_GET_SUPPRESSION_GROUPS - List all suppression groups [Required]
2. SENDGRID_RETRIEVE_ALL_SUPPRESSION_GROUPS_FOR_AN_EMAIL_ADDRESS - Check suppression status for a specific email [Optional]

Pitfalls:

• Suppressed addresses remain undeliverable even if present on marketing lists
• Campaign send counts may be lower than list counts due to suppressions

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Always resolve names to IDs before operations:

• List name -> list_id: SENDGRID_RETRIEVE_ALL_LISTS and match by name
• Sender name -> sender_id: SENDGRID_GET_ALL_SENDER_IDENTITIES and match
• Contact email -> contact_id: SENDGRID_GET_CONTACTS_BY_EMAILS with email array
• Template name -> template_id: Use the SendGrid UI or template endpoints

Pagination

• SENDGRID_RETRIEVE_ALL_LISTS: Token-based with page_token and page_size (max 1000)
• SENDGRID_RETRIEVE_GLOBAL_EMAIL_STATISTICS: Offset-based with limit (max 500) and offset
• Always paginate list retrieval to avoid missing existing lists

Async Operations

Contact operations (ADD_OR_UPDATE_A_CONTACT, IMPORT_CONTACTS) are asynchronous:

• Returns 202 with a job_id
• Wait 10-30 seconds before verifying with GET_CONTACTS_BY_EMAILS
• Use GET_LIST_CONTACT_COUNT to confirm list growth

Known Pitfalls

ID Formats

• Marketing list IDs are UUIDs (e.g., "ca7a3796-e8a8-4029-9ccb-df8937940562")
• Legacy list IDs are integers; do not mix with Marketing API endpoints
• Sender identity IDs are integers
• Template IDs: Dynamic templates start with "d-", legacy templates are UUIDs
• Contact IDs are UUIDs

Rate Limits

• SendGrid may return HTTP 429; respect Retry-After headers
• CSV export limited to one request per 12 hours
• Bulk contact upsert max: 30,000 contacts or 6MB per request

Parameter Quirks

• Nested params use double-underscore: email__config__subject, from__email
• send_at on CREATE_SINGLE_SEND only sets a UI default, does NOT schedule
• SENDGRID_ADD_A_SINGLE_RECIPIENT_TO_A_LIST uses legacy API; recipient_id is Base64-encoded lowercase email
• SENDGRID_RETRIEVE_ALL_LISTS and SENDGRID_GET_ALL_LISTS both exist; prefer RETRIEVE_ALL_LISTS for Marketing API
• Contact adds are async (202); always verify after a delay

Legacy vs Marketing API

• Some tools use the legacy Contact Database API (/v3/contactdb/) which may return 403 on newer accounts
• Prefer Marketing API tools: SENDGRID_ADD_OR_UPDATE_A_CONTACT, SENDGRID_RETRIEVE_ALL_LISTS, SENDGRID_CREATE_SINGLE_SEND

Quick Reference

When to Use

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

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.