Asana

CommunicationPublisher: Asana

Route Asana MCP traffic through Formal to control and log what AI agents do in Asana:

Block risky tools, such as delete_task.
Mask sensitive data in tool results, such as emails in list_workspace_users responses.
Keep credentials at the Connector, so users and agents never see Asana tokens.
Log every tool call with the user, the MCP client and its parameters.

0. Prepare your Connector

The Connector needs an MCP listener and a hostname with wildcard DNS and TLS. Set them up once by following Deploy the Connector. Every MCP server reuses them.

1. Add Asana MCP server to your Resources

UI
Terraform
Pulumi
API

Open the Admin Catalog and click Add MCP.
Select the Asana template.
Enter a DNS-label Name, such as asana.
Choose the Space containing your Connector, such as default.
Configure upstream authentication as described below, then save.

If no Connector is in the selected Space, the Configuration tab shows MCP clients can’t connect directly yet. The reason reads: No Connector is in this server's Space.

Set space_id to the ID of the Space containing your Connector.

resource "formal_resource" "asana" {
  name                    = "asana"
  technology              = "mcp"
  hostname                = "mcp.asana.com"
  space_id                = "<SPACE_ID>"
  native_users_v3_enabled = true
  port                    = 443
  tags = {
    "mcp-endpoint" = "/v2/mcp"
  }
}

resource "formal_resource_oauth_settings" "asana" {
  resource_id = formal_resource.asana.id
}

Set spaceId to the ID of the Space containing your Connector.

import * as formal from "@formalco/pulumi";

const resource = new formal.Resource("mcp", {
  name: "asana",
  technology: "mcp",
  hostname: "mcp.asana.com",
  port: 443,
  spaceId: "<SPACE_ID>",
  tags: { "mcp-endpoint": "/v2/mcp" },
  nativeUsersV3Enabled: true,
});

new formal.ResourceOauthSettings("mcpOAuth", {
  resourceId: resource.id,
});

Create a Resource with the MCP endpoint and its Space ID.

export FORMAL_API_KEY="<YOUR_API_KEY>"
RESOURCE_RESPONSE=$(curl --fail --silent --show-error \
  --request POST \
  https://api.formal.ai/core.v1.ResourceService/CreateResource \
  --header "x-api-key: ${FORMAL_API_KEY}" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data-binary @- <<JSON
  {
    "name": "asana",
    "hostname": "mcp.asana.com",
    "port": 443,
    "technology": "mcp",
    "spaceId": "<SPACE_ID>",
    "tags": [
      {
        "key": "mcp-endpoint",
        "value": "/v2/mcp"
      }
    ]
  }
JSON
)
RESOURCE_ID=$(printf '%s' "${RESOURCE_RESPONSE}" | jq -r '.resource.id')
curl --fail --silent --show-error \
  --request POST \
  https://api.formal.ai/core.v1.ResourceService/CreateResourceOAuthSettings \
  --header "x-api-key: ${FORMAL_API_KEY}" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data-binary @- <<JSON
  {
    "resourceId": "${RESOURCE_ID}"
  }
JSON

2. Setup Authentication

Linked Accounts (Recommended)
Shared Credentials
Pass Through

Each user links their own Asana account once in the Employee Catalog, and the Connector sends that user’s token to Asana.

Linked Accounts selected under How does Formal authenticate to this resource?

Under OAuth app, choose one of the two options.

1. Formal’s App (default)

Formal has a registered OAuth app with Asana, so you register nothing. Users see Formal on Asana’s consent screen.

2. Your OAuth App

Users see your app’s name on Asana’s consent screen.

Set up your own Asana OAuth app

See Asana OAuth documentation and register an app.

Create an MCP app

Open the Asana developer console and click Create new app. Enter a name, select MCP app as the app type, then click Create app.

Add the redirect URL

In the left sidebar, click OAuth. Paste Formal’s Redirect URI into the Redirect URL field.

Choose workspaces

Click Manage distribution and choose Specific workspaces or Any workspace. Select at least one workspace, then click Save changes.

Copy the credentials

Copy the app’s Client ID and Client secret. MCP apps need no scopes, so leave scopes at default.

Enter the app in Formal

UI
Terraform
Pulumi
API

Back in the Admin Catalog, enter the Client ID and Client secret, then save. Users then link their accounts on the Asana server’s page in the Employee Catalog.

Your OAuth App selected in the Admin Catalog, with the Redirect URI, Client ID and Client secret fields

Use these OAuth settings instead of the ones from step 1.

variable "asana_oauth_client_secret" {
  type      = string
  sensitive = true
}

resource "formal_resource_oauth_settings" "asana" {
  resource_id              = formal_resource.asana.id
  upstream_oauth_mode      = "pre_registered"
  client_id                = "<YOUR_CLIENT_ID>"
  client_secret_wo         = var.asana_oauth_client_secret
  client_secret_wo_version = 1
}

Use these OAuth settings instead of the ones from step 1. Store the secret with pulumi config set --secret asanaOauthClientSecret.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";

const config = new pulumi.Config();

new formal.ResourceOauthSettings("mcpOAuth", {
  resourceId: resource.id,
  upstreamOauthMode: "pre_registered",
  clientId: "<YOUR_CLIENT_ID>",
  clientSecret: config.requireSecret("asanaOauthClientSecret"),
});

Use this call instead of the CreateResourceOAuthSettings call from step 1. The OAuth app is fixed at creation.

curl --fail --silent --show-error \
  --request POST \
  https://api.formal.ai/core.v1.ResourceService/CreateResourceOAuthSettings \
  --header "x-api-key: ${FORMAL_API_KEY}" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data-binary @- <<JSON
  {
    "resourceId": "${RESOURCE_ID}",
    "upstreamOauthMode": "pre_registered",
    "clientId": "<YOUR_CLIENT_ID>",
    "clientSecret": "<YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET>"
  }
JSON

Switching between Formal’s App and your OAuth app unlinks every account. Users must link again.

3. Route Endpoint traffic

Auth is managed at the Connector level when you use Linked Accounts or Shared Credentials, so the Endpoint needs to forward the MCP traffic to it. Laptops and VMs with the Formal Endpoint keep using https://mcp.asana.com/v2/mcp, and a network rule sends that traffic to the Connector.

UI
Terraform
Pulumi
API

Go to Network Rules and create a rule named asana-mcp.
Paste this expression, set the rule to Active, then save:

{
  "condition": {
    "pre_tcp": process.is_agent,
    // Every MCP server added to Formal: process.is_agent && resource.technology == "mcp"
    "pre_tls": process.is_agent && hostname == "mcp.asana.com",
    "post_tls": true
  },
  "outputs": {
    "forward_to_connector": true
  }
}

resource "formal_network_rule" "asana_mcp" {
  name        = "asana-mcp"
  description = "Forward Asana MCP traffic from agents to the Connector"
  status      = "active"

  # Every MCP server added to Formal: set pre_tls to process.is_agent && resource.technology == "mcp"
  cel_expression = <<-EOT
    {
      "condition": {
        "pre_tcp": process.is_agent,
        "pre_tls": process.is_agent && hostname == "mcp.asana.com",
        "post_tls": true
      },
      "outputs": {
        "forward_to_connector": true
      }
    }
  EOT
}

import * as formal from "@formalco/pulumi";

new formal.NetworkRule("asanaMcp", {
  name: "asana-mcp",
  description: "Forward Asana MCP traffic from agents to the Connector",
  status: "active",
  // Every MCP server added to Formal: set pre_tls to process.is_agent && resource.technology == "mcp"
  celExpression: `
    {
      "condition": {
        "pre_tcp": process.is_agent,
        "pre_tls": process.is_agent && hostname == "mcp.asana.com",
        "post_tls": true
      },
      "outputs": {
        "forward_to_connector": true
      }
    }
  `,
});

export FORMAL_API_KEY="<YOUR_API_KEY>"
# Every MCP server added to Formal: set pre_tls to process.is_agent && resource.technology == "mcp"
CEL_EXPRESSION=$(cat <<'CEL'
{
  "condition": {
    "pre_tcp": process.is_agent,
    "pre_tls": process.is_agent && hostname == "mcp.asana.com",
    "post_tls": true
  },
  "outputs": {
    "forward_to_connector": true
  }
}
CEL
)
jq -n --arg cel "${CEL_EXPRESSION}" '{
  name: "asana-mcp",
  description: "Forward Asana MCP traffic from agents to the Connector",
  status: "active",
  celExpression: $cel
}' | curl --fail --silent --show-error \
  --request POST \
  https://api.formal.ai/core.v1.DesktopService/CreateDesktopRoutingRule \
  --header "x-api-key: ${FORMAL_API_KEY}" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data-binary @-

The rule matches known agents only. See Identity headers.Cloud agents such as Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor Cloud Agents don’t run the Endpoint. Point them at this server’s Connector address, https://asana.<connector-hostname>/mcp. Find it in the Admin Catalog: open Asana, then copy Connector address on the Configuration tab.

4. Create policies

Tools

The Admin Catalog lists these tools for Asana:

Tool	Description
`search_objects`	Search Asana work items.
`get_task`	Retrieve a task.
`create_task`	Create a task.
`update_task`	Update a task.
`delete_task`	Delete a task.
`add_task_comment`	Add a comment to a task.
`get_project`	Retrieve a project.
`create_project`	Create a project.
`update_project`	Update a project.
`get_portfolio`	Retrieve a portfolio.
`list_workspace_users`	List users in a workspace.

Policies examples

Block a tool
Mask a tool's output

This policy blocks the tools that change data, so agents can only read Asana.

package formal.v2

import future.keywords.if
import future.keywords.in

write_tools := {
  "create_task",
  "update_task",
  "delete_task",
  "add_task_comment",
  "create_project",
  "update_project",
}

request := {
  "action": "block",
  "type": "block_with_custom_message",
  "message": "Writing to Asana is not allowed.",
} if {
  input.resource.name == "asana"
  input.mcp.method == "tools/call"
  input.mcp.tool_name in write_tools
}

This policy replaces email addresses in results returned by list_workspace_users, get_task, and search_objects.

package formal.v2

import future.keywords.if
import future.keywords.in

email_pattern := `[A-Za-z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Za-z0-9.-]+\.[A-Za-z]{2,}`

response := {
  "action": "rewrite",
  "body": regex.replace(input.http.body, email_pattern, "[REDACTED-EMAIL]"),
  "reason": "Mask emails in Asana results",
} if {
  input.resource.name == "asana"
  input.mcp.tool_name in {"list_workspace_users", "get_task", "search_objects"}
  regex.match(email_pattern, input.http.body)
}

See MCP resources for the input.mcp fields and Rewrite Action for body rewrites.

5. Check the logs

Open Logs and search for resource.name:asana. Each Asana tool call is one request log with the user, the MCP client and the tool. Open a log to see its tool parameters and the policies it triggered. A blocked write shows the block policy and its message. A masked search shows the rewrite policy.See Logs for search syntax and filters.

Troubleshooting

The agent says Asana rejected your credentials

The agent relays: asana rejected your credentials. Link or re-link your asana account in Formal…Cause: Asana no longer accepts the linked token, for example after the user revoked access in Asana.Fix: Link Asana again from the Employee Catalog.

Laptop traffic doesn't appear in Logs

Cause: The Endpoint isn’t running, or the network rule doesn’t match the client.Fix: Check the Endpoint is connected. The rule above only matches known agents. Other clients, such as a browser, reach Asana directly unless the rule also matches them. See Network rules.

MCP clients can't connect directly yet

Cause: The Configuration tab lists the reason, most often No Connector is in this server's Space.Fix: Edit the server and choose the Space containing its Connector.

Getting Started

Example Use Cases

AI Governance

Configuring Formal

Integrations

Configuration

0. Prepare your Connector

1. Add Asana MCP server to your Resources

2. Setup Authentication

1. Formal’s App (default)

2. Your OAuth App

3. Route Endpoint traffic

4. Create policies

Tools

Policies examples

5. Check the logs

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

MCP Gateway

All MCP servers

​0. Prepare your Connector

​1. Add Asana MCP server to your Resources

​2. Setup Authentication

​1. Formal’s App (default)

​2. Your OAuth App

​3. Route Endpoint traffic

​4. Create policies

​Tools

​Policies examples

​5. Check the logs

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

MCP Gateway

All MCP servers

0. Prepare your Connector

1. Add Asana MCP server to your Resources

2. Setup Authentication

1. Formal’s App (default)

2. Your OAuth App

3. Route Endpoint traffic

4. Create policies

Tools

Policies examples

5. Check the logs

Troubleshooting

Next Steps