Integration asana

/integration-asana — connect Asana to a remote Hermes (SSH-first)

You are the engineer connecting Asana to a self-hosted Hermes agent on the user's VPS. You (the AI agent — Hermes, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini, any of them) work over SSH as root against the VPS. The user only does the two things a machine cannot:

1. Mint the Personal Access Token in the Asana UI.
2. Confirm the workspace GID the agent should operate in.

Everything else — token storage, MCP/REST registration, gateway reload, verification — runs on the VPS via SSH, idempotently.

Honest auth picture (verified 2026-06): Asana ships a first-party remote MCP at https://mcp.asana.com/v2/mcp (streamable HTTP), but it is OAuth-only — it requires a browser handshake against a registered client ID/secret and rejects static bearer tokens. A headless Hermes container cannot complete that flow unattended. The V1 beta endpoint https://mcp.asana.com/sse is deprecated and shuts down 2026-05-11 — do not use it. So we do NOT wire the hosted MCP. We use the REST API with a Personal Access Token (PAT) — a static credential that needs no browser and is perfect for headless self-hosted agents.

---

Before you start — gather (ask once, in one batch)

Variable	What	Where to get it
$VPS_IP	IP/hostname of the VPS running Hermes	User's hosting dashboard
$VPS_USER	SSH user (typically root)	User's hosting dashboard
$ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN	Personal Access Token (treat as opaque)	https://app.asana.com/0/my-apps → "Personal access tokens" → "Create new token" → agree to API terms → name it hermes-agent → copy once
$ASANA_WORKSPACE_GID	The workspace the agent will operate in	Captured automatically in Step 1 from GET /users/me

Confirm SSH access before doing anything:

ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=accept-new -o BatchMode=yes \
    "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "echo ok" 2>&1 | grep -q '^ok$' \
  || { echo "ABORT: SSH to $VPS_USER@$VPS_IP failed. Run /setup-ssh-keys first."; exit 1; }

---

Step 1 — verify Hermes is reachable on the VPS

ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" '
  set -e
  if command -v hermes >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    hermes --version
  elif docker ps --format "{{.Names}}" | grep -q hermes; then
    AGENT=$(docker ps --filter name=hermes --format "{{.Names}}" | head -1)
    docker exec "$AGENT" hermes --version
  else
    echo "FAIL: hermes not found on host or in container"; exit 1
  fi
' || { echo "ABORT: Hermes is not installed/running. Run /hermes-install first."; exit 1; }

Expected: 0.15.x or 0.17.x.

While we have a shell open, validate the PAT against the live REST API. The base is https://app.asana.com/api/1.0; the PAT goes in Authorization: Bearer <token>.

ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "
  curl -sS -o /dev/null -w 'users/me = %{http_code}\n' \
    -H 'Authorization: Bearer $ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN' \
    https://app.asana.com/api/1.0/users/me
"

• 200 → token valid; capture the workspace GID for later writes.
• 401 → token wrong, revoked, or has stray whitespace. Abort, do not store.

Capture the workspace GID (most write endpoints need it):

ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "
  curl -sS -H 'Authorization: Bearer $ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN' \
    'https://app.asana.com/api/1.0/users/me?opt_fields=workspaces.name,workspaces.gid' \
    | head -c 800
"

---

Step 2 — idempotency check (skip if already wired)

ALREADY=$(ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "hermes mcp list 2>/dev/null | grep -ci asana" || echo 0)
if [ "$ALREADY" -gt 0 ] && [ "${FORCE:-0}" != "1" ]; then
  echo "Asana is already wired. Set FORCE=1 to rewire."
  exit 0
fi

---

Step 3 — DRY RUN preview (always show before writing)

cat <<EOF
DRY RUN — the following will happen on $VPS_USER@$VPS_IP:
  1. Write ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN (length ${#ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN}, prefix ${ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN:0:4}...) via 'hermes config set'
  2. chmod 600 ~/.hermes/.env
  3. Register tool: REST API at https://app.asana.com/api/1.0 (Path B — no static-token MCP exists)
  4. Reload gateway: hermes gateway stop && hermes gateway run
  5. Verify in logs: grep -i "registered.*asana"
  6. Smoke test: GET https://app.asana.com/api/1.0/users/me -> expect 200

The token is NEVER printed in plaintext.
EOF

Wait for user confirmation (or skip if AUTO_APPROVE=1).

---

Step 4 — write the secret (chmod 600, no echo, no logging)

ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "hermes config set ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN '$ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN'"
ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "chmod 600 ~/.hermes/.env"

Verify (returns 1, NEVER the value):

WROTE=$(ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "grep -c '^ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN=' ~/.hermes/.env" || echo 0)
[ "$WROTE" = "1" ] || { echo "FAIL: ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN not written. Rolling back."; rollback; exit 1; }

If your Hermes build has no config set subcommand, use the safe sed pattern (pipe delimiter — PATs are opaque and may contain /, +, =; never use echo >> which merges onto the previous line if it lacks a trailing newline):

ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "
  grep -q '^ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN=' ~/.hermes/.env || printf 'ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN=\n' >> ~/.hermes/.env
  sed -i 's|^ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN=.*|ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN=$ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN|' ~/.hermes/.env
  chmod 600 ~/.hermes/.env
"

---

Step 5 — register the Asana tool

Asana does NOT have a first-party static-token MCP server. Pick the path that matches the Hermes build on the VPS. Path B is the recommended default; Path A is only for users who have vetted a third-party MCP server and want stdio tools.

Path A (optional) — community stdio MCP server with static token

A widely used community server is roychri/mcp-server-asana (https://github.com/roychri/mcp-server-asana), which authenticates with an Asana PAT via the ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN env var. It is a stdio/Node server, not a hosted HTTP endpoint. Treat it as third-party and audit before using.

ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "
  hermes mcp add asana \
    --command npx \
    --args '-y,@roychri/mcp-server-asana' \
    --env 'ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN=\${ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN}'
"

The flag names vary by Hermes version. If unsure, run hermes mcp add --help first and match its stdio syntax. The token stays in ~/.hermes/.env and is referenced via ${ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN} indirection — never inlined.

Path B (recommended default) — generic HTTP tool against the Asana REST API

• Base URL: https://app.asana.com/api/1.0
• Auth header: Authorization: Bearer ${ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN}
• Content type: Content-Type: application/json
• Common endpoints:
  • GET /users/me — identity + workspaces
  • GET /workspaces — list workspaces
  • GET /projects?workspace=<gid> — list projects
  • GET /tasks?assignee=me&workspace=<gid> — my tasks
  • POST /tasks with {"data":{"workspace":"<gid>","name":"...","assignee":"me"}}

Do NOT try to register https://mcp.asana.com/v2/mcp with a bearer token — that endpoint is OAuth-only and will return an auth error. Do NOT register the deprecated https://mcp.asana.com/sse either (shuts down 2026-05-11).

---

Step 6 — reload the gateway (stop + run, NOT restart)

gateway restart does NOT reliably re-read .env. Always use stop + run.

ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "hermes gateway stop || true"
sleep 2
ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "hermes gateway run --daemon"
sleep 5

---

Step 7 — verify registration in logs (poll up to 30s)

REGISTERED=0
for i in $(seq 1 6); do
  if ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "hermes logs 2>&1 | tail -200" \
       | grep -qiE "registered.*tool.*asana|MCP server.*asana.*(ok|ready)|tool.*asana.*loaded"; then
    REGISTERED=1
    echo "OK: asana registered in gateway logs."
    break
  fi
  sleep 5
done
[ "$REGISTERED" = "1" ] || { echo "FAIL: asana not in logs after 30s. Rolling back."; rollback; exit 1; }

---

Step 8 — live API smoke test (inside the container so the token stays on the VPS)

HTTP=$(ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "
  curl -sS -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}' \
    -X GET 'https://app.asana.com/api/1.0/users/me' \
    -H \"Authorization: Bearer \$ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN\"
")
case "$HTTP" in
  200) echo "OK: Asana API reachable and token valid." ;;
  401) echo "FAIL: token invalid or empty. Re-check Step 4."; rollback; exit 1 ;;
  403) echo "FAIL: token valid but no scope. PAT has full user access — confirm workspace membership."; exit 1 ;;
  429) echo "WARN: rate-limited. Respect Retry-After header and retry."; exit 1 ;;
  *)   echo "WARN: unexpected HTTP $HTTP from Asana API. Check manually." ;;
esac

200 with a body identifying the authenticated user means the token works. Prove it end-to-end from chat:

@<agent> list my Asana tasks in <workspace>

A valid empty list is a pass — every layer worked.

---

Rollback (auto-runs on any failure above)

rollback() {
  ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "hermes mcp remove asana 2>/dev/null || true"
  ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "hermes config unset ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN 2>/dev/null || \
    sed -i '/^ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN=/d' ~/.hermes/.env"
  ssh "$VPS_USER@$VPS_IP" "hermes gateway stop; sleep 2; hermes gateway run --daemon"
  echo "Rolled back. Asana is no longer wired."
}

---

Pitfalls

#	Pitfall	Why it bites	Prevention
1	Wiring the hosted mcp.asana.com/v2/mcp with a token	It is OAuth-only; needs registered client ID/secret + browser handshake; bearer tokens are rejected	Use REST (Path B) or the community stdio server (Path A)
2	Wiring the deprecated mcp.asana.com/sse	V1 beta endpoint shuts down 2026-05-11	Do not use; pin Path B
3	PAT acts as the whole user across all workspaces	No per-scope restrictions on a PAT; carries full access of the human who minted it	Mint from a dedicated service user with access only to needed workspace/projects
4	Token treated as a parseable string	PATs are opaque; Asana may change the format	Treat as a password; never pattern-match or split
5	Silently expired token returns 401	PATs are persistent by default, but Enterprise+ admins can enforce expiry	Watch for sudden 401s; rotate proactively
6	Missing workspace GID on writes	Most write endpoints (POST /tasks) require it	Capture in Step 1; reuse from $ASANA_WORKSPACE_GID
7	Rate limits (429 Too Many Requests)	Per-token rate limits; free tier lower than paid	Respect Retry-After header; back off and retry
8	Secret in config.yaml or compose-level .env	Wrong file → world-readable or not loaded by runtime	Only ~/.hermes/.env (/opt/data/.env inside container), chmod 600, via config set
9	gateway restart to pick up env	Restart does NOT reliably re-read .env	Always stop + run
10	echo >> .env instead of config set	Merges onto a prior line without trailing newline; key is silently invalid	Always hermes config set; sed-fallback uses printf then sed -i
11	sed with / delimiter on tokens	PATs may contain /, +, =	Always use | delimiter
12	Container vs host confusion	Skill assumed wrong layer; SSH keys added inside container are invisible to host sshd	Always check whoami; hostname first

---

Definition of done

• SSH to $VPS_USER@$VPS_IP succeeded
• Hermes version verified on the VPS (0.15.x / 0.17.x)
• PAT validated against https://app.asana.com/api/1.0/users/me (returns 200)
• Workspace GID captured for later writes
• Idempotency check passed (or FORCE=1 overrode)
• Dry-run shown; user approved (or AUTO_APPROVE=1)
• ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN in ~/.hermes/.env, chmod 600, not in config.yaml or chat
• Tool registered via Path A (community stdio) or REST documented via Path B
• Gateway reloaded with stop + run (NOT restart)
• Logs show registered N tool(s) for 'asana' within 30s
• Smoke test: GET /users/me from inside the container returned 200
• Rollback function defined and proven (re-run with FORCE=1 rewires cleanly)
• OAuth-only MCP caveat communicated to the user (no static-token first-party MCP as of 2026-06)

See reference/TROUBLESHOOTING.md for gateway and MCP failure modes.