How to Use the AfterShip MCP in OpenAI Agents SDK

Q: What's the best way to handle unknown couriers with AfterShip and the OpenAI Agents SDK?

Have your agent call the detectcourier tool. It takes a tracking number and returns a list of probable couriers, which your agent can then use to call createtracking correctly.

Build production-ready logistics agents with the OpenAI Agents SDK that track shipments and manage delivery status automatically.

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Connect AfterShip MCP to OpenAI Agents SDK

Create your Vinkius account to connect AfterShip to OpenAI Agents SDK and route execution through our secure gateway. The platform manages server hosting, runtime updates, and security layers. Configuration requires no manual server provisioning.

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Setup AfterShip with OpenAI Agents SDK

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Automate Shipment Tracking

Your agent can create new shipment entries using `create_tracking`, feeding it a tracking number and courier slug. It can then monitor progress by calling `get_tracking` for status updates. For expired or stuck packages, you can program your agent to use `retrack_tracking` to force a refresh. This gives your system a way to self-heal tracking issues without manual intervention.

Manage Your Entire Shipping Manifest

Give your agent the ability to see the big picture. It can pull a complete list of all your shipments with `list_trackings`, using filters for delivery status, date ranges, or specific couriers. When a job is done, the agent can clean up with `delete_tracking`. Or if a courier's final update is delayed, it can use `mark_tracking_completed` to close out the entry. This keeps your manifest accurate.

Build Safer Agents with This MCP Server

The OpenAI Agents SDK's guardrails work perfectly with this server. You can define rules that prevent an agent from, say, calling `delete_tracking` on a package that isn't marked 'delivered'. The SDK's tracing also lets you see every call your agent makes to the AfterShip tools. This makes debugging complex agent handoffs—like one agent using `detect_courier` and passing the result to another—much easier to follow in the OpenAI dashboard. This is a solid MCP integration.

Setup guide

Set up AfterShip MCP in OpenAI Agents SDK

Prerequisites

Python 3.10+ installed
openai-agents package (pip install openai-agents)
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Install the SDK

Run pip install openai-agents to install the OpenAI Agents SDK. The MCP integration is built-in — no extra dependencies needed.
2

Connect via SSE transport

Use MCPServerSse with your Vinkius endpoint URL. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your token from cloud.vinkius.com. The SDK auto-discovers all AfterShip tools at runtime.
3

Create your Agent

Pass the MCP to Agent(mcp_servers=[server]). The agent receives AfterShip tools as native definitions — JSON schemas resolve automatically.
4

Run the agent

Call Runner.run(agent, prompt) to execute. The agent invokes the appropriate AfterShip tools and returns structured results. Copy the full example on the right to get started.

agent.py

import asyncio
from agents import Agent, Runner
from agents.mcp import MCPServerSse

async def main():
    async with MCPServerSse(
        url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    ) as server:
        agent = Agent(
            name="AfterShip Agent",
            instructions="You have access to AfterShip tools.",
            mcp_servers=[server],
        )
        result = await Runner.run(agent, "List recent transactions")
        print(result.final_output)

asyncio.run(main())

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Common questions about AfterShip MCP in OpenAI Agents SDK

It's automatic. Once you pass the AfterShip MCP Server to the Agent constructor, the SDK inspects the server and makes all nine tools available to the agent without any extra code.

Yes. While the SDK auto-discovers all tools, you can implement your own guardrails and logic to restrict access, ensuring an agent only calls functions like `create_tracking` or `update_tracking` when specific conditions are met.

Have your agent call the `detect_courier` tool. It takes a tracking number and returns a list of probable couriers, which your agent can then use to call `create_tracking` correctly.

Absolutely. You could have one agent that specializes in creating new shipments with `create_tracking`, and another that only monitors existing ones with `get_tracking` and `list_trackings`. The SDK is designed for these kinds of handoffs.

The server handles shipment data: tracking numbers, courier slugs, order IDs, and optional customer contact info like emails or phone numbers. Vinkius manages the server in a zero-trust, ephemeral environment, and your connection is secured by a single endpoint token.

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