# How to connect CarsXE to Hermes Agent (paste one key, 12 tools) > Connect CarsXE to Hermes with ClawLink: paste your CarsXE key once and 12 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/hermes/carsxe Most guides for giving Hermes Agent CarsXE access start with registering your own OAuth app or pasting API keys into env files, then leave the token refresh and tool wiring to you. ClawLink gives Hermes a more practical CarsXE setup: pair once in the browser and your always-on Hermes agent can act on CarsXE for you, reading and doing real work on your behalf with no auth, token refresh, or tool wiring to build yourself. ## Setup It takes three steps to connect Hermes to CarsXE. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to Hermes Agent once. 2. **Connect CarsXE** — one-click OAuth in the ClawLink dashboard. 3. **Use it from chat** — ask Hermes Agent in plain English. **Paste this into Hermes to set up ClawLink:** > Set up ClawLink for Hermes and tell me when it's ready. > 1. Install the plugin: `hermes plugins install ClawLink-HQ/hermes-plugin --enable` > 2. Start pairing with `hermes clawlink begin`. It prints an approval link, so show me the link and stop, don't wait. > 3. I'll approve it in my browser, then reply "approved". > 4. When I say approved, finish setup: `hermes clawlink finish` > 5. Then run `hermes clawlink test` and tell me whether ClawLink is ready. **Alternative for any agent (no plugin needed):** if the Hermes Agent plugin route isn't available or doesn't work, any AI agent with shell access can use the ClawLink CLI instead: ```bash npx -y @useclawlink/cli login # sign in via browser — no API key to paste npx -y @useclawlink/cli connect carsxe # connect CarsXE (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions carsxe # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run carsxe --input '' # execute (add --confirm for writes) ``` ### Install by command The prompt above walks Hermes through this. By hand, it is four commands and a browser approval: ```bash hermes plugins install ClawLink-HQ/hermes-plugin --enable hermes clawlink begin # prints an approval link — open it and approve hermes clawlink finish # after approving in the browser hermes clawlink test ``` Then connect CarsXE in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your CarsXE API key once. Verify the connection by asking Hermes: > Use CarsXE to check lien and theft and walk me through the result in plain English. ### Using a different agent? The Hermes plugin is one client of ClawLink's MCP server. Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, or any agent that can run a shell command pairs with the same ClawLink account through the CLI: ```bash npx -y @useclawlink/cli login ``` `login` opens the same browser approval and stores a credential locally. Once CarsXE is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 12 CarsXE tools over MCP. Full setup for MCP clients and shell agents: [connect apps to any AI agent](https://claw-link.dev/learn/connect-apps-to-any-ai-agent). ## CarsXE MCP for Hermes Looking for a CarsXE MCP server for Hermes Agent? ClawLink connects CarsXE to Hermes Agent and exposes 12 CarsXE tools your agent can call over [MCP](https://claw-link.dev/learn/what-is-an-mcp-server), with [hosted auth](https://claw-link.dev/learn/oauth-for-ai-agents) and nothing to run or maintain yourself. Using OpenClaw instead? The [OpenClaw CarsXE integration](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/carsxe) works the same way. ## What the Hermes Agent CarsXE integration can do 12 CarsXE tools are ready for Hermes Agent once the account is connected. ### All 12 CarsXE tools for Hermes | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Check lien and theft** `carsxe_check_lien_and_theft` | Retrieve reportable US lien and theft events for a VIN | | **Decode license plate** `carsxe_decode_license_plate` | Look up vehicle identity from a license plate using CarsXE's current global v2 decoder | | **Decode obd code** `carsxe_decode_obd_code` | Translate an OBD-II diagnostic trouble code into a readable diagnosis | | **Get market value** `carsxe_get_market_value` | Estimate wholesale, retail, and trade-in values for a VIN using CarsXE's current v2 valuation | | **Get recall batch** `carsxe_get_recall_batch` | Make exactly one read request for a CarsXE recall batch | | **Get vehicle history** `carsxe_get_vehicle_history` | Retrieve title, brand, junk/salvage, insurance, VIN-change, and historical title records for a | | **Get vehicle images** `carsxe_get_vehicle_images` | Find up to 10 vehicle photos by make and model, with optional year, trim, angle, image type | | **Get vehicle recalls** `carsxe_get_vehicle_recalls` | Find safety recall campaigns either for one VIN or for a year, make, and model | | **Get vehicle specs** `carsxe_get_vehicle_specs` | Decode a 17-character VIN into vehicle identity, specifications, equipment, colors, and | | **Get year make model data** `carsxe_get_year_make_model_data` | Look up detailed vehicle and trim information by year, make, and model without a VIN | | **Recognize license plate** `carsxe_recognize_license_plate` | Analyze a publicly accessible vehicle image and return license-plate candidates, regions | | **Submit recall batch** `carsxe_submit_recall_batch` | Create one asynchronous CarsXE recall-check batch for 1 to 10,000 VIN entries | ## Example prompts **Check Lien And Theft** > Use CarsXE to check lien and theft and walk me through the result in plain English. **Decode License Plate** > Use CarsXE to decode license plate and walk me through the result in plain English. **Decode Obd Code** > Use CarsXE to decode obd code and walk me through the result in plain English. **Get Market Value** > Pull the relevant data from CarsXE, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. ## ClawLink vs. building it yourself The alternative to ClawLink is usually manual API key setup plus your own token handling, permission troubleshooting, and tool plumbing for Hermes Agent. That is fine if you want to build and maintain the integration yourself. Most teams just want CarsXE working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the CarsXE API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected CarsXE account becomes available to the agent without you building credential management. | | **Ongoing maintenance** | You own refresh logic, permission debugging, environment config, and every provider-specific edge case for CarsXE. | ClawLink handles the repetitive integration plumbing so your team can focus on the workflow instead of the infrastructure. | | **Agent usability** | You still need to expose the right CarsXE actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 12 tools for CarsXE are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes CarsXE to AI agents. It is developer infrastructure: Python and TypeScript SDKs, an MCP server, and a catalog past 1,000 apps, aimed at teams shipping agent products. ClawLink is built for Hermes Agent users instead. You install the plugin once, connect CarsXE in the browser, and the 12 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the CarsXE key you paste at setup is stored server-side rather than kept in your environment. Choosing between them? Read the full [Composio alternatives](https://claw-link.dev/hub/composio-alternatives) comparison. ### Hermes paired but still can't use CarsXE Pairing is a two-step handshake: run `hermes clawlink begin`, approve the link in your browser, then run `hermes clawlink finish`. If you ran finish before approving, or the approval link expired, run `hermes clawlink begin` again to get a fresh link. Confirm the plugin was installed with `--enable`, then verify with `hermes clawlink test`. ### Connection succeeds but no tools appear Reconnect CarsXE from the dashboard, then start a fresh chat if the runtime still has the old tool catalog loaded. ### "Tool schema not loaded yet" error when calling CarsXE tools CarsXE tool schemas load on demand the first time a tool runs and are cached after that, so this error usually clears on its own: wait a few seconds and retry the same request. If every CarsXE call keeps failing with it in a fresh chat, reconnect from the dashboard, and contact support if it still persists — that pattern points to a configuration problem on our side, not something you can fix by reconnecting again. ### CarsXE returns 403 or "permission denied" on one action while others work Two usual causes. The connected account may not have access to the specific workspace, inbox, store, or project in the request — check that first. If access looks right, the agent may have sent a placeholder value (like "YOUR_ID" or an example id from documentation) instead of a real one: ask it to run a list or search tool first, then retry the action with a real id from those results. Most failures at this stage are one of these two, not ClawLink bugs. ### API key setup works but results look incomplete Double-check that the API key for CarsXE has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes. ### Is there a Hermes Agent CarsXE integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect Hermes to CarsXE: link your CarsXE account once in the browser and Hermes Agent can call the CarsXE API through 12 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I connect CarsXE to Hermes with ClawLink? Install the plugin with `hermes plugins install ClawLink-HQ/hermes-plugin --enable`, then pair once: run `hermes clawlink begin`, approve the link in your browser, and run `hermes clawlink finish`. Connect CarsXE in the dashboard and Hermes can use it from the next message — no config files, and the CarsXE key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect CarsXE to Hermes Agent? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to CarsXE in the dashboard, authenticate, and Hermes Agent can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring CarsXE up myself? The alternative to ClawLink is usually manual API key setup plus your own token handling, permission troubleshooting, and tool plumbing for Hermes Agent. That is fine if you want to build and maintain the integration yourself. Most teams just want CarsXE working from chat. ### Hermes paired but still can't use CarsXE Pairing is a two-step handshake: run `hermes clawlink begin`, approve the link in your browser, then run `hermes clawlink finish`. If you ran finish before approving, or the approval link expired, run `hermes clawlink begin` again to get a fresh link. Confirm the plugin was installed with `--enable`, then verify with `hermes clawlink test`. ## Related - [Hermes GitHub integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/github) — Manage repositories, issues, pull requests, and workflows - [PagerDuty tools](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/pagerduty) — Manage incidents, on-call schedules, and services - [SafetyCulture tools](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/safetyculture) — SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor) is a workplace operations platform that enables teams to conduct digital inspections, manage audits, track issues, schedule tasks, and maintain compliance through mobile and web applications.