# How to connect Cats to Hermes Agent (paste one key, 18 tools) > Connect Cats to Hermes with ClawLink: paste your Cats key once and 18 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/hermes/cats Most guides for giving Hermes Agent Cats 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 Cats setup: pair once in the browser and your always-on Hermes agent can act on Cats 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 Cats. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to Hermes Agent once. 2. **Connect Cats** — 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 cats # connect Cats (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions cats # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run cats --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 Cats in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your Cats API key once. Verify the connection by asking Hermes: > Pull the relevant data from Cats, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. ### 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 Cats is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 18 Cats 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). ## Cats MCP for Hermes Looking for a Cats MCP server for Hermes Agent? ClawLink connects Cats to Hermes Agent and exposes 18 Cats 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 Cats integration](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/cats) works the same way. ## What the Hermes Agent Cats integration can do 18 Cats tools are ready for Hermes Agent once the account is connected. The 15 below are the ones people reach for most; your agent can call all 18. ### 15 of 18 Cats tools for Hermes | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Get breed** `cats_get_breed` | Get detailed information about a specific cat breed by its ID | | **Get favourite** `cats_get_favourite` | Retrieve a specific favourite by its unique ID | | **Get image** `cats_get_image` | Retrieve a specific cat image by its unique ID | | **Get image analysis** `cats_get_image_analysis` | Get machine learning analysis results for an uploaded image | | **Get image breeds** `cats_get_image_breeds` | Retrieve breed information associated with a specific cat image | | **Get portals** `cats_get_portals` | Retrieves a paginated list of cat breeds from The Cat API | | **Get vote** `cats_get_vote` | Retrieves a specific vote by its unique ID from The Cat API | | **List categories** `cats_list_categories` | Retrieves a list of all active image categories from The Cat API | | **List favourites** `cats_list_favourites` | Get all favourites belonging to your account | | **List uploaded images** `cats_list_uploaded_images` | Get all images uploaded to your account via /images/upload | | **List votes** `cats_list_votes` | Retrieve all votes you have created | | **Search breeds** `cats_search_breeds` | Search for cat breeds by name | | **Search images** `cats_search_images` | Search for random cat images with optional filters | | **Create favourite** `cats_create_favourite` | Save an image as a favourite to your account | | **Create vote** `cats_create_vote` | Vote on a cat image | ## Example prompts **Get Breed** > Pull the relevant data from Cats, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get Favourite** > Pull the relevant data from Cats, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get Image** > Pull the relevant data from Cats, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get Image Analysis** > Pull the relevant data from Cats, 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 Cats working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Cats API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Cats 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 Cats. | 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 Cats actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 18 tools for Cats are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes Cats 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 Cats in the browser, and the 18 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Cats 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 Cats 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 Cats 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 Cats tools Cats 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 Cats 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. ### Cats 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 Cats 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 Cats integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect Hermes to Cats: link your Cats account once in the browser and Hermes Agent can call the Cats API through 18 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I connect Cats 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 Cats in the dashboard and Hermes can use it from the next message — no config files, and the Cats key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect Cats to Hermes Agent? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Cats in the dashboard, authenticate, and Hermes Agent can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Cats 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 Cats working from chat. ### Hermes paired but still can't use Cats 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 Cloudinary integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/cloudinary) — Cloudinary is a cloud-based media management platform for uploading, storing, transforming, and delivering images and videos via CDN. - [Penpot](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/penpot) — Open-source design and prototyping platform for collaborative design workflows. - [Hermes Canva integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/canva) — Create designs, upload assets, export content, and manage brand templates