How to connect Clay to Hermes Agent (no API keys)

Most guides for giving Hermes Agent Clay 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 Clay setup: pair once in the browser and your always-on Hermes agent can act on Clay for you, reading and doing real work on your behalf with no auth, token refresh, or tool wiring to build yourself.

Copy this prompt into Hermes to install the plugin and pair your account.

Prompt for Hermes

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. It prints an approval link, so show me the link and stop, don't wait:
hermes clawlink begin

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.

Setup

It takes three steps to connect Hermes to Clay.

1
Install and pair
Install the ClawLink plugin, then pair Hermes with a one-time browser approval:
hermes plugins install ClawLink-HQ/hermes-plugin --enable
2
Connect Clay
One-click OAuth in the dashboard.
3
Use it from chat
Ask Hermes Agent: "What can you do with Clay?"

Install by command

The prompt above walks Hermes through this. By hand, it is four commands and a browser approval:

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 Clay in the ClawLink dashboard — a one-click OAuth approval, no API keys.

Verify the connection by asking Hermes:

Use Clay to mcp ask question about accounts 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:

npx -y @useclawlink/cli login

login opens the same browser approval and stores a credential locally. Once Clay is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 17 Clay tools over MCP. Full setup for MCP clients and shell agents: connect apps to any AI agent.

Clay MCP for Hermes

Looking for a Clay MCP server for Hermes Agent? ClawLink connects Clay to Hermes Agent and exposes 17 Clay tools your agent can call over MCP, with hosted auth and nothing to run or maintain yourself. Using OpenClaw instead? The OpenClaw Clay integration works the same way.

What the Hermes Agent Clay integration can do

17 Clay tools are ready for Hermes Agent once the account is connected.

All 17 Clay tools for Hermes

Tool	What it does
Mcp ask question about accounts `clay_mcp_ask_question_about_accounts`	Ask a natural language question about one or more accounts available in Clay Audiences
Mcp find and enrich company `clay_mcp_find_and_enrich_company`	Find and enrich a single company by domain or LinkedIn URL
Mcp find and enrich contacts at company `clay_mcp_find_and_enrich_contacts_at_company`	Search for contacts at a company by role, title, name, or department
Mcp find and enrich list of contacts `clay_mcp_find_and_enrich_list_of_contacts`	Find and enrich specific named contacts at their companies
Mcp get credits available `clay_mcp_get_credits_available`	Check if credits are available for the workspace
Mcp get current workspace `clay_mcp_get_current_workspace`	Report which Clay workspace this connection is pinned to
Mcp get subroutine input options `clay_mcp_get_subroutine_input_options`	Fetch the available dropdown options for a subroutine input that has a configured options source
Mcp get task `clay_mcp_get_task`	Get task status and results by task ID
Mcp get task context `clay_mcp_get_task_context`	Retrieve the current state of a task — all entities, enrichment values, and statuses
Mcp list subroutines `clay_mcp_list_subroutines`	List available functions
Mcp query objects `clay_mcp_query_objects`	Query audience accounts, contacts, or deals using natural language
Mcp track event `clay_mcp_track_event`	Track an analytics event with optional properties
Mcp add company data points `clay_mcp_add_company_data_points`	Add data points to companies in an existing search
Mcp add contact data points `clay_mcp_add_contact_data_points`	Add data points to contacts in an existing search
Mcp run subroutine `clay_mcp_run_subroutine`	Execute a function on contacts/companies FROM AN EXISTING SEARCH (Company Address, Company
Mcp run subroutine direct `clay_mcp_run_subroutine_direct`	Execute a custom function on one or more sets of provided inputs
Mcp run subroutine no mapping `clay_mcp_run_subroutine_no_mapping`	Run a custom subroutine on search entities

Try it: find the Clay tool you need

Browse the 17 Clay tools

Click any tool to see exactly what Hermes can do and copy a ready-to-use prompt.

Example prompts

Use Clay to mcp ask question about accounts and walk me through the result in plain English.

Use Clay to mcp find and enrich company and walk me through the result in plain English.

Use Clay to mcp find and enrich contacts at company and walk me through the result in plain English.

Use Clay to mcp find and enrich list of contacts and walk me through the result in plain English.

ClawLink vs. building it yourself

The alternative to ClawLink is usually manual OAuth app 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 Clay working from chat.

	Manual	ClawLink
Connection flow	Register a Clay app, configure redirect URLs, manage consent details, and reconnect users when auth settings drift.	Users connect Clay through the hosted browser flow and ClawLink keeps the token lifecycle out of your app code.
Ongoing maintenance	You own refresh logic, permission debugging, environment config, and every provider-specific edge case for Clay.	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 Clay actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use.	17 tools for Clay are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately.

ClawLink vs. Composio

Composio also exposes Clay 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 Clay in the browser, and the 17 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK, no config file, and no API key handling. Choosing between them? Read the full Composio alternatives comparison.

Troubleshooting

Hermes paired but still can't use Clay

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 Clay 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 Clay tools

Clay 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 Clay 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.

Clay 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.

OAuth finished in the browser but the account is still missing

Try reconnecting Clay and complete the consent flow in the same browser session. Partial OAuth approvals or switching accounts mid-flow can leave the connection incomplete.

FAQ

Is there a Hermes Agent Clay integration?

Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect Hermes to Clay: link your Clay account once in the browser and Hermes Agent can call the Clay API through 17 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling.

How do I connect Clay 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 Clay in the dashboard and Hermes can use it from the next message — no config files or API keys to manage.

How long does it take to connect Clay to Hermes Agent?

About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Clay in the dashboard, authenticate, and Hermes Agent can use it from the next chat message.

Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Clay up myself?

Hermes paired but still can't use Clay

How to connect Clay to Hermes Agent

Setup

Install and pair

Connect Clay

Use it from chat