How to connect Grist to Hermes Agent
Connect Grist to Hermes with ClawLink: paste your Grist key once and 30 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine.
GristAPI KEYMCPGrist is a relational spreadsheet platform that combines the flexibility of a spreadsheet with the robustness of a database, allowing users to create custom applications tailored to their data needs.. Once connected, Hermes Agent can read and act on Grist from chat — pairing, token refresh, and tool wiring handled for you.
Most guides for giving Hermes Agent Grist 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 Grist setup: pair once in the browser and your always-on Hermes agent can act on Grist 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 Grist.
1Install 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 Grist
Paste your API key in the dashboard.
- 3
Use it from chat
Ask Hermes Agent: "What can you do with Grist?"
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 testThen connect Grist in the ClawLink dashboard — paste your Grist API key once.
Verify the connection by asking Hermes:
Use Grist to download all attachments archive 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 loginlogin opens the same browser approval and stores a credential locally. Once Grist is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 30 Grist tools over MCP. Full setup for MCP clients and shell agents: connect apps to any AI agent.
Grist MCP for Hermes
Looking for a Grist MCP server for Hermes Agent? ClawLink connects Grist to Hermes Agent and exposes 30 Grist tools your agent can call over MCP, with hosted auth and nothing to run or maintain yourself. Using OpenClaw instead? The OpenClaw Grist integration works the same way.
What the Hermes Agent Grist integration can do
30 Grist tools are ready for Hermes Agent once the account is connected. The 25 below are the ones people reach for most; your agent can call all 30.
25 of 30 Grist tools for Hermes
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
Download all attachments archive grist_download_all_attachments_archive | Download all attachments from a Grist document as a single archive file (.zip or .tar) |
Download attachment grist_download_attachment | Download a file attachment from a Grist document |
Fetch document metadata grist_fetch_document_metadata | Fetch metadata for a specified Grist document |
Fetch table metadata grist_fetch_table_metadata | Retrieve metadata for a specified table in a Grist document |
Get org access grist_get_org_access | Retrieves the list of users who have access to a Grist organization along with their access |
Get users grist_get_users | Retrieve a list of users via SCIM v2 |
List attachments grist_list_attachments | List all attachments in a Grist document |
List columns grist_list_columns | List all columns in a specified Grist table |
List organizations grist_list_organizations | List all organizations accessible to the authenticated user |
List records grist_list_records | Retrieve records from a specified table within a Grist document |
List tables grist_list_tables | List all tables within a specified document |
List webhooks grist_list_webhooks | List all webhooks configured for a Grist document |
List workspaces grist_list_workspaces | List all workspaces and documents accessible to the authenticated user on the current site |
Run SQL query grist_run_sql_query | Execute a read-only SQL SELECT query on a Grist document |
Add records grist_add_records | Add one or more records to a Grist table |
Create document grist_create_document | Creates a new Grist document in a specified workspace |
Create scim user grist_create_scim_user | Create a new SCIM user |
Create table grist_create_table | Create tables in a document |
Create webhook grist_create_webhook | Create a new webhook for a specified document |
Update column metadata grist_update_column_metadata | Updates metadata (label, type, description, formula, etc.) for one or more columns in a Grist |
Update document metadata grist_update_document_metadata | Update metadata for a specified Grist document |
Update records grist_update_records | Update existing records in a Grist table by their row IDs |
Update table metadata grist_update_table_metadata | Update metadata properties for a table in a Grist document |
Update webhook grist_update_webhook | Update an existing webhook configuration for a Grist document |
Upload attachment grist_upload_attachment | Upload one or more file attachments to a Grist document |
Try it: find the Grist tool you need
Browse the 25 Grist tools
Click any tool to see exactly what Hermes can do and copy a ready-to-use prompt.
Example prompts
Use Grist to download all attachments archive and walk me through the result in plain English.
Use Grist to download attachment and walk me through the result in plain English.
Pull the relevant data from Grist, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention.
Pull the relevant data from Grist, 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 Grist working from chat.
| Manual | ClawLink | |
|---|---|---|
| Credential handling | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Grist API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Grist 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 Grist. | 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 Grist actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 30 tools for Grist are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. |
ClawLink vs. Composio
Composio also exposes Grist 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 Grist in the browser, and the 30 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Grist key you paste at setup is stored server-side rather than kept in your environment. Choosing between them? Read the full Composio alternatives comparison.
Troubleshooting
Hermes paired but still can't use Grist
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 Grist 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 Grist tools
Grist 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 Grist 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.
Grist 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 Grist has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes.
FAQ
Is there a Hermes Agent Grist integration?
Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect Hermes to Grist: link your Grist account once in the browser and Hermes Agent can call the Grist API through 30 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling.
How do I connect Grist 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 Grist in the dashboard and Hermes can use it from the next message — no config files, and the Grist key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment.
How long does it take to connect Grist to Hermes Agent?
About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Grist in the dashboard, authenticate, and Hermes Agent can use it from the next chat message.
Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Grist 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 Grist working from chat.
Hermes paired but still can't use Grist
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.
