# How to connect Pexels to Hermes Agent (paste one key, 9 tools) > Connect Pexels to Hermes with ClawLink: paste your Pexels key once and 9 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/hermes/pexels Most guides for giving Hermes Agent Pexels 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 Pexels setup: pair once in the browser and your always-on Hermes agent can act on Pexels 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 Pexels. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to Hermes Agent once. 2. **Connect Pexels** — 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 pexels # connect Pexels (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions pexels # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run pexels --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 Pexels in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your Pexels API key once. Verify the connection by asking Hermes: > Use Pexels to collection media 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 Pexels is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 9 Pexels 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). ## Pexels MCP for Hermes Looking for a Pexels MCP server for Hermes Agent? ClawLink connects Pexels to Hermes Agent and exposes 9 Pexels 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 Pexels integration](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/pexels) works the same way. ## What the Hermes Agent Pexels integration can do 9 Pexels tools are ready for Hermes Agent once the account is connected. ### All 9 Pexels tools for Hermes | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Collection media** `pexels_collection_media` | Get all media within a collection by its ID | | **Curated photos** `pexels_curated_photos` | Get real-time curated photos | | **Featured collections** `pexels_featured_collections` | Get featured collections | | **Get photo** `pexels_get_photo` | Retrieve detailed information about a specific photo | | **Get video by ID** `pexels_get_video_by_id` | Retrieve detailed information about a specific video from Pexels | | **My collections** `pexels_my_collections` | Get all of the user's collections on Pexels | | **Popular videos** `pexels_popular_videos` | Retrieve current popular Pexels videos | | **Search photos** `pexels_search_photos` | Search for photos on Pexels | | **Search videos** `pexels_search_videos` | Search for videos on Pexels by query and optional filters | ## Example prompts **Collection Media** > Use Pexels to collection media and walk me through the result in plain English. **Curated Photos** > Use Pexels to curated photos and walk me through the result in plain English. **Featured Collections** > Use Pexels to featured collections and walk me through the result in plain English. **Get Photo** > Pull the relevant data from Pexels, 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 Pexels working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Pexels API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Pexels 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 Pexels. | 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 Pexels actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 9 tools for Pexels are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes Pexels 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 Pexels in the browser, and the 9 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Pexels 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 Pexels 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 Pexels 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 Pexels tools Pexels 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 Pexels 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. ### Pexels 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 Pexels 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 Pexels integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect Hermes to Pexels: link your Pexels account once in the browser and Hermes Agent can call the Pexels API through 9 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I connect Pexels 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 Pexels in the dashboard and Hermes can use it from the next message — no config files, and the Pexels key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect Pexels to Hermes Agent? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Pexels in the dashboard, authenticate, and Hermes Agent can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Pexels 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 Pexels working from chat. ### Hermes paired but still can't use Pexels 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 - [Cloudinary tools](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. - [Connect Penpot](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/penpot) — Open-source design and prototyping platform for collaborative design workflows. - [Canva tools](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/canva) — Create designs, upload assets, export content, and manage brand templates