# How to connect Respond.io to Hermes Agent (paste one key, 7 tools) > Connect Respond.io to Hermes with ClawLink: paste your Respond.io key once and 7 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/hermes/respond-io Most guides for giving Hermes Agent Respond.io 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 Respond.io setup: pair once in the browser and your always-on Hermes agent can act on Respond.io 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 Respond.io. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to Hermes Agent once. 2. **Connect Respond.io** — 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 respond-io # connect Respond.io (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions respond-io # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run respond-io --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 Respond.io in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your Respond.io API key once. Verify the connection by asking Hermes: > Pull the relevant data from Respond.io, 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 Respond.io is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 7 Respond.io 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). ## Respond.io MCP for Hermes Looking for a Respond.io MCP server for Hermes Agent? ClawLink connects Respond.io to Hermes Agent and exposes 7 Respond.io 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 Respond.io integration](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/respond-io) works the same way. ## What the Hermes Agent Respond.io integration can do 7 Respond.io tools are ready for Hermes Agent once the account is connected. ### All 7 Respond.io tools for Hermes | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Get message** `respond_io_get_message` | Retrieve a specific message | | **List channels** `respond_io_list_channels` | Retrieve a list of channels connected to the workspace | | **List users** `respond_io_list_users` | Retrieve a list of users in the workspace | | **Create comment** `respond_io_create_comment` | Add a comment (internal note) to a contact's conversation | | **Create contact** `respond_io_create_contact` | Creates a new contact in the respond.io workspace with the specified details | | **Create space tag** `respond_io_create_space_tag` | Creates a new tag in the Respond.io workspace for organizing and categorizing contacts and | | **Update space tag** `respond_io_update_space_tag` | Updates an existing workspace tag by its current name | ## Example prompts **Get Message** > Pull the relevant data from Respond.io, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **List Channels** > List the relevant items in Respond.io, group them by priority, and recommend what Hermes should do next. **List Users** > List the relevant items in Respond.io, group them by priority, and recommend what Hermes should do next. **Create Comment** > Create it in Respond.io for me, then confirm the important fields before you finish. ## 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 Respond.io working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Respond.io API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Respond.io 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 Respond.io. | 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 Respond.io actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 7 tools for Respond.io are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes Respond.io 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 Respond.io in the browser, and the 7 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Respond.io 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 Respond.io 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 Respond.io 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 Respond.io tools Respond.io 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 Respond.io 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. ### Respond.io 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 Respond.io 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 Respond.io integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect Hermes to Respond.io: link your Respond.io account once in the browser and Hermes Agent can call the Respond.io API through 7 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I connect Respond.io 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 Respond.io in the dashboard and Hermes can use it from the next message — no config files, and the Respond.io key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect Respond.io to Hermes Agent? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Respond.io in the dashboard, authenticate, and Hermes Agent can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Respond.io 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 Respond.io working from chat. ### Hermes paired but still can't use Respond.io 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 - [Connect SendGrid](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/sendgrid) — Deliver transactional and marketing emails - [Dialpad](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/dialpad) — Business phone, messaging, and video conferencing - [Connect Discord Bot](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/discord-bot) — Automate Discord server actions with bot-specific permissions