# How to connect Sideshow to Hermes Agent (no API keys) > Connect Sideshow to Hermes with ClawLink in one click — 18 tools your AI agent can call from chat via hosted OAuth. No API keys, no manual setup. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/hermes/sideshow Most guides for giving Hermes Agent Sideshow 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 Sideshow setup: pair once in the browser and your always-on Hermes agent can act on Sideshow 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 Sideshow. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to Hermes Agent once. 2. **Connect Sideshow** — 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 sideshow # connect Sideshow (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions sideshow # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run sideshow --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 Sideshow in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — a one-click OAuth approval, no API keys. Verify the connection by asking Hermes: > Use Sideshow to mcp get design guide 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 Sideshow is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 18 Sideshow 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). ## Sideshow MCP for Hermes Looking for a Sideshow MCP server for Hermes Agent? ClawLink connects Sideshow to Hermes Agent and exposes 18 Sideshow 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 Sideshow integration](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/sideshow) works the same way. ## What the Hermes Agent Sideshow integration can do 18 Sideshow tools are ready for Hermes Agent once the account is connected. ### All 18 Sideshow tools for Hermes | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Mcp get design guide** `sideshow_mcp_get_design_guide` | Fetch HTML fragment, sizing, theme, kit, CDN, and interactivity guidance | | **Mcp get post** `sideshow_mcp_get_post` | Get one full post with surface ids/indexes, version, and history; use before targeted edits or | | **Mcp list posts** `sideshow_mcp_list_posts` | List posts, optionally scoped by session | | **Mcp list surfaces** `sideshow_mcp_list_surfaces` | Deprecated list_posts alias | | **Mcp add surface** `sideshow_mcp_add_surface` | Insert one publish_post-shaped surface into a post; before/after accepts an id or 0-based index | | **Mcp edit surface** `sideshow_mcp_edit_surface` | Replace one surface by id/index, or pass content to preserve its kind-specific options | | **Mcp publish post** `sideshow_mcp_publish_post` | Publish ordered surfaces as one post | | **Mcp publish snippet** `sideshow_mcp_publish_snippet` | Deprecated HTML-only publish_post sugar | | **Mcp publish surface** `sideshow_mcp_publish_surface` | Deprecated publish_post alias; pass the same surface shape as parts | | **Mcp reorder surfaces** `sideshow_mcp_reorder_surfaces` | Reorder every surface using ids or 0-based indexes; order length must match | | **Mcp reply to user** `sideshow_mcp_reply_to_user` | Post a short plain-text reply using postId (surfaceId is deprecated) | | **Mcp send test post** `sideshow_mcp_send_test_post` | Publish the idempotent built-in welcome post to test a connection or fresh workspace; returns | | **Mcp update post** `sideshow_mcp_update_post` | Revise a post in place instead of publishing a duplicate | | **Mcp update snippet** `sideshow_mcp_update_snippet` | Deprecated HTML-only update_post sugar | | **Mcp update surface** `sideshow_mcp_update_surface` | Deprecated update_post alias; pass replacement surfaces as parts | | **Mcp upload asset** `sideshow_mcp_upload_asset` | Upload base64 bytes and return id and URL | | **Mcp wait for feedback** `sideshow_mcp_wait_for_feedback` | Wait up to 300 seconds for comments not yet delivered on any channel; 0 is a non-blocking check | | **Mcp remove surface** `sideshow_mcp_remove_surface` | Remove one surface by id/index; a post must retain at least one | ## Example prompts **Mcp Get Design Guide** > Use Sideshow to mcp get design guide and walk me through the result in plain English. **Mcp Get Post** > Use Sideshow to mcp get post and walk me through the result in plain English. **Mcp List Posts** > Use Sideshow to mcp list posts and walk me through the result in plain English. **Mcp List Surfaces** > Use Sideshow to mcp list surfaces 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 Sideshow working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Connection flow** | Register a Sideshow app, configure redirect URLs, manage consent details, and reconnect users when auth settings drift. | Users connect Sideshow 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 Sideshow. | 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 Sideshow actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 18 tools for Sideshow are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes Sideshow 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 Sideshow in the browser, and the 18 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](https://claw-link.dev/hub/composio-alternatives) comparison. ### Hermes paired but still can't use Sideshow 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 Sideshow 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 Sideshow tools Sideshow 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 Sideshow 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. ### Sideshow 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 Sideshow and complete the consent flow in the same browser session. Partial OAuth approvals or switching accounts mid-flow can leave the connection incomplete. ### Is there a Hermes Agent Sideshow integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect Hermes to Sideshow: link your Sideshow account once in the browser and Hermes Agent can call the Sideshow API through 18 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I connect Sideshow 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 Sideshow 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 Sideshow to Hermes Agent? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Sideshow in the dashboard, authenticate, and Hermes Agent can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Sideshow up myself? 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 Sideshow working from chat. ### Hermes paired but still can't use Sideshow 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 GitHub integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/github) — Manage repositories, issues, pull requests, and workflows - [Hermes PagerDuty integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/pagerduty) — Manage incidents, on-call schedules, and services - [SafetyCulture](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/safetyculture) — SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor) is a workplace operations platform that enables teams to conduct digital inspections, manage audits, track issues, schedule tasks, and maintain compliance through mobile and web applications.