# How to connect TiDB Cloud to Hermes Agent (paste one key, 10 tools) > Connect TiDB Cloud to Hermes with ClawLink: paste your TiDB Cloud key once and 10 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/hermes/tidb-cloud Most guides for giving Hermes Agent TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud setup: pair once in the browser and your always-on Hermes agent can act on TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to Hermes Agent once. 2. **Connect TiDB Cloud** — 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 tidb-cloud # connect TiDB Cloud (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions tidb-cloud # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run tidb-cloud --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 TiDB Cloud in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your TiDB Cloud API key once. Verify the connection by asking Hermes: > Pull the relevant data from TiDB Cloud, 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 TiDB Cloud is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 10 TiDB Cloud 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). ## TiDB Cloud MCP for Hermes Looking for a TiDB Cloud MCP server for Hermes Agent? ClawLink connects TiDB Cloud to Hermes Agent and exposes 10 TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud integration](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/tidb-cloud) works the same way. ## What the Hermes Agent TiDB Cloud integration can do 10 TiDB Cloud tools are ready for Hermes Agent once the account is connected. ### All 10 TiDB Cloud tools for Hermes | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Get cluster** `tidb_cloud_get_cluster` | Get details for one Starter/Essential instance or Dedicated cluster by ID | | **Get monthly bill** `tidb_cloud_get_monthly_bill` | Return the TiDB Cloud organization bill for one calendar month | | **List audit logs** `tidb_cloud_list_audit_logs` | Search TiDB Cloud organization audit logs by time range, event type, or keyword and return one | | **List branches** `tidb_cloud_list_branches` | List database branches for a TiDB Cloud Starter or Essential instance | | **List clusters** `tidb_cloud_list_clusters` | List TiDB Cloud Starter/Essential instances or Dedicated clusters, with product-specific filters | | **List data app deployments** `tidb_cloud_list_data_app_deployments` | List one page of deployments and deployment status for a TiDB Cloud Data Service application | | **List data apps** `tidb_cloud_list_data_apps` | List TiDB Cloud Data Service applications in a project, returning one page and a continuation | | **List import tasks** `tidb_cloud_list_import_tasks` | List one page of import tasks for a TiDB Cloud Starter/Essential instance or Dedicated cluster | | **List organization members** `tidb_cloud_list_organization_members` | List one page of TiDB Cloud organization members with optional identity, assignment, role, and | | **List regions** `tidb_cloud_list_regions` | List regions available for Starter/Essential or Dedicated clusters, optionally filtering | ## Example prompts **Get Cluster** > Pull the relevant data from TiDB Cloud, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get Monthly Bill** > Pull the relevant data from TiDB Cloud, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **List Audit Logs** > List the relevant items in TiDB Cloud, group them by priority, and recommend what Hermes should do next. **List Branches** > List the relevant items in TiDB Cloud, group them by priority, and recommend what Hermes should do next. ## 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 TiDB Cloud working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the TiDB Cloud API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud. | 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 TiDB Cloud actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 10 tools for TiDB Cloud are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud in the browser, and the 10 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud tools TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud 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. ### TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect Hermes to TiDB Cloud: link your TiDB Cloud account once in the browser and Hermes Agent can call the TiDB Cloud API through 10 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I connect TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud in the dashboard and Hermes can use it from the next message — no config files, and the TiDB Cloud key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect TiDB Cloud to Hermes Agent? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to TiDB Cloud in the dashboard, authenticate, and Hermes Agent can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud working from chat. ### Hermes paired but still can't use TiDB Cloud 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 PostHog integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/posthog) — Track user behavior and feature flags - [DataforSEO](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/dataforseo) — SEO data APIs for keywords, SERP, and site audits - [Metabase](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/metabase) — Metabase is an open-source business intelligence tool that lets you ask questions about your data and visualize answers as charts, graphs, and dashboards.