# What is a hosted app connector?

> A hosted app connector runs your AI agent's app integrations — OAuth, credential storage, tool definitions — so connecting an app is a browser login, not a build.

Web version: https://claw-link.dev/learn/hosted-app-connector

A hosted app connector is a service that runs app integrations on behalf of
your AI agent: it hosts the OAuth flows, stores and refreshes credentials, and
exposes each app's actions as tools the agent can call. Instead of building or
self-hosting an integration per app, you sign in once through the browser and
the app is available to your agent.

## Hosted connector vs. running your own integrations

Doing it yourself, per app, means registering a developer app to get OAuth
credentials, standing up a callback URL, storing and refreshing tokens,
defining tools the model can use, and maintaining all of it when the provider
changes something. Multiply by every app your agent touches.

A hosted connector collapses all of that to a login. The trade-off is trust:
you're letting a service hold tokens for you — so it should be explicit about
encryption, scopes, and revocation. See
[OAuth for AI agents](https://claw-link.dev/learn/oauth-for-ai-agents) for what the token actually
grants.

## What a hosted connector actually handles

The visible part is the connect flow. The invisible part is the ongoing work:
refreshing tokens before they expire, keeping tool schemas current as
providers evolve, normalizing errors so the agent gets a message it can act
on, and flagging connections that need a re-login instead of failing silently.
That maintenance is most of the real cost of agent integrations — see
[tool calling for AI agents](https://claw-link.dev/learn/tool-calling-for-ai-agents) for where
these pieces fit.

## When self-hosting still makes sense

If you need an integration with an internal app no connector supports, operate
in an environment that can't use external services, or want full control over
every request, running your own
[MCP servers](https://claw-link.dev/learn/what-is-an-mcp-server) is the right call. For the common
case — standard SaaS apps, a team that wants the agent working today — hosted
wins on time and upkeep.

## ClawLink is a hosted app connector

ClawLink connects 100+ apps to agents like OpenClaw and Hermes: hosted OAuth
or guided API-key setup, encrypted credential storage, and each app's actions
exposed as MCP tools. Browse the [integration catalog](https://claw-link.dev/integrations) or start
with a popular one like [Gmail for OpenClaw](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/gmail).

## Keep reading