# How to connect Ably to OpenClaw (paste one key, 25 tools) > Connect Ably to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your Ably key once and 25 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/ably The usual route to Ably access for OpenClaw is an MCP server you configure and keep running, plus your own OAuth app or API keys. ClawLink gives OpenClaw a more practical Ably setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect Ably in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real Ably actions from any chat surface with no auth, token refresh, or tool wiring to build yourself. ## Setup It takes three steps to connect OpenClaw to Ably. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to OpenClaw once. 2. **Connect Ably** — one-click OAuth in the ClawLink dashboard. 3. **Use it from chat** — ask OpenClaw in plain English. **Paste this into OpenClaw to set up ClawLink:** > I want to connect my apps to OpenClaw through ClawLink. > Please install the ClawLink plugin from ClawHub and enable it: `openclaw plugins install clawhub:clawlink-plugin` > When it is installed, tell me and stop. After I reply, give me the ClawLink pairing link. Setup notes, if you need them: https://claw-link.dev/skill.md **Alternative for any agent (no plugin needed):** if the OpenClaw 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 ably # connect Ably (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions ably # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run ably --input '' # execute (add --confirm for writes) ``` ### Install by command The setup prompt above does all of this in one paste. By hand, it is one install command plus a browser approval: ```bash openclaw plugins install clawhub:clawlink-plugin ``` Then ask OpenClaw to set up ClawLink. It starts browser pairing and prints an approval link — open it, approve the device, return to the chat, and say `done`. Finally, connect Ably in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your Ably API key once. Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw: > Use Ably to batch presence and walk me through the result in plain English. ### Using a different agent? The OpenClaw 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 Ably is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 25 Ably 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). ## Ably MCP for OpenClaw Looking for a Ably MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects Ably to OpenClaw and exposes 25 Ably 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 Hermes instead? The [Hermes Ably integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/ably) works the same way. ## What the OpenClaw Ably integration can do 25 Ably tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected. The 24 below are the ones people reach for most; your agent can call all 25. ### 24 of 25 Ably tools for OpenClaw | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Batch presence** `ably_batch_presence` | Enables querying the presence states of multiple channels in a single API request | | **Batch presence history** `ably_batch_presence_history` | Enables querying presence history for multiple channels in a single API request | | **Get channel details** `ably_get_channel_details` | Retrieves metadata and details for a specific channel in Ably | | **Get channel history** `ably_get_channel_history` | Retrieves the message history for a specified Ably channel | | **Get channel presence** `ably_get_channel_presence` | Obtain the set of members currently present for a channel | | **Get message versions** `ably_get_message_versions` | Retrieve all historical versions of a specific message from an Ably channel | | **Get presence history** `ably_get_presence_history` | Retrieves the history of presence messages for a specified channel in Ably | | **Get push device** `ably_get_push_device` | Get the full details of a device registration for push notifications | | **Get service time** `ably_get_service_time` | Retrieves the current server time from Ably's service in milliseconds since the epoch | | **Get stats** `ably_get_stats` | Retrieves your application's usage statistics from Ably | | **List channels** `ably_list_channels` | Enumerate all active channels in the Ably application | | **List push channel subscriptions** `ably_list_push_channel_subscriptions` | Retrieves a list of all push notification channel subscriptions | | **List push channels** `ably_list_push_channels` | List all channels with at least one subscribed device | | **List registered push devices** `ably_list_registered_push_devices` | List all devices registered for receiving push notifications in your Ably application | | **Patch push device registration** `ably_patch_push_device_registration` | Partially update specific attributes of an existing device registration in Ably's push | | **Publish batch messages** `ably_publish_batch_messages` | Batch publish messages to multiple channels in parallel | | **Publish message to channel** `ably_publish_message_to_channel` | Will allow users to publish a message to a specified Ably channel using a POST request | | **Publish push notification** `ably_publish_push_notification` | Publish a push notification directly to device(s) via Ably's Push Notifications API | | **Publish push notifications batch** `ably_publish_push_notifications_batch` | Batch publish push notifications directly to specific recipients | | **Register push device** `ably_register_push_device` | Register a device for receiving push notifications in Ably | | **Request access token** `ably_request_access_token` | Request an access token for Ably authentication | | **Update push device** `ably_update_push_device` | Update (upsert) a device registration for push notifications in Ably | | **Unregister all push devices** `ably_unregister_all_push_devices` | Unregister matching devices for push notifications | | **Unregister push device** `ably_unregister_push_device` | Unregister a single device from push notifications in Ably | ## Example prompts **Batch Presence** > Use Ably to batch presence and walk me through the result in plain English. **Batch Presence History** > Use Ably to batch presence history and walk me through the result in plain English. **Get Channel Details** > Pull the relevant data from Ably, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get Channel History** > Pull the relevant data from Ably, 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 OpenClaw. That is fine if you want to build and maintain the integration yourself. Most teams just want Ably working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Ably API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Ably 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 Ably. | 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 Ably actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 25 tools for Ably are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes Ably 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 OpenClaw users instead. You install the plugin once, connect Ably in the browser, and the 25 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Ably 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. ### OpenClaw installed the Ably skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Ably, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Ably is connected in the dashboard, then start a fresh chat so OpenClaw reloads the tool catalog. If OpenClaw runs as a persistent gateway, restart it so the new tools register. ### Connection succeeds but no tools appear Reconnect Ably 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 Ably tools Ably 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 Ably 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. ### Ably 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 Ably has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes. ### Is there a OpenClaw Ably integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to Ably: link your Ably account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the Ably API through 25 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I add Ably to OpenClaw with ClawLink? Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink Ably skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize Ably. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the Ably key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect Ably to OpenClaw? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Ably in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Ably up myself? The alternative to ClawLink is usually manual API key setup plus your own token handling, permission troubleshooting, and tool plumbing for OpenClaw. That is fine if you want to build and maintain the integration yourself. Most teams just want Ably working from chat. ### OpenClaw installed the Ably skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Ably, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Ably is connected in the dashboard, then start a fresh chat so OpenClaw reloads the tool catalog. If OpenClaw runs as a persistent gateway, restart it so the new tools register. ## Related - [GitHub tools](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/github) — Manage repositories, issues, pull requests, and workflows - [PagerDuty tools](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/pagerduty) — Manage incidents, on-call schedules, and services - [SafetyCulture](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/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.