# How to connect BambooHR to OpenClaw (paste one key, 41 tools) > Connect BambooHR to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your BambooHR key once and 41 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/bamboohr The usual route to BambooHR 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 BambooHR setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect BambooHR in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real BambooHR actions from any chat surface with no auth, token refresh, or tool wiring to build yourself. **Start here:** install the ClawLink plugin (`openclaw plugins install clawhub:clawlink-plugin`), pair it in the browser, then connect the app in the ClawLink dashboard. The interactive install prompt is on the web version of this page: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/bamboohr ## Setup It takes three steps to connect OpenClaw to BambooHR. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to OpenClaw once. 2. **Connect BambooHR** — one-click OAuth in the ClawLink dashboard. 3. **Use it from chat** — ask OpenClaw in plain English. **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 bamboohr # connect BambooHR (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions bamboohr # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run bamboohr --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 BambooHR in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your BambooHR API key once. Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw: > Use BambooHR to ats create candidate 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 BambooHR is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 41 BambooHR 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). ## BambooHR MCP for OpenClaw Looking for a BambooHR MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects BambooHR to OpenClaw and exposes 41 BambooHR 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 BambooHR integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/bamboohr) works the same way. ## What the OpenClaw BambooHR integration can do 41 BambooHR tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected. The 30 below are the ones people reach for most; your agent can call all 41. ### 30 of 41 BambooHR tools for OpenClaw | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Ats create candidate** `bamboohr_ats_create_candidate` | Create a candidate application | | **Ats create job opening** `bamboohr_ats_create_job_opening` | Create a new job opening in BambooHR ATS | | **Company get information** `bamboohr_company_get_information` | Get company information | | **Create time off request** `bamboohr_create_time_off_request` | Submit a new time off request | | **Datasets list** `bamboohr_datasets_list` | List available datasets via the Datasets API | | **Employee create** `bamboohr_employee_create` | Create a new employee record | | **Ats get applications** `bamboohr_ats_get_applications` | List job applications with optional filters | | **Benefit get coverages** `bamboohr_benefit_get_coverages` | Retrieve standard benefit coverage options | | **Benefit get member events** `bamboohr_benefit_get_member_events` | List member benefit events | | **Company get eins** `bamboohr_company_get_eins` | Retrieve company Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) | | **Dependents get all** `bamboohr_dependents_get_all` | Retrieve all employee dependents | | **Employee get changed** `bamboohr_employee_get_changed` | Get employees inserted, updated, or deleted since a given timestamp | | **Files list** `bamboohr_files_list` | List company file categories and their files | | **Get all employees** `bamboohr_get_all_employees` | Retrieves all employees from the BambooHR employee directory including their basic information | | **Get applicant statuses** `bamboohr_get_applicant_statuses` | Retrieve applicant statuses | | **Get custom employee fields** `bamboohr_get_custom_employee_fields` | Fetch custom employee field values | | **Get custom reports** `bamboohr_get_custom_reports` | Run a custom report by ID or ad-hoc fields | | **Get employee** `bamboohr_get_employee` | Retrieve detailed information for a specific employee | | **Get employee photo** `bamboohr_get_employee_photo` | Retrieve an employee's profile photo by size | | **Get hiring leads** `bamboohr_get_hiring_leads` | Retrieve potential hiring leads (employees who can manage job openings) for use in creating a | | **Get job summaries** `bamboohr_get_job_summaries` | Retrieve a list of ATS job summaries | | **Get meta departments** `bamboohr_get_meta_departments` | List department metadata | | **Get meta divisions** `bamboohr_get_meta_divisions` | List all division metadata | | **Get meta employment statuses** `bamboohr_get_meta_employment_statuses` | List all employment status metadata | | **Get meta job titles** `bamboohr_get_meta_job_titles` | Retrieve job title metadata | | **Get meta locations** `bamboohr_get_meta_locations` | List location metadata | | **Get meta time off types** `bamboohr_get_meta_time_off_types` | List time-off type metadata | | **Get report** `bamboohr_get_report` | Fetch a built-in or published report in JSON or other formats | | **Get time off balances** `bamboohr_get_time_off_balances` | Retrieve time-off balances for employees | | **Get time off requests** `bamboohr_get_time_off_requests` | List time-off requests within a date range | ## Example prompts **Ats Create Candidate** > Use BambooHR to ats create candidate and walk me through the result in plain English. **Ats Create Job Opening** > Use BambooHR to ats create job opening and walk me through the result in plain English. **Company Get Information** > Use BambooHR to company get information and walk me through the result in plain English. **Create Time Off Request** > Create it in BambooHR 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 OpenClaw. That is fine if you want to build and maintain the integration yourself. Most teams just want BambooHR working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the BambooHR API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected BambooHR 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 BambooHR. | 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 BambooHR actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 41 tools for BambooHR are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes BambooHR 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 BambooHR in the browser, and the 41 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the BambooHR 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 BambooHR skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about BambooHR, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure BambooHR 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 BambooHR 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 BambooHR tools BambooHR 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 BambooHR 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. ### BambooHR 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 BambooHR has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes. ### Is there a OpenClaw BambooHR integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to BambooHR: link your BambooHR account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the BambooHR API through 41 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I add BambooHR to OpenClaw with ClawLink? Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink BambooHR skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize BambooHR. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the BambooHR key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect BambooHR to OpenClaw? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to BambooHR in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring BambooHR 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 BambooHR working from chat. ### OpenClaw installed the BambooHR skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about BambooHR, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure BambooHR 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 - [OpenClaw Ashby integration](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/ashby) — Ashby delivers an applicant tracking system for modern teams, offering features like job postings, candidate management, and data-driven hiring insights to streamline the recruitment process.