How to connect Census Bureau to OpenClaw
Connect Census Bureau to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your Census Bureau key once and 81 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine.
Census BureauAPI KEYMCPThe Census Bureau Data API provides developers with access to a wide range of statistical data collected by the U.S.. Once connected, OpenClaw can read and act on Census Bureau from chat — pairing, token refresh, and tool wiring handled for you.
The usual route to Census Bureau 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 Census Bureau setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect Census Bureau in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real Census Bureau 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 Census Bureau.
1Install the plugin
Paste the setup prompt into OpenClaw, or install from the terminal and ask OpenClaw to pair:
openclaw plugins install clawhub:clawlink-plugin- 2
Connect Census Bureau
Paste your API key in the dashboard.
- 3
Use it from chat
Ask OpenClaw: "What can you do with Census Bureau?"
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:
openclaw plugins install clawhub:clawlink-pluginThen 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 Census Bureau in the ClawLink dashboard — paste your Census Bureau API key once.
Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw:
Use Census Bureau to geocode address 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:
npx -y @useclawlink/cli loginlogin opens the same browser approval and stores a credential locally. Once Census Bureau is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 81 Census Bureau tools over MCP. Full setup for MCP clients and shell agents: connect apps to any AI agent.
Census Bureau MCP for OpenClaw
Looking for a Census Bureau MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects Census Bureau to OpenClaw and exposes 81 Census Bureau tools your agent can call over MCP, with hosted auth and nothing to run or maintain yourself. Using Hermes instead? The Hermes Census Bureau integration works the same way.
What the OpenClaw Census Bureau integration can do
81 Census Bureau 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 81.
30 of 81 Census Bureau tools for OpenClaw
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
Geocode address census_bureau_geocode_address | Geocode a single address to get latitude/longitude coordinates |
Geocode address geographies census_bureau_geocode_address_geographies | Geocode an address and return Census geography identifiers including state, county, tract |
Geocode address parts census_bureau_geocode_address_parts | Geocode an address using separate components (street, city, state, ZIP) to get |
Geocode address with geography census_bureau_geocode_address_with_geography | Geocode an address and return both coordinates and Census geography information |
Geocode coordinates census_bureau_geocode_coordinates | Reverse geocode latitude/longitude coordinates to Census geographic areas |
Geocode geographies address pr census_bureau_geocode_geographies_address_pr | Geocode a Puerto Rico address and return coordinates plus Census geography data |
Geocode geographies batch census_bureau_geocode_geographies_batch | Batch geocode multiple addresses from a CSV file and return Census geography codes |
Geocode location address pr census_bureau_geocode_location_address_pr | Geocode a Puerto Rico address with urbanization to latitude/longitude coordinates |
Get acs1 year estimates census_bureau_get_acs1_year_estimates | Retrieve 1-year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates for a specified geography |
Get acs5 year estimates census_bureau_get_acs5_year_estimates | Retrieve 5-year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates from the U.S |
Get community resilience estimates census_bureau_get_community_resilience_estimates | Retrieve U.S |
Get county business patterns census_bureau_get_county_business_patterns | Retrieve County Business Patterns (CBP) data for a specified year |
Get dataset examples HTML census_bureau_get_dataset_examples_html | Retrieve example queries for a Census dataset in HTML format |
Get dataset examples json census_bureau_get_dataset_examples_json | Retrieve example API query patterns for a specific Census dataset and vintage |
Get dataset examples xml census_bureau_get_dataset_examples_xml | Retrieve example queries for a Census Bureau dataset in XML format |
Get dataset geography HTML census_bureau_get_dataset_geography_html | Retrieve available geographies for a Census dataset in HTML format |
Get dataset geography json census_bureau_get_dataset_geography_json | Get the list of supported geography levels for a specific Census dataset with their hierarchy |
Get dataset geography xml census_bureau_get_dataset_geography_xml | Retrieve available geographies for a Census Bureau dataset in XML format |
Get dataset groups census_bureau_get_dataset_groups | Retrieve the list of table groups for a Census dataset and vintage |
Get dataset sorts census_bureau_get_dataset_sorts | List available sort options for a specific Census dataset and vintage |
Get dataset tags census_bureau_get_dataset_tags | List available tags/keywords for a specific Census dataset and vintage |
Get dataset variables json census_bureau_get_dataset_variables_json | Retrieve the complete list of available variables for a specific Census dataset |
Get decennial census data census_bureau_get_decennial_census_data | Retrieve Decennial Census data (population, demographics, housing) from the U.S |
Get planning database data census_bureau_get_planning_database_data | Get Planning Database (PDB) data containing Census tract and block group level data useful for |
Get population estimates census_bureau_get_population_estimates | Retrieves Population Estimates Program (PEP) data from the US Census Bureau API |
Get tigerweb acs generalized census_bureau_get_tigerweb_acs_generalized | Access generalized ACS (American Community Survey) boundary services from TIGERweb for specific |
Get tigerweb map service census_bureau_get_tigerweb_map_service | Retrieve TIGERweb MapServer service metadata including available layers, capabilities, and |
Get timeseries examples HTML census_bureau_get_timeseries_examples_html | Retrieve HTML-formatted example queries for a Census Bureau timeseries dataset |
Get timeseries examples json census_bureau_get_timeseries_examples_json | Get example queries for a timeseries dataset in JSON format |
Get timeseries examples xml census_bureau_get_timeseries_examples_xml | Retrieve example queries for a Census Bureau timeseries dataset in XML format |
Try it: find the Census Bureau tool you need
Browse the 30 Census Bureau tools
Click any tool to see exactly what OpenClaw can do and copy a ready-to-use prompt.
Example prompts
Use Census Bureau to geocode address and walk me through the result in plain English.
Use Census Bureau to geocode address geographies and walk me through the result in plain English.
Use Census Bureau to geocode address parts and walk me through the result in plain English.
Use Census Bureau to geocode address with geography and walk me through the result in plain English.
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 Census Bureau working from chat.
| Manual | ClawLink | |
|---|---|---|
| Credential handling | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Census Bureau API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Census Bureau 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 Census Bureau. | 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 Census Bureau actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 81 tools for Census Bureau are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. |
ClawLink vs. Composio
Composio also exposes Census Bureau 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 Census Bureau in the browser, and the 81 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Census Bureau key you paste at setup is stored server-side rather than kept in your environment. Choosing between them? Read the full Composio alternatives comparison.
Troubleshooting
OpenClaw installed the Census Bureau skill but can't call the tools
The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Census Bureau, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Census Bureau 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 Census Bureau 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 Census Bureau tools
Census Bureau 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 Census Bureau 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.
Census Bureau 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 Census Bureau has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes.
FAQ
Is there a OpenClaw Census Bureau integration?
Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to Census Bureau: link your Census Bureau account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the Census Bureau API through 81 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling.
How do I add Census Bureau to OpenClaw with ClawLink?
Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink Census Bureau skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize Census Bureau. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the Census Bureau key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment.
How long does it take to connect Census Bureau to OpenClaw?
About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Census Bureau in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message.
Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Census Bureau 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 Census Bureau working from chat.
OpenClaw installed the Census Bureau skill but can't call the tools
The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Census Bureau, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Census Bureau 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.
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