# How to connect Elai to OpenClaw (paste one key, 8 tools) > Connect Elai to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your Elai key once and 8 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/elai The usual route to Elai 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 Elai setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect Elai in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real Elai 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 Elai. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to OpenClaw once. 2. **Connect Elai** — 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 elai # connect Elai (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions elai # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run elai --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 Elai in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your Elai API key once. Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw: > Use Elai to estimate speech duration 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 Elai is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 8 Elai 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). ## Elai MCP for OpenClaw Looking for a Elai MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects Elai to OpenClaw and exposes 8 Elai 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 Elai integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/elai) works the same way. ## What the OpenClaw Elai integration can do 8 Elai tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected. The 7 below are the ones people reach for most; your agent can call all 8. ### 7 of 8 Elai tools for OpenClaw | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Estimate speech duration** `elai_estimate_speech_duration` | Estimate how many seconds narration text will take with a selected Elai voice before modifying | | **Get video** `elai_get_video` | Get a video's status, render URL, metadata, and optionally its full slide configuration | | **List avatars** `elai_list_avatars` | Find available avatars and variants as compact records, optionally limited to | | **List videos** `elai_list_videos` | List videos and templates as compact summaries, with filters and a continuation cursor for | | **Copy video** `elai_copy_video` | Create a draft copy of an existing video or template; the new draft counts against Elai's | | **Create story video** `elai_create_story_video` | Create a Story video from text, HTML, or a web-page URL and generate its visual slides so it is | | **Render video** `elai_render_video` | Start asynchronous rendering of a prepared video, consuming paid rendering minutes | ## Example prompts **Estimate Speech Duration** > Use Elai to estimate speech duration and walk me through the result in plain English. **Get Video** > Pull the relevant data from Elai, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **List Avatars** > List the relevant items in Elai, group them by priority, and recommend what OpenClaw should do next. **List Videos** > List the relevant items in Elai, group them by priority, and recommend what OpenClaw 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 OpenClaw. That is fine if you want to build and maintain the integration yourself. Most teams just want Elai working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Elai API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Elai 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 Elai. | 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 Elai actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 8 tools for Elai are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes Elai 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 Elai in the browser, and the 8 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Elai 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 Elai skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Elai, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Elai 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 Elai 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 Elai tools Elai 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 Elai 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. ### Elai 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 Elai has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes. ### Is there a OpenClaw Elai integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to Elai: link your Elai account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the Elai API through 8 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I add Elai to OpenClaw with ClawLink? Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink Elai skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize Elai. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the Elai key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect Elai to OpenClaw? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Elai in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Elai 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 Elai working from chat. ### OpenClaw installed the Elai skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Elai, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Elai 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 DataRobot integration](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/datarobot) — DataRobot is a machine learning platform that automates model building, deployment, and monitoring, enabling organizations to derive predictive insights from large datasets. - [OpenClaw Chatbotkit integration](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/chatbotkit) — ChatBotKit is a platform that enables developers to build and manage AI-powered chatbots, offering comprehensive APIs and SDKs for seamless integration into applications. - [Connect Just One API](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/just-one-api) — Just One API provides unified access to public social media, creator, entertainment, and ecommerce data across hundreds of metered endpoints.