# How to connect Exa to OpenClaw (paste one key, 17 tools) > Connect Exa to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your Exa key once and 17 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/exa The usual route to Exa 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 Exa setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect Exa in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real Exa 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 Exa. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to OpenClaw once. 2. **Connect Exa** — 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 exa # connect Exa (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions exa # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run exa --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 Exa in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your Exa API key once. Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw: > Use Exa to answer 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 Exa is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 17 Exa 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). ## Exa MCP for OpenClaw Looking for a Exa MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects Exa to OpenClaw and exposes 17 Exa 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 Exa integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/exa) works the same way. ## What the OpenClaw Exa integration can do 17 Exa tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected. The 15 below are the ones people reach for most; your agent can call all 17. ### 15 of 17 Exa tools for OpenClaw | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Answer** `exa_answer` | Generates a direct, citation-backed answer to a clear natural language question or topic using | | **Get API key** `exa_get_api_key` | Retrieve details of a specific API key by its ID | | **Get contents action** `exa_get_contents_action` | Retrieve text / highlights / summary / subpages from URLs | | **Get event** `exa_get_event` | Get details of a specific event by its ID | | **Get research** `exa_get_research` | Retrieve the status and results of a previously created research task | | **List events** `exa_list_events` | List all events that have occurred in the system | | **List imports** `exa_list_imports` | List all imports for the Webset | | **List research** `exa_list_research` | Retrieve a paginated list of your research tasks | | **List webhooks** `exa_list_webhooks` | List all webhooks for Websets | | **Search** `exa_search` | Web search via the Exa engine | | **Create import** `exa_create_import` | Create a new import to upload data into a Webset | | **Create monitor** `exa_create_monitor` | Create a new Monitor | | **Create research** `exa_create_research` | Creates an asynchronous research task that explores the web, gathers sources, synthesizes | | **Create webset** `exa_create_webset` | Create a new Webset with search, import, and enrichment setup | | **Update import** `exa_update_import` | Update an import configuration by ID | ## Example prompts **Answer** > Use Exa to answer and walk me through the result in plain English. **Get Api Key** > Pull the relevant data from Exa, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get Contents Action** > Pull the relevant data from Exa, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get Event** > Pull the relevant data from Exa, 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 Exa working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Exa API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Exa 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 Exa. | 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 Exa actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 17 tools for Exa are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes Exa 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 Exa in the browser, and the 17 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Exa 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 Exa skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Exa, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Exa 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 Exa 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 Exa tools Exa 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 Exa 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. ### Exa 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 Exa has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes. ### Is there a OpenClaw Exa integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to Exa: link your Exa account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the Exa API through 17 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I add Exa to OpenClaw with ClawLink? Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink Exa skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize Exa. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the Exa key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect Exa to OpenClaw? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Exa in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Exa 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 Exa working from chat. ### OpenClaw installed the Exa skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Exa, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Exa 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. - [Connect Chatbotkit](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.