# How to connect Flatfile to OpenClaw (paste one key, 12 tools) > Connect Flatfile to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your Flatfile key once and 12 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/flatfile The usual route to Flatfile 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 Flatfile setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect Flatfile in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real Flatfile 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 Flatfile. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to OpenClaw once. 2. **Connect Flatfile** — 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 flatfile # connect Flatfile (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions flatfile # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run flatfile --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 Flatfile in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your Flatfile API key once. Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw: > Pull the relevant data from Flatfile, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. ### 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 Flatfile is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 12 Flatfile 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). ## Flatfile MCP for OpenClaw Looking for a Flatfile MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects Flatfile to OpenClaw and exposes 12 Flatfile 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 Flatfile integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/flatfile) works the same way. ## What the OpenClaw Flatfile integration can do 12 Flatfile tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected. The 11 below are the ones people reach for most; your agent can call all 12. ### 11 of 12 Flatfile tools for OpenClaw | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Get job** `flatfile_get_job` | Get detailed status, outcome, result, and diagnostic information for one Flatfile asynchronous | | **Get sheet** `flatfile_get_sheet` | Get one sheet's field configuration and record counts before reading or writing records | | **Get space** `flatfile_get_space` | Get safe metadata for one Flatfile space without exposing transient access credentials or | | **List environments** `flatfile_list_environments` | List Flatfile environments visible to the connected environment secret key and return the IDs | | **List files** `flatfile_list_files` | Discover import or export files and their processing status, optionally within a Flatfile space | | **List jobs** `flatfile_list_jobs` | Find asynchronous Flatfile jobs by environment, space, workbook, file, or parent job and | | **List records** `flatfile_list_records` | Read one page of records from a Flatfile sheet, optionally filtering by validity, field, record | | **List spaces** `flatfile_list_spaces` | Find Flatfile spaces by environment, text, namespace, archive state, or template status | | **List workbooks** `flatfile_list_workbooks` | List workbooks, optionally within a space, with their nested sheets so an agent can continue to | | **Insert records** `flatfile_insert_records` | Insert one or more rows into a Flatfile sheet using simple field-key to value objects | | **Update records** `flatfile_update_records` | Update one or more existing Flatfile records by ID using simple field-key to value objects | ## Example prompts **Get Job** > Pull the relevant data from Flatfile, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get Sheet** > Pull the relevant data from Flatfile, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get Space** > Pull the relevant data from Flatfile, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **List Environments** > List the relevant items in Flatfile, 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 Flatfile working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Flatfile API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Flatfile 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 Flatfile. | 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 Flatfile actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 12 tools for Flatfile are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes Flatfile 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 Flatfile in the browser, and the 12 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Flatfile 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 Flatfile skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Flatfile, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Flatfile 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 Flatfile 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 Flatfile tools Flatfile 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 Flatfile 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. ### Flatfile 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 Flatfile has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes. ### Is there a OpenClaw Flatfile integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to Flatfile: link your Flatfile account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the Flatfile API through 12 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I add Flatfile to OpenClaw with ClawLink? Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink Flatfile skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize Flatfile. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the Flatfile key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect Flatfile to OpenClaw? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Flatfile in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Flatfile 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 Flatfile working from chat. ### OpenClaw installed the Flatfile skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Flatfile, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Flatfile 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 PostHog integration](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/posthog) — Track user behavior and feature flags - [DataforSEO](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/dataforseo) — SEO data APIs for keywords, SERP, and site audits - [OpenClaw Metabase integration](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/metabase) — Metabase is an open-source business intelligence tool that lets you ask questions about your data and visualize answers as charts, graphs, and dashboards.