# How to connect FreshBooks to OpenClaw (no API keys) > Connect FreshBooks to OpenClaw with ClawLink in one click — 10 tools your AI agent can call from chat via hosted OAuth. No API keys, no manual setup. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/freshbooks The usual route to FreshBooks 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 FreshBooks setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect FreshBooks in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real FreshBooks 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/freshbooks ## Setup It takes three steps to connect OpenClaw to FreshBooks. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to OpenClaw once. 2. **Connect FreshBooks** — 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 freshbooks # connect FreshBooks (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions freshbooks # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run freshbooks --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 FreshBooks in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — a one-click OAuth approval, no API keys. Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw: > Create it in FreshBooks for me, then confirm the important fields before you finish. ### 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 FreshBooks is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 10 FreshBooks 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). ## FreshBooks MCP for OpenClaw Looking for a FreshBooks MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects FreshBooks to OpenClaw and exposes 10 FreshBooks 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 FreshBooks integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/freshbooks) works the same way. ## What the OpenClaw FreshBooks integration can do 10 FreshBooks tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected. The 9 below are the ones people reach for most; your agent can call all 10. ### 9 of 10 FreshBooks tools for OpenClaw | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Create webhook** `freshbooks_create_webhook` | Register a new webhook callback for a FreshBooks account | | **Get business users** `freshbooks_get_business_users` | Get staff identities and members for a FreshBooks business | | **List businesses** `freshbooks_list_businesses` | List all businesses associated with the authenticated user | | **List clients** `freshbooks_list_clients` | List all clients for a FreshBooks account | | **List journal entries2** `freshbooks_list_journal_entries2` | List all journal entries for a FreshBooks business account | | **List projects** `freshbooks_list_projects` | List all projects associated with a FreshBooks business | | **List webhooks** `freshbooks_list_webhooks` | List all webhook callbacks registered for a FreshBooks account | | **Update webhook** `freshbooks_update_webhook` | Update or verify a FreshBooks webhook callback | | **Register as a new user** `freshbooks_register_as_a_new_user` | Register a new user account in FreshBooks | ## Example prompts **Create Webhook** > Create it in FreshBooks for me, then confirm the important fields before you finish. **Get Business Users** > Pull the relevant data from FreshBooks, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **List Businesses** > List the relevant items in FreshBooks, group them by priority, and recommend what OpenClaw should do next. **List Clients** > List the relevant items in FreshBooks, group them by priority, and recommend what OpenClaw should do next. ## ClawLink vs. building it yourself The alternative to ClawLink is usually manual OAuth app 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 FreshBooks working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Connection flow** | Register a FreshBooks app, configure redirect URLs, manage consent details, and reconnect users when auth settings drift. | Users connect FreshBooks through the hosted browser flow and ClawLink keeps the token lifecycle out of your app code. | | **Ongoing maintenance** | You own refresh logic, permission debugging, environment config, and every provider-specific edge case for FreshBooks. | 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 FreshBooks actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 10 tools for FreshBooks are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes FreshBooks 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 FreshBooks in the browser, and the 10 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK, no config file, and no API key handling. Choosing between them? Read the full [Composio alternatives](https://claw-link.dev/hub/composio-alternatives) comparison. ### OpenClaw installed the FreshBooks skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about FreshBooks, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure FreshBooks 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 FreshBooks 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 FreshBooks tools FreshBooks 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 FreshBooks 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. ### FreshBooks 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. ### OAuth finished in the browser but the account is still missing Try reconnecting FreshBooks and complete the consent flow in the same browser session. Partial OAuth approvals or switching accounts mid-flow can leave the connection incomplete. ### Is there a OpenClaw FreshBooks integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to FreshBooks: link your FreshBooks account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the FreshBooks API through 10 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I add FreshBooks to OpenClaw with ClawLink? Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink FreshBooks skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize FreshBooks. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files or API keys to manage. ### How long does it take to connect FreshBooks to OpenClaw? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to FreshBooks in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring FreshBooks up myself? The alternative to ClawLink is usually manual OAuth app 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 FreshBooks working from chat. ### OpenClaw installed the FreshBooks skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about FreshBooks, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure FreshBooks 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 - [Zoho Books](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/zoho-books) — Organize finances, invoices, bills, and accounting - [Zoho Invoice](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/zoho-invoice) — Create and send invoices, track payments, and manage billing - [Square tools](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/square) — Process payments and manage POS