# How to connect Giphy to OpenClaw (paste one key, 23 tools) > Connect Giphy to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your Giphy key once and 23 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/giphy The usual route to Giphy 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 Giphy setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect Giphy in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real Giphy 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/giphy ## Setup It takes three steps to connect OpenClaw to Giphy. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to OpenClaw once. 2. **Connect Giphy** — 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 giphy # connect Giphy (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions giphy # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run giphy --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 Giphy in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your Giphy API key once. Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw: > Use Giphy to categories 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 Giphy is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 23 Giphy 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). ## Giphy MCP for OpenClaw Looking for a Giphy MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects Giphy to OpenClaw and exposes 23 Giphy 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 Giphy integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/giphy) works the same way. ## What the OpenClaw Giphy integration can do 23 Giphy tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected. ### All 23 Giphy tools for OpenClaw | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Categories** `giphy_categories` | Browse GIF categories on GIPHY | | **Emoji** `giphy_emoji` | Browse GIPHY emoji GIFs | | **Get content by ID** `giphy_get_content_by_id` | Get a GIF, sticker, or clip by ID | | **Random gif** `giphy_random_gif` | Get a random GIF, optionally filtered by tag | | **Search channels** `giphy_search_channels` | Search GIPHY channels by keyword | | **Search gifs** `giphy_search_gifs` | Search GIPHY's GIF library by keyword | | **Search stickers** `giphy_search_stickers` | Search GIPHY's sticker library by keyword | | **Tag trending** `giphy_tag_trending` | Get trending search tags on GIPHY | | **Translate gif** `giphy_translate_gif` | Translate a phrase into a GIF | | **Translate sticker** `giphy_translate_sticker` | Translate a phrase into a sticker | | **Trending gifs** `giphy_trending_gifs` | Get trending GIFs from GIPHY | | **Trending stickers** `giphy_trending_stickers` | Get trending stickers from GIPHY | | **Upload gif** `giphy_upload_gif` | Upload a GIF or video to GIPHY | | **Category by ID** `giphy_category_by_id` | Fetch metadata for a GIF category by its unique ID | | **Category gifs** `giphy_category_gifs` | Fetch GIFs associated with a specific GIF category | | **Emoji variations** `giphy_emoji_variations` | Fetch variations for a specific emoji | | **Get content by IDS** `giphy_get_content_by_ids` | Fetch metadata for multiple pieces of content (GIFs, Stickers, or Clips) by their IDs | | **Get random ID** `giphy_get_random_id` | Generate a unique random ID from Giphy | | **Random sticker** `giphy_random_sticker` | Fetch a single random sticker | | **Tag random** `giphy_tag_random` | Fetch a single random tag from Giphy | | **Tag related** `giphy_tag_related` | Fetch tags related to a specified tag | | **Tag search** `giphy_tag_search` | Search GIPHY's tag library for autocomplete suggestions | | **Action register** `giphy_action_register` | Register user interactions (view, click, send) with a GIF for analytics | ## Example prompts **Categories** > Use Giphy to categories and walk me through the result in plain English. **Emoji** > Use Giphy to emoji and walk me through the result in plain English. **Get Content By Id** > Pull the relevant data from Giphy, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Random Gif** > Use Giphy to random gif 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 Giphy working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Giphy API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Giphy 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 Giphy. | 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 Giphy actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 23 tools for Giphy are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes Giphy 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 Giphy in the browser, and the 23 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Giphy 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 Giphy skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Giphy, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Giphy 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 Giphy 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 Giphy tools Giphy 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 Giphy 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. ### Giphy 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 Giphy has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes. ### Is there a OpenClaw Giphy integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to Giphy: link your Giphy account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the Giphy API through 23 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I add Giphy to OpenClaw with ClawLink? Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink Giphy skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize Giphy. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the Giphy key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect Giphy to OpenClaw? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Giphy in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Giphy 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 Giphy working from chat. ### OpenClaw installed the Giphy skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Giphy, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Giphy 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 - [Stack Exchange tools](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/stack-exchange) — Search and browse questions, answers, and developer knowledge - [YouTube tools](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/youtube) — Upload videos and manage channels - [Facebook](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/facebook) — Read Facebook Page posts and engagement