# How to connect Gitea to OpenClaw (paste one key, 19 tools) > Connect Gitea to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your Gitea key once and 19 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/gitea The usual route to Gitea 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 Gitea setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect Gitea in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real Gitea 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 Gitea. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to OpenClaw once. 2. **Connect Gitea** — 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 gitea # connect Gitea (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions gitea # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run gitea --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 Gitea in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your Gitea API key once. Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw: > Use Gitea to activitypub person 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 Gitea is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 19 Gitea 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). ## Gitea MCP for OpenClaw Looking for a Gitea MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects Gitea to OpenClaw and exposes 19 Gitea 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 Gitea integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/gitea) works the same way. ## What the OpenClaw Gitea integration can do 19 Gitea tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected. ### All 19 Gitea tools for OpenClaw | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Activitypub person** `gitea_activitypub_person` | Retrieve the ActivityPub Person actor for a Gitea user | | **Get general API settings** `gitea_get_general_api_settings` | Retrieve the Gitea instance's global API settings including pagination limits and response size | | **Get general attachment settings** `gitea_get_general_attachment_settings` | Retrieve the Gitea instance's global settings for file attachments including enabled status | | **Get general repository settings** `gitea_get_general_repository_settings` | Retrieve the Gitea instance's global settings for repositories including feature flags for | | **Get general ui settings** `gitea_get_general_ui_settings` | Retrieve the Gitea instance's global settings for UI including default theme, allowed | | **Get gitignore template info** `gitea_get_gitignore_template_info` | Retrieve information about a specific gitignore template | | **Get label template info** `gitea_get_label_template_info` | Retrieve all labels from a specific label template | | **Get license template info** `gitea_get_license_template_info` | Retrieve information about a specific license template | | **Get node info** `gitea_get_node_info` | Retrieve the nodeinfo of the Gitea application | | **Get signing key** `gitea_get_signing_key` | Retrieve the default GPG signing key used by Gitea to sign commits | | **Get version** `gitea_get_version` | Retrieve the version of the Gitea application | | **List gitignore templates** `gitea_list_gitignore_templates` | Retrieve all available gitignore templates | | **List label templates** `gitea_list_label_templates` | Retrieve all available label templates | | **List license templates** `gitea_list_license_templates` | Retrieve all available license templates | | **Org get all** `gitea_org_get_all` | Retrieve a paginated list of all organizations in the Gitea instance | | **Org list actions secrets** `gitea_org_list_actions_secrets` | List all action secrets for an organization | | **Render markdown** `gitea_render_markdown` | Render a markdown document as HTML with configurable rendering modes and context | | **Render markdown raw** `gitea_render_markdown_raw` | Render raw markdown text as HTML | | **Render markup** `gitea_render_markup` | Render a markup document as HTML with support for multiple markup formats | ## Example prompts **Activitypub Person** > Use Gitea to activitypub person and walk me through the result in plain English. **Get General Api Settings** > Pull the relevant data from Gitea, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get General Attachment Settings** > Pull the relevant data from Gitea, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get General Repository Settings** > Pull the relevant data from Gitea, 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 Gitea working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Gitea API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Gitea 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 Gitea. | 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 Gitea actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 19 tools for Gitea are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes Gitea 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 Gitea in the browser, and the 19 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Gitea 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 Gitea skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Gitea, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Gitea 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 Gitea 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 Gitea tools Gitea 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 Gitea 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. ### Gitea 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 Gitea has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes. ### Is there a OpenClaw Gitea integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to Gitea: link your Gitea account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the Gitea API through 19 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I add Gitea to OpenClaw with ClawLink? Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink Gitea skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize Gitea. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the Gitea key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect Gitea to OpenClaw? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Gitea in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Gitea 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 Gitea working from chat. ### OpenClaw installed the Gitea skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Gitea, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Gitea 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 - [GitHub tools](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/github) — Manage repositories, issues, pull requests, and workflows - [OpenClaw PagerDuty integration](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/pagerduty) — Manage incidents, on-call schedules, and services - [OpenClaw SafetyCulture integration](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/safetyculture) — SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor) is a workplace operations platform that enables teams to conduct digital inspections, manage audits, track issues, schedule tasks, and maintain compliance through mobile and web applications.