# How to connect Needle to OpenClaw (paste one key, 16 tools) > Connect Needle to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your Needle key once and 16 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/needle The usual route to Needle 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 Needle setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect Needle in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real Needle 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 Needle. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to OpenClaw once. 2. **Connect Needle** — 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 needle # connect Needle (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions needle # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run needle --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 Needle in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your Needle API key once. Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw: > Pull the relevant data from Needle, 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 Needle is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 16 Needle 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). ## Needle MCP for OpenClaw Looking for a Needle MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects Needle to OpenClaw and exposes 16 Needle 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 Needle integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/needle) works the same way. ## What the OpenClaw Needle integration can do 16 Needle tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected. The 14 below are the ones people reach for most; your agent can call all 16. ### 14 of 16 Needle tools for OpenClaw | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Get collection** `needle_get_collection` | Retrieve details for a specific collection by its ID | | **Get collection stats** `needle_get_collection_stats` | Retrieve statistics for a specific collection by its ID | | **Get file download URL** `needle_get_file_download_url` | Get a short-lived signed private download URL for a Needle file | | **Get file upload URL** `needle_get_file_upload_url` | Get signed URLs for uploading local files to Needle | | **Get local connector** `needle_get_local_connector` | Retrieve details of a local connector by its ID | | **List collection files** `needle_list_collection_files` | List all files within a specific collection by its ID | | **List collections** `needle_list_collections` | List collections | | **List connectors** `needle_list_connectors` | List connectors | | **List local connectors** `needle_list_local_connectors` | List local connectors | | **Search collection** `needle_search_collection` | Perform semantic search within a specific Needle collection and return ranked results with | | **Add files to collection** `needle_add_files_to_collection` | Add files to a collection by providing file URLs | | **Add files to local connector** `needle_add_files_to_local_connector` | Add files to a local connector by providing file metadata | | **Create collection** `needle_create_collection` | Create a new collection | | **Create local connector** `needle_create_local_connector` | Create a local connector that monitors specified folders on a device | ## Example prompts **Get Collection** > Pull the relevant data from Needle, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get Collection Stats** > Pull the relevant data from Needle, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get File Download Url** > Pull the relevant data from Needle, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get File Upload Url** > Pull the relevant data from Needle, 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 Needle working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Needle API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Needle 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 Needle. | 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 Needle actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 16 tools for Needle are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes Needle 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 Needle in the browser, and the 16 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Needle 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 Needle skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Needle, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Needle 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 Needle 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 Needle tools Needle 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 Needle 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. ### Needle 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 Needle has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes. ### Is there a OpenClaw Needle integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to Needle: link your Needle account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the Needle API through 16 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I add Needle to OpenClaw with ClawLink? Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink Needle skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize Needle. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the Needle key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect Needle to OpenClaw? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Needle in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Needle 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 Needle working from chat. ### OpenClaw installed the Needle skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Needle, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Needle 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 - [DataRobot tools](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. - [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.