How to connect Ollama to OpenClaw
Connect Ollama to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your Ollama key once and 8 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine.
OllamaAPI KEYMCPRun large language models locally or in the cloud with Ollama.. Once connected, OpenClaw can read and act on Ollama from chat — pairing, token refresh, and tool wiring handled for you.
The usual route to Ollama 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 Ollama setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect Ollama in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real Ollama 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 Ollama.
1Install the plugin
Paste the setup prompt into OpenClaw, or install from the terminal and ask OpenClaw to pair:
openclaw plugins install clawhub:clawlink-plugin- 2
Connect Ollama
Paste your API key in the dashboard.
- 3
Use it from chat
Ask OpenClaw: "What can you do with Ollama?"
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:
openclaw plugins install clawhub:clawlink-pluginThen 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 Ollama in the ClawLink dashboard — paste your Ollama API key once.
Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw:
Use Ollama to chat 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:
npx -y @useclawlink/cli loginlogin opens the same browser approval and stores a credential locally. Once Ollama is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 8 Ollama tools over MCP. Full setup for MCP clients and shell agents: connect apps to any AI agent.
Ollama MCP for OpenClaw
Looking for a Ollama MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects Ollama to OpenClaw and exposes 8 Ollama tools your agent can call over MCP, with hosted auth and nothing to run or maintain yourself. Using Hermes instead? The Hermes Ollama integration works the same way.
What the OpenClaw Ollama integration can do
8 Ollama tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected.
All 8 Ollama tools for OpenClaw
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
Chat ollama_chat | Send a chat message with conversation history to Ollama |
Generate ollama_generate | Generate text responses from Ollama models with optional raw mode |
List models ollama_list_models | List all available Ollama models and their details |
Open AI chat completions ollama_open_ai_chat_completions | Create OpenAI-compatible chat completions using Ollama models |
Open AI completions ollama_open_ai_completions | Create OpenAI-compatible text completions using Ollama models |
Open AI list models ollama_open_ai_list_models | List available models using OpenAI-compatible API format |
Show ollama_show | Show comprehensive information about an Ollama model |
Version ollama_version | Get the version of Ollama running locally |
Try it: find the Ollama tool you need
Browse the 8 Ollama tools
Click any tool to see exactly what OpenClaw can do and copy a ready-to-use prompt.
Example prompts
Use Ollama to chat and walk me through the result in plain English.
Use Ollama to generate and walk me through the result in plain English.
List the relevant items in Ollama, group them by priority, and recommend what OpenClaw should do next.
Use Ollama to open ai chat completions 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 Ollama working from chat.
| Manual | ClawLink | |
|---|---|---|
| Credential handling | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Ollama API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Ollama 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 Ollama. | 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 Ollama actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 8 tools for Ollama are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. |
ClawLink vs. Composio
Composio also exposes Ollama 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 Ollama in the browser, and the 8 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Ollama key you paste at setup is stored server-side rather than kept in your environment. Choosing between them? Read the full Composio alternatives comparison.
Troubleshooting
OpenClaw installed the Ollama skill but can't call the tools
The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Ollama, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Ollama 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 Ollama 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 Ollama tools
Ollama 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 Ollama 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.
Ollama 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 Ollama has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes.
FAQ
Is there a OpenClaw Ollama integration?
Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to Ollama: link your Ollama account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the Ollama API through 8 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling.
How do I add Ollama to OpenClaw with ClawLink?
Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink Ollama skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize Ollama. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the Ollama key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment.
How long does it take to connect Ollama to OpenClaw?
About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Ollama in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message.
Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Ollama 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 Ollama working from chat.
OpenClaw installed the Ollama skill but can't call the tools
The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Ollama, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Ollama 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.
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