# How to connect Ollama to OpenClaw (paste one key, 8 tools) > 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. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/ollama 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. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to OpenClaw once. 2. **Connect Ollama** — 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 ollama # connect Ollama (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions ollama # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run ollama --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 Ollama in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/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: ```bash npx -y @useclawlink/cli login ``` `login` 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](https://claw-link.dev/learn/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](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 Ollama integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/ollama) 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 | ## Example prompts **Chat** > Use Ollama to chat and walk me through the result in plain English. **Generate** > Use Ollama to generate and walk me through the result in plain English. **List Models** > List the relevant items in Ollama, group them by priority, and recommend what OpenClaw should do next. **Open Ai Chat Completions** > 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](https://claw-link.dev/hub/composio-alternatives) comparison. ### 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. ### 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. ## 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. - [OpenClaw Chatbotkit integration](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.