How to connect OpenAI to OpenClaw
Connect OpenAI to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your OpenAI key once and 126 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine.
OpenAIAPI KEYMCPGenerate text, images, and embeddings via OpenAI API. Once connected, OpenClaw can read and act on OpenAI from chat — pairing, token refresh, and tool wiring handled for you.
The usual route to OpenAI 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 OpenAI setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect OpenAI in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real OpenAI actions from any chat surface with no auth, token refresh, or tool wiring to build yourself.
Copy this prompt into OpenClaw, or open the OpenAI skill on ClawHub.
Before installing anything, inspect the ClawHub skill metadata and setup requirements.
If the skill asks you to install a third-party package or CLI, verify its source, maintainer, and package contents before running the install command.
Install the skill "OpenAI" (hith3sh/openai-ai) from ClawHub only after those checks pass.
Skill page: https://clawhub.ai/hith3sh/openai-ai
Keep the work scoped to this skill only.
After install, help me finish setup from verified skill metadata.
Use only the metadata you can verify from ClawHub; do not invent missing requirements.
Ask before making any broader environment changes.Setup
It takes three steps to connect OpenClaw to OpenAI.
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 OpenAI
Paste your API key in the dashboard.
- 3
Use it from chat
Ask OpenClaw: "What can you do with OpenAI?"
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 OpenAI in the ClawLink dashboard — paste your OpenAI API key once.
Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw:
Use OpenAI to add upload part 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 OpenAI is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 126 OpenAI tools over MCP. Full setup for MCP clients and shell agents: connect apps to any AI agent.
OpenAI MCP for OpenClaw
Looking for a OpenAI MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects OpenAI to OpenClaw and exposes 126 OpenAI tools your agent can call over MCP, with hosted auth and nothing to run or maintain yourself. Using Hermes instead? The Hermes OpenAI integration works the same way.
What the OpenClaw OpenAI integration can do
126 OpenAI tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected. The 30 below are the ones people reach for most; your agent can call all 126.
30 of 126 OpenAI tools for OpenClaw
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
Add upload part openai_add_upload_part | Tool to add a part (chunk of bytes) to an Upload object. Use when uploading large files in chunks, with each part up to 64 MB. |
Cancel batch openai_cancel_batch | Tool to cancel an in-progress batch. Use when you need to stop a batch that is currently processing. |
Cancel eval run openai_cancel_eval_run | Tool to cancel an ongoing evaluation run. Use when you need to stop an evaluation run that is currently in progress. |
Cancel response openai_cancel_response | Tool to cancel a background model response by its ID. Use when you need to stop a response that was created with the 'background' parameter set to true. |
Cancel run openai_cancel_run | Tool to cancel a run that is currently in progress. Use when you need to stop an assistant run that is taking too long or is no longer needed. |
Cancel upload openai_cancel_upload | Tool to cancel an upload. Use when you need to stop an upload that is in progress. No parts may be added after cancellation. |
Compact response openai_compact_response | Tool to compact a conversation or response to reduce token usage. Use when you need to reduce the size of long conversations while preserving important context. |
Create audio transcription openai_create_audio_transcription | Tool to transcribe audio files to text via OpenAI Audio Transcriptions API. Use when you need to convert speech in audio files to written text, optionally with timestamps or speaker diarization. |
Create audio translation openai_create_audio_translation | Tool to translate audio files to English text via OpenAI Audio Translations API. Use when you need to convert speech in audio files (any language) to English text. |
Create batch openai_create_batch | Tool to create and execute a batch from an uploaded file of requests. Use after uploading a JSONL file with purpose 'batch' to process multiple API requests in a single batch operation. |
Create chat completion openai_create_chat_completion | Tool to create a chat completion response from OpenAI models. Use for conversational AI, text generation, function calling, multimodal tasks with vision/audio, and structured JSON outputs. |
Create completion openai_create_completion | Tool to generate text completions using OpenAI's legacy Completions API. Use for single-turn text generation with models like gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct. |
Create embeddings openai_create_embeddings | Generate text embeddings via the OpenAI embeddings endpoint |
Create moderation openai_create_moderation | Classify text and/or image inputs for potentially harmful content via the OpenAI Moderation API |
Create speech openai_create_speech | Generate text-to-speech audio using OpenAI's Audio API |
Download file openai_download_file | Download the contents of a specified file by its ID |
Download video openai_download_video | Download video content (MP4) or preview assets from OpenAI Videos API |
Get chat completion openai_get_chat_completion | Retrieve a stored chat completion |
Get chat completion messages openai_get_chat_completion_messages | Retrieve messages from a stored chat completion |
Get chatkit thread openai_get_chatkit_thread | Retrieve a ChatKit thread by its ID |
Get conversation item openai_get_conversation_item | Retrieve a single item from a conversation |
Get eval openai_get_eval | Retrieve an evaluation by ID |
Get eval run openai_get_eval_run | Retrieve an evaluation run by ID to check status and results |
Get eval run output item openai_get_eval_run_output_item | Retrieve a specific output item from an evaluation run by its ID |
Get eval run output items openai_get_eval_run_output_items | Get a list of output items for an evaluation run |
Get eval runs openai_get_eval_runs | Get a paginated list of runs for an evaluation |
Get input token counts openai_get_input_token_counts | Calculate input token counts for OpenAI API requests |
Get message openai_get_message | Retrieve a specific message from a thread by its ID |
Get response openai_get_response | Retrieve a model response by ID |
Get run step openai_get_run_step | Retrieve a specific run step from an Assistants API run to inspect detailed execution progress |
Try it: find the OpenAI tool you need
Browse the 30 OpenAI tools
Click any tool to see exactly what OpenClaw can do and copy a ready-to-use prompt.
Example prompts
Use OpenAI to add upload part and walk me through the result in plain English.
Use OpenAI to cancel batch and walk me through the result in plain English.
Use OpenAI to cancel eval run and walk me through the result in plain English.
Use OpenAI to cancel response 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 OpenAI working from chat.
| Manual | ClawLink | |
|---|---|---|
| Credential handling | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the OpenAI API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected OpenAI 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 OpenAI. | 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 OpenAI actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 126 tools for OpenAI are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. |
ClawLink vs. Composio
Composio also exposes OpenAI 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 OpenAI in the browser, and the 126 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the OpenAI 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 OpenAI skill but can't call the tools
The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about OpenAI, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure OpenAI 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 OpenAI 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 OpenAI tools
OpenAI 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 OpenAI 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.
OpenAI 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 OpenAI 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 OpenAI integration?
Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to OpenAI: link your OpenAI account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the OpenAI API through 126 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling.
How do I add OpenAI to OpenClaw with ClawLink?
Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink OpenAI skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize OpenAI. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the OpenAI key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment.
How long does it take to connect OpenAI to OpenClaw?
About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to OpenAI in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message.
Why use ClawLink instead of wiring OpenAI 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 OpenAI working from chat.
OpenClaw installed the OpenAI skill but can't call the tools
The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about OpenAI, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure OpenAI 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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