# How to connect Pinata to OpenClaw (paste one key, 9 tools) > Connect Pinata to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your Pinata key once and 9 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/pinata The usual route to Pinata 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 Pinata setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect Pinata in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real Pinata 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 Pinata. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to OpenClaw once. 2. **Connect Pinata** — 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 pinata # connect Pinata (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions pinata # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run pinata --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 Pinata in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your Pinata API key once. Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw: > Pull the relevant data from Pinata, 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 Pinata is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 9 Pinata 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). ## Pinata MCP for OpenClaw Looking for a Pinata MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects Pinata to OpenClaw and exposes 9 Pinata 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 Pinata integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/pinata) works the same way. ## What the OpenClaw Pinata integration can do 9 Pinata tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected. The 8 below are the ones people reach for most; your agent can call all 9. ### 8 of 9 Pinata tools for OpenClaw | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Get public group** `pinata_get_public_group` | Return one public-network group by its Pinata group ID | | **List gateways** `pinata_list_gateways` | Return one page of gateways owned by the connected Pinata account without changing gateway | | **List public files** `pinata_list_public_files` | Return one page of files on the connected account's public IPFS network, optionally filtered by | | **List public groups** `pinata_list_public_groups` | Return one page of groups that organize files on the connected account's public IPFS network | | **List upload metadata** `pinata_list_upload_metadata` | List upload-service records, including upload IDs, filenames, CIDs, sizes, group IDs, and | | **Create public group** `pinata_create_public_group` | Create a group for organizing files on the connected account's public IPFS network | | **Create signed public upload URL** `pinata_create_signed_public_upload_url` | Create a 60-second signed URL for one size- and MIME-constrained public IPFS upload | | **Update public group** `pinata_update_public_group` | Update the name, visibility flag, or both for one public-network group | ## Example prompts **Get Public Group** > Pull the relevant data from Pinata, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **List Gateways** > List the relevant items in Pinata, group them by priority, and recommend what OpenClaw should do next. **List Public Files** > List the relevant items in Pinata, group them by priority, and recommend what OpenClaw should do next. **List Public Groups** > List the relevant items in Pinata, group them by priority, and recommend what OpenClaw should do next. ## 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 Pinata working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Pinata API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Pinata 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 Pinata. | 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 Pinata actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 9 tools for Pinata are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes Pinata 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 Pinata in the browser, and the 9 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Pinata 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 Pinata skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Pinata, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Pinata 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 Pinata 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 Pinata tools Pinata 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 Pinata 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. ### Pinata 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 Pinata has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes. ### Is there a OpenClaw Pinata integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to Pinata: link your Pinata account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the Pinata API through 9 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I add Pinata to OpenClaw with ClawLink? Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink Pinata skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize Pinata. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the Pinata key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect Pinata to OpenClaw? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Pinata in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Pinata 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 Pinata working from chat. ### OpenClaw installed the Pinata skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Pinata, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Pinata 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 - [Connect GitHub](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/github) — Manage repositories, issues, pull requests, and workflows - [Connect PagerDuty](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/pagerduty) — Manage incidents, on-call schedules, and services - [SafetyCulture](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.