# How to connect Shipengine to OpenClaw (paste one key, 66 tools) > Connect Shipengine to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your Shipengine key once and 66 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/shipengine The usual route to Shipengine 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 Shipengine setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect Shipengine in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real Shipengine 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 Shipengine. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to OpenClaw once. 2. **Connect Shipengine** — 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 shipengine # connect Shipengine (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions shipengine # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run shipengine --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 Shipengine in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your Shipengine API key once. Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw: > Use Shipengine to download file 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 Shipengine is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 66 Shipengine 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). ## Shipengine MCP for OpenClaw Looking for a Shipengine MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects Shipengine to OpenClaw and exposes 66 Shipengine 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 Shipengine integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/shipengine) works the same way. ## What the OpenClaw Shipengine integration can do 66 Shipengine 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 66. ### 30 of 66 Shipengine tools for OpenClaw | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Download file** `shipengine_download_file` | Download a file from ShipEngine | | **Get account image by ID** `shipengine_get_account_image_by_id` | Retrieve account image settings by label image ID | | **Get batch by external ID** `shipengine_get_batch_by_external_id` | Retrieve batch details using an external batch ID | | **Get batch by ID** `shipengine_get_batch_by_id` | Retrieve detailed information about a specific batch by its ID | | **Get batch errors** `shipengine_get_batch_errors` | Retrieve errors that occurred during batch processing | | **Get bulk rates** `shipengine_get_bulk_rates` | Get shipping rates for multiple shipments in a single request | | **Get insurance balance** `shipengine_get_insurance_balance` | Retrieve the current Shipsurance insurance funds balance | | **Get ltl carrier credential requirements** `shipengine_get_ltl_carrier_credential_requirements` | Retrieve credential requirements for connecting an LTL carrier | | **Get ltl carrier features** `shipengine_get_ltl_carrier_features` | Retrieve features supported by an LTL carrier | | **Get ltl carrier options** `shipengine_get_ltl_carrier_options` | List available options/accessorials for an LTL carrier | | **Get ltl carrier packages** `shipengine_get_ltl_carrier_packages` | List available package/handling unit types for an LTL (Less Than Truckload) carrier | | **Get ltl carrier services** `shipengine_get_ltl_carrier_services` | List available services for an LTL carrier | | **Get package by ID** `shipengine_get_package_by_id` | Get details of a specific custom package type by ID | | **Get shipment by external ID** `shipengine_get_shipment_by_external_id` | Retrieve shipment details using an external shipment ID | | **Get shipment by ID** `shipengine_get_shipment_by_id` | Retrieve a shipment by ID | | **Get shipment rates** `shipengine_get_shipment_rates` | Retrieve shipping rates for an existing shipment | | **Get tracking info** `shipengine_get_tracking_info` | Retrieve tracking information for a shipment | | **Get warehouse by ID** `shipengine_get_warehouse_by_id` | Retrieve details of a specific warehouse by ID | | **Get webhook by ID** `shipengine_get_webhook_by_id` | Retrieve details of a specific webhook by ID | | **List account images** `shipengine_list_account_images` | List all account images | | **List account settings** `shipengine_list_account_settings` | List all account settings for the ShipEngine account | | **List batches2** `shipengine_list_batches2` | List all batches with comprehensive filtering options | | **List carrier package types** `shipengine_list_carrier_package_types` | List all available package types for a specific carrier | | **List labels2** `shipengine_list_labels2` | List all shipping labels with comprehensive filtering options | | **List ltl carriers** `shipengine_list_ltl_carriers` | List all LTL (Less-Than-Truckload) carrier accounts connected to your ShipEngine account | | **List manifests2** `shipengine_list_manifests2` | List all manifests with optional filtering by warehouse and carrier | | **List packages** `shipengine_list_packages` | List all package types | | **List pickups** `shipengine_list_pickups` | List all scheduled pickups with optional filters | | **List shipments2** `shipengine_list_shipments2` | List all shipments with optional filtering parameters | | **List tags2** `shipengine_list_tags2` | List all tags in your account | ## Example prompts **Download File** > Use Shipengine to download file and walk me through the result in plain English. **Get Account Image By Id** > Pull the relevant data from Shipengine, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get Batch By External Id** > Pull the relevant data from Shipengine, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get Batch By Id** > Pull the relevant data from Shipengine, 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 Shipengine working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the Shipengine API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected Shipengine 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 Shipengine. | 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 Shipengine actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 66 tools for Shipengine are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes Shipengine 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 Shipengine in the browser, and the 66 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the Shipengine 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 Shipengine skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Shipengine, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Shipengine 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 Shipengine 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 Shipengine tools Shipengine 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 Shipengine 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. ### Shipengine 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 Shipengine has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes. ### Is there a OpenClaw Shipengine integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to Shipengine: link your Shipengine account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the Shipengine API through 66 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I add Shipengine to OpenClaw with ClawLink? Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink Shipengine skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize Shipengine. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the Shipengine key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect Shipengine to OpenClaw? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Shipengine in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Shipengine 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 Shipengine working from chat. ### OpenClaw installed the Shipengine skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about Shipengine, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure Shipengine 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.