# How to connect TiDB Cloud to OpenClaw (paste one key, 10 tools) > Connect TiDB Cloud to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your TiDB Cloud key once and 10 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/tidb-cloud The usual route to TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect TiDB Cloud in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to OpenClaw once. 2. **Connect TiDB Cloud** — 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 tidb-cloud # connect TiDB Cloud (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions tidb-cloud # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run tidb-cloud --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 TiDB Cloud in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your TiDB Cloud API key once. Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw: > Pull the relevant data from TiDB Cloud, 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 TiDB Cloud is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 10 TiDB Cloud 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). ## TiDB Cloud MCP for OpenClaw Looking for a TiDB Cloud MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects TiDB Cloud to OpenClaw and exposes 10 TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/tidb-cloud) works the same way. ## What the OpenClaw TiDB Cloud integration can do 10 TiDB Cloud tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected. ### All 10 TiDB Cloud tools for OpenClaw | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Get cluster** `tidb_cloud_get_cluster` | Get details for one Starter/Essential instance or Dedicated cluster by ID | | **Get monthly bill** `tidb_cloud_get_monthly_bill` | Return the TiDB Cloud organization bill for one calendar month | | **List audit logs** `tidb_cloud_list_audit_logs` | Search TiDB Cloud organization audit logs by time range, event type, or keyword and return one | | **List branches** `tidb_cloud_list_branches` | List database branches for a TiDB Cloud Starter or Essential instance | | **List clusters** `tidb_cloud_list_clusters` | List TiDB Cloud Starter/Essential instances or Dedicated clusters, with product-specific filters | | **List data app deployments** `tidb_cloud_list_data_app_deployments` | List one page of deployments and deployment status for a TiDB Cloud Data Service application | | **List data apps** `tidb_cloud_list_data_apps` | List TiDB Cloud Data Service applications in a project, returning one page and a continuation | | **List import tasks** `tidb_cloud_list_import_tasks` | List one page of import tasks for a TiDB Cloud Starter/Essential instance or Dedicated cluster | | **List organization members** `tidb_cloud_list_organization_members` | List one page of TiDB Cloud organization members with optional identity, assignment, role, and | | **List regions** `tidb_cloud_list_regions` | List regions available for Starter/Essential or Dedicated clusters, optionally filtering | ## Example prompts **Get Cluster** > Pull the relevant data from TiDB Cloud, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **Get Monthly Bill** > Pull the relevant data from TiDB Cloud, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention. **List Audit Logs** > List the relevant items in TiDB Cloud, group them by priority, and recommend what OpenClaw should do next. **List Branches** > List the relevant items in TiDB Cloud, 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 TiDB Cloud working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the TiDB Cloud API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud. | 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 TiDB Cloud actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 10 tools for TiDB Cloud are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud in the browser, and the 10 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about TiDB Cloud, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud tools TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud 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. ### TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes. ### Is there a OpenClaw TiDB Cloud integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to TiDB Cloud: link your TiDB Cloud account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the TiDB Cloud API through 10 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I add TiDB Cloud to OpenClaw with ClawLink? Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink TiDB Cloud skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize TiDB Cloud. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the TiDB Cloud key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect TiDB Cloud to OpenClaw? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to TiDB Cloud in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring TiDB Cloud 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 TiDB Cloud working from chat. ### OpenClaw installed the TiDB Cloud skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about TiDB Cloud, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure TiDB Cloud 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 PostHog](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/posthog) — Track user behavior and feature flags - [DataforSEO tools](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/dataforseo) — SEO data APIs for keywords, SERP, and site audits - [Metabase](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/metabase) — Metabase is an open-source business intelligence tool that lets you ask questions about your data and visualize answers as charts, graphs, and dashboards.