# How to connect VLM Run to OpenClaw (paste one key, 11 tools) > Connect VLM Run to OpenClaw with ClawLink: paste your VLM Run key once and 11 tools work from chat. No MCP server to run, nothing stored on your machine. Web version: https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/vlm-run The usual route to VLM Run 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 VLM Run setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect VLM Run in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real VLM Run 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 VLM Run. 1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to OpenClaw once. 2. **Connect VLM Run** — 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 vlm-run # connect VLM Run (browser OAuth) npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions vlm-run # list available actions npx -y @useclawlink/cli run vlm-run --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 VLM Run in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — paste your VLM Run API key once. Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw: > Use VLM Run to discover extraction schemas 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 VLM Run is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 11 VLM Run 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). ## VLM Run MCP for OpenClaw Looking for a VLM Run MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects VLM Run to OpenClaw and exposes 11 VLM Run 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 VLM Run integration](https://claw-link.dev/hermes/vlm-run) works the same way. ## What the OpenClaw VLM Run integration can do 11 VLM Run tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected. ### All 11 VLM Run tools for OpenClaw | Tool | What it does | |---|---| | **Discover extraction schemas** `vlm_run_discover_extraction_schemas` | List supported structured-extraction domains, or return the full JSON schema for one domain | | **Find files** `vlm_run_find_files` | List uploaded files or find one by file ID or MD5 hash | | **Find skills** `vlm_run_find_skills` | List VLM Run skills or find one exact skill by ID, name, and optional version | | **Get run** `vlm_run_get_run` | Get the current status and result of one structured-extraction prediction or agent execution | | **List agents** `vlm_run_list_agents` | Return agents available to the connected account for selection before execution | | **List artifacts** `vlm_run_list_artifacts` | List artifact metadata belonging to exactly one chat session or agent execution | | **List runs** `vlm_run_list_runs` | List structured-extraction predictions or agent executions for the connected account | | **Create skill** `vlm_run_create_skill` | Create a reusable skill from exactly one uploaded zip, prompt, or chat session | | **Execute agent** `vlm_run_execute_agent` | Start a VLM Run agent execution from an existing agent name or inline configuration over | | **Extract structured json** `vlm_run_extract_structured_json` | Start structured JSON extraction from images, a document, a video, or audio using a domain | | **Upload file** `vlm_run_upload_file` | Upload a local file to VLM Run for extraction, agent input, or skill creation | ## Example prompts **Discover Extraction Schemas** > Use VLM Run to discover extraction schemas and walk me through the result in plain English. **Find Files** > Use VLM Run to find files and walk me through the result in plain English. **Find Skills** > Use VLM Run to find skills and walk me through the result in plain English. **Get Run** > Pull the relevant data from VLM Run, 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 VLM Run working from chat. | | Manual | ClawLink | |---|---|---| | **Credential handling** | Collect, validate, store, and rotate the VLM Run API key yourself, then make sure every tool call uses the right account. | Users complete the hosted ClawLink setup once and the connected VLM Run 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 VLM Run. | 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 VLM Run actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 11 tools for VLM Run are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. | ## ClawLink vs. Composio Composio also exposes VLM Run 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 VLM Run in the browser, and the 11 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK and no config file, and the VLM Run 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 VLM Run skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about VLM Run, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure VLM Run 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 VLM Run 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 VLM Run tools VLM Run 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 VLM Run 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. ### VLM Run 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 VLM Run has the right scopes or account access. A valid key can still be too limited for some reads or writes. ### Is there a OpenClaw VLM Run integration? Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to VLM Run: link your VLM Run account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the VLM Run API through 11 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling. ### How do I add VLM Run to OpenClaw with ClawLink? Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink VLM Run skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize VLM Run. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files, and the VLM Run key you paste is stored server-side instead of in your environment. ### How long does it take to connect VLM Run to OpenClaw? About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to VLM Run in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message. ### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring VLM Run 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 VLM Run working from chat. ### OpenClaw installed the VLM Run skill but can't call the tools The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about VLM Run, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure VLM Run 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. - [OpenClaw Just One API integration](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.