|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +title: OpenClaw integration |
| 3 | +sidebar_label: OpenClaw |
| 4 | +description: Learn how to integrate Apify with OpenClaw to give your AI agents access to web scraping, data extraction, and automation using pre-built Actors. |
| 5 | +sidebar_position: 14 |
| 6 | +slug: /integrations/openclaw |
| 7 | +toc_min_heading_level: 2 |
| 8 | +--- |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +import ThirdPartyDisclaimer from '@site/sources/_partials/_third-party-integration.mdx'; |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +[OpenClaw](https://openclaw.io) is an open-source AI agent orchestration platform that enables you to build, deploy, and manage autonomous AI agents. The Apify plugin for OpenClaw gives your agents access to thousands of pre-built Actors for web scraping, data extraction, and automation through a single `apify` tool. |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +For more details about OpenClaw, refer to the [official documentation](https://docs.openclaw.ai/). |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +<ThirdPartyDisclaimer /> |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +## Quick start |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +Install the plugin, run the setup wizard, and restart the gateway: |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +```bash |
| 23 | +openclaw plugins install @apify/apify-openclaw-plugin |
| 24 | +openclaw apify setup |
| 25 | +openclaw gateway restart |
| 26 | +``` |
| 27 | + |
| 28 | +Watch a quick demo of the Apify plugin for OpenClaw: |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | +<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/-9XJxG4b4H4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> |
| 31 | + |
| 32 | +## Prerequisites |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +Before integrating Apify with OpenClaw, you'll need: |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +- _An Apify account_ - If you don't have one, [sign up here](https://console.apify.com/sign-up). |
| 37 | +- _Apify API token_ - Get your token from the **API & Integrations** section in [Apify Console](https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations). |
| 38 | +- _OpenClaw_ - Version 2026.1.0 or later. Install from the [OpenClaw website](https://openclaw.io/). |
| 39 | +- _Node.js 22+_ - Required to run the plugin. Install from [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org/en/download/). |
| 40 | + |
| 41 | +## Set up the Apify plugin |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | +Setting up the plugin involves three steps: |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | +1. [Install the plugin](#install-the-plugin) |
| 46 | +1. [Configure your API token](#configure-with-interactive-setup-recommended) (interactively or [manually](#configure-manually)) |
| 47 | +1. [Verify the setup](#verify-the-setup) |
| 48 | + |
| 49 | +### Install the plugin |
| 50 | + |
| 51 | +Use the OpenClaw CLI to install the Apify plugin from the plugin registry: |
| 52 | + |
| 53 | +```bash |
| 54 | +openclaw plugins install @apify/apify-openclaw-plugin |
| 55 | +``` |
| 56 | + |
| 57 | +This downloads the plugin and registers it with your OpenClaw installation. |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +### Configure with interactive setup (recommended) |
| 60 | + |
| 61 | +Run the setup wizard to configure your API key: |
| 62 | + |
| 63 | +```bash |
| 64 | +openclaw apify setup |
| 65 | +``` |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +The wizard prompts you for your Apify API token, verifies the connection, and writes the configuration to your OpenClaw config file. You can find your token in the **API & Integrations** section of [Apify Console](https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations). |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | +After setup, restart the gateway to load the plugin: |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +```bash |
| 72 | +openclaw gateway restart |
| 73 | +``` |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +### Configure manually |
| 76 | + |
| 77 | +If you prefer to skip the wizard, add the plugin configuration directly to your `~/.openclaw/config.json`: |
| 78 | + |
| 79 | +```json |
| 80 | +{ |
| 81 | + "plugins": { |
| 82 | + "entries": { |
| 83 | + "apify": { |
| 84 | + "enabled": true, |
| 85 | + "config": { |
| 86 | + "apiKey": "apify_api_..." |
| 87 | + } |
| 88 | + } |
| 89 | + } |
| 90 | + }, |
| 91 | + "tools": { |
| 92 | + "alsoAllow": ["apify"] |
| 93 | + } |
| 94 | +} |
| 95 | +``` |
| 96 | + |
| 97 | +Then restart the gateway: |
| 98 | + |
| 99 | +```bash |
| 100 | +openclaw gateway restart |
| 101 | +``` |
| 102 | + |
| 103 | +:::caution Tool allowlisting required |
| 104 | + |
| 105 | +The `apify` tool must be listed in `tools.alsoAllow` in your config, or you can use `"group:plugins"` to allow all plugin tools. Without this, the tool won't be available to your agents. |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | +::: |
| 108 | + |
| 109 | +### Verify the setup |
| 110 | + |
| 111 | +Check your configuration: |
| 112 | + |
| 113 | +```bash |
| 114 | +openclaw apify status |
| 115 | +``` |
| 116 | + |
| 117 | +## Apify tool overview |
| 118 | + |
| 119 | +The plugin registers a single `apify` tool with three actions: |
| 120 | + |
| 121 | +| Action | Purpose | |
| 122 | +| ------ | ------- | |
| 123 | +| `discover` | Search Apify Store for Actors by keyword, or fetch an Actor's input schema | |
| 124 | +| `start` | Run an Actor asynchronously and get a `runId` back | |
| 125 | +| `collect` | Retrieve results from completed Actor runs | |
| 126 | + |
| 127 | +### Two-phase async pattern |
| 128 | + |
| 129 | +The tool uses an asynchronous workflow. Your agent starts an Actor run and gets a `runId` immediately, then collects results later when the run completes. This lets agents do other work while Actors are running. |
| 130 | + |
| 131 | +```text |
| 132 | +discover (search) -> discover (schema) -> start -> collect |
| 133 | +``` |
| 134 | + |
| 135 | +### Batch multiple targets |
| 136 | + |
| 137 | +Most Actors accept arrays in their input (for example, `startUrls`, `queries`, `usernames`). As a best practice, batch multiple targets into a single run - one run with 5 URLs is cheaper and faster than 5 separate runs. |
| 138 | + |
| 139 | +## What you can do |
| 140 | + |
| 141 | +Once the plugin is set up, your OpenClaw agents can: |
| 142 | + |
| 143 | +- _Search for scrapers_ - Ask your agent to find an Actor for any platform (for example, "find me an Instagram scraper") and it discovers the right one from [Apify Store](https://apify.com/store). |
| 144 | +- _Scrape any website_ - Your agent can extract data from Google Search, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Google Maps, e-commerce sites, and more. |
| 145 | +- _Batch multiple targets_ - Scrape several URLs, profiles, or search queries in a single Actor run. One run with 5 targets is cheaper and faster than 5 separate runs. |
| 146 | +- _Run multiple Actors in parallel_ - Start scrapers for different platforms at the same time and collect all results together. |
| 147 | +- _Delegate to sub-agents_ - For complex research tasks, your agent can delegate scraping work to a sub-agent, keeping the parent agent's context focused on higher-level reasoning. |
| 148 | + |
| 149 | +:::note Actor runs may take some time |
| 150 | + |
| 151 | +Actor execution time varies depending on the task complexity. Check Actor run status in [Apify Console](https://console.apify.com/) if a run takes longer than expected. |
| 152 | + |
| 153 | +::: |
| 154 | + |
| 155 | +## Configuration options |
| 156 | + |
| 157 | +| Option | Type | Default | Description | |
| 158 | +| ------ | ---- | ------- | ----------- | |
| 159 | +| `apiKey` | string | `APIFY_API_KEY` env var | Your Apify API token | |
| 160 | +| `baseUrl` | string | `https://api.apify.com` | Apify API base URL | |
| 161 | +| `maxResults` | number | `20` | Maximum items to return per dataset (1-1000) | |
| 162 | +| `enabledTools` | string[] | `[]` (all enabled) | Restrict which tool actions are available | |
| 163 | + |
| 164 | +## Troubleshooting |
| 165 | + |
| 166 | +### Authentication errors |
| 167 | + |
| 168 | +- _Check your API token_ - Verify your Apify API token is correct by running `openclaw apify status`. You can find your token in the **API & Integrations** section of [Apify Console](https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations). |
| 169 | +- _Environment variable_ - If you prefer not to store the key in config, set the `APIFY_API_KEY` environment variable instead. |
| 170 | + |
| 171 | +### Tool not available to agents |
| 172 | + |
| 173 | +- _Check allowlisting_ - Ensure `"apify"` is in the `tools.alsoAllow` array in your OpenClaw config, or use `"group:plugins"` to allow all plugin tools. |
| 174 | +- _Restart the gateway_ - Config changes don't take effect until you run `openclaw gateway restart`. |
| 175 | + |
| 176 | +### Actor run failures |
| 177 | + |
| 178 | +- _Check run logs_ - If an Actor run fails, check the logs in [Apify Console](https://console.apify.com/) for details. |
| 179 | +- _Verify input schema_ - Use `action: "discover"` with the `actorId` to check what input parameters the Actor expects. |
| 180 | + |
| 181 | +### Report an issue |
| 182 | + |
| 183 | +If you encounter a bug or have a feature request, [open an issue](https://github.com/apify/apify-openclaw-plugin/issues) on the plugin's GitHub repository. |
| 184 | + |
| 185 | +## Resources |
| 186 | + |
| 187 | +- [OpenClaw documentation](https://docs.openclaw.ai/) - Official OpenClaw docs |
| 188 | +- [Apify Actors documentation](https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors) - Learn about Apify Actors |
| 189 | +- [Apify Store](https://apify.com/store) - Browse pre-built Actors |
| 190 | +- [Apify API reference](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) - Full API documentation |
| 191 | +- [Apify OpenClaw plugin on GitHub](https://github.com/apify/apify-openclaw-plugin) - Source code and issue tracker |
0 commit comments