# OpenClaw integration

[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.

For more details about OpenClaw, refer to the [official documentation](https://docs.openclaw.ai/).

Help keep this page up to date

This integration uses a third-party service. If you find outdated content, please [submit an issue on GitHub](https://github.com/apify/apify-docs/issues).

## TLDR


```
openclaw plugins install @apify/apify-openclaw-plugin
openclaw apify setup
openclaw gateway restart
```


[YouTube video player](https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/-9XJxG4b4H4)

## Prerequisites

Before integrating Apify with OpenClaw, you'll need:

* *An Apify account* - If you don't have one, [sign up here](https://console.apify.com/sign-up).
* *Apify API token* - Get your token from the **API & Integrations** section in [Apify Console](https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).
* *OpenClaw* - Version 2026.1.0 or later. Install from the [OpenClaw website](https://openclaw.io/).
* *Node.js 22+* - Required to run the plugin. Install from [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org/).

## Set up the Apify plugin

### Install the plugin


```
openclaw plugins install @apify/apify-openclaw-plugin
```


### Configure with interactive setup (recommended)

Run the setup wizard to configure your API key:


```
openclaw apify setup
```


The wizard prompts you for your Apify API token, verifies the connection, and writes the configuration to your OpenClaw config file.

After setup, restart the gateway to load the plugin:


```
openclaw gateway restart
```


### Configure manually

Alternatively, add the plugin configuration directly to your `~/.openclaw/config.json`:


```
{
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "apify": {
        "enabled": true,
        "config": {
          "apiKey": "apify_api_..."
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "tools": {
    "alsoAllow": ["apify"]
  }
}
```


Then restart the gateway:


```
openclaw gateway restart
```


Tool allowlisting required

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.

### Verify the setup

Check your configuration:


```
openclaw apify status
```


## How the Apify tool works

The plugin registers a single `apify` tool with three actions:

| Action     | Purpose                                                                        |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `discover` | Search the Apify Store for Actors by keyword, or fetch an Actor's input schema |
| `start`    | Run an Actor asynchronously and get a `runId` back                             |
| `collect`  | Retrieve results from completed Actor runs                                     |

### Two-phase async pattern

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.


```
discover (search) -> discover (schema) -> start -> collect
```


### Batch multiple targets

Most Actors accept arrays in their input (for example, `startUrls`, `queries`, `usernames`). Always batch multiple targets into a single run - one run with 5 URLs is cheaper and faster than 5 separate runs.

## What you can do

Once the plugin is set up, your OpenClaw agents can:

* **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 the [Apify Store](https://apify.com/store).
* **Scrape any website** - Your agent can extract data from Google Search, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Google Maps, e-commerce sites, and more.
* **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.
* **Run multiple Actors in parallel** - Start scrapers for different platforms at the same time and collect all results together.
* **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.

Actor runs may take some time

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.

## Configuration options

| Option         | Type      | Default                 | Description                                  |
| -------------- | --------- | ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| `apiKey`       | string    | `APIFY_API_KEY` env var | Your Apify API token                         |
| `baseUrl`      | string    | `https://api.apify.com` | Apify API base URL                           |
| `maxResults`   | number    | `20`                    | Maximum items to return per dataset (1-1000) |
| `enabledTools` | string\[] | `[]` (all enabled)      | Restrict which tool actions are available    |

## Troubleshooting

### Authentication errors

* *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).
* *Environment variable* - If you prefer not to store the key in config, set the `APIFY_API_KEY` environment variable instead.

### Tool not available to agents

* *Check allowlisting* - Ensure `"apify"` is in the `tools.alsoAllow` array in your OpenClaw config, or use `"group:plugins"` to allow all plugin tools.
* *Restart the gateway* - Config changes don't take effect until you run `openclaw gateway restart`.

### Actor run failures

* *Check run logs* - If an Actor run fails, check the logs in [Apify Console](https://console.apify.com/) for details.
* *Verify input schema* - Use `action: "discover"` with the `actorId` to check what input parameters the Actor expects.

### Report an issue

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.

## Resources

* [OpenClaw documentation](https://docs.openclaw.ai/) - Official OpenClaw docs
* [Apify Actors documentation](https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors) - Learn about Apify Actors
* [Apify Store](https://apify.com/store) - Browse pre-built Actors
* [Apify API reference](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) - Full API documentation
* [Apify OpenClaw plugin on GitHub](https://github.com/apify/apify-openclaw-plugin) - Source code and issue tracker