Day 4

Connect OpenClaw to Gmail, Calendar & Web Search

Step-by-step guide to connecting OpenClaw with Gmail, Google Calendar, Brave Search, and browser tools. Includes OAuth setup and test prompts for each integration.

"An AI that can only chat versus one that can read your emails, manage your calendar, and search the web — the difference isn't IQ, it's hands. Today we give it hands."

Today's Goal


Learn	How OpenClaw gains real-world capabilities through Gmail, Calendar, Search, and Browser integrations.
Do	Install `gog`, configure web search, make sure browser automation works, and run one real test for each.
Done when	You can query your real inbox, real calendar, current web results, and a live URL without errors.

From "Can Talk" to "Can Do"

Your assistant already knows how to chat. Today it starts acting on real data.

In OpenClaw, each new capability comes from a Skill — a set of files that tells the assistant how to interact with an external service. Today you'll connect four:

Skill	What It Unlocks	Example
Gmail	Read, search, summarize emails	"Which emails need my reply today?"
Google Calendar	View, create, modify events	"What meetings do I have this week?"
Web Search	Search for any information	"What's new in OpenClaw this month?"
Browser	Open any URL, extract content, take screenshots	"What does competitor X's pricing page say?"

Connect the Four Core Integrations

Gmail

What you need first: A Google Cloud project with the Gmail API enabled, plus Desktop OAuth credentials saved as credentials.json.
Install command: clawhub install gog
What to do: Run the installer, finish the browser OAuth flow once, and confirm OpenClaw creates token.json.
Test prompt: "What are my top 3 emails today?"

Google Calendar

What you need first: The same Google Cloud project, with the Google Calendar API enabled too.
Install command: clawhub install gog
What to do: Reuse the same Google authorization from Gmail so OpenClaw can read your real events.
Test prompt: "What meetings do I have this week?"

Gmail + Calendar Setup (5 steps):

Go to console.cloud.google.com → Create a new project
Enable "Gmail API" and "Google Calendar API" (search in API Library)
Go to "Credentials" → Create OAuth client ID → Desktop app → Download credentials.json
Move credentials.json to ~/.openclaw/workspace/credentials.json
Run clawhub install gog — a browser window will open for authorization

After authorization, a token.json file is created automatically. Keep it private — chmod 600 ~/.openclaw/workspace/token.json

All channel integrations →

Web Search

What you need first: A search provider account such as Brave Search and a valid API key.
Install command: openclaw configure --section web
What to do: Paste the API key into the wizard and save the provider config before testing.
Test prompt: "What's happening in AI this week?"

Browser

What you need first: A working OpenClaw install (browser capability is built-in, no separate install needed).
Enable command: openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw status
What to do: Check browser status. If it shows "disabled", enable it in your config and restart the gateway with openclaw gateway restart.
Test prompt: "What does https://example.com say?"

Browser skill: setup and usage →

Before Day 4, "Help me write an email" produced a generic draft. After Day 4, "Check my email and draft a reply to the partner inquiry" can read the real thread, check your calendar for timing, search missing context, and pull details from a live webpage.

The difference is not better prompting. The difference is real inputs.

Security First

With Gmail, Calendar, and Browser connected, your assistant can touch private data. Keep these habits from day one:

Keep API keys out of Git. Use environment variables or .env files.
Protect OAuth tokens. Set chmod 600 ~/.openclaw/workspace/token.json so only your user can read it.
Use least privilege. If you only need to read Gmail, do not grant send access.
Write boundaries in SOUL.md. For example: "External messages must be confirmed before sending."

Auth and credential monitoring →

Minimum Success Criteria

Gmail: Ask "What are my top 3 emails today?" — get real results
Calendar: Ask "What meetings do I have this week?" — see your actual events
Search: Ask "What's happening in AI this week?" — get current news
Browser: Ask "What does [any URL] say?" — get extracted content

See All 50+ Integrations

Today covers the four most universally useful connections. OpenClaw supports 50+ total:

openclaw.ai/integrations — full integration directory →

Channels, model providers, and tool integrations are all listed there.

Common Issues

OAuth token permissions error: If Google auth succeeds but requests fail, remove the stale ~/.openclaw/workspace/token.json, rerun clawhub install gog, then set chmod 600 ~/.openclaw/workspace/token.json.
Search API key not recognized: Re-run openclaw configure --section web, paste the exact key for the provider you chose, and retry your search test prompt in a new conversation.
Browser not responding: If OpenClaw cannot access a browser, run openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw status to check, then restart with openclaw gateway restart. Ask: "What does https://example.com say?"
Calendar looks empty: Make sure the Calendar API is enabled in the same Google Cloud project used for Gmail OAuth, then test again with "What meetings do I have this week?"

What Just Changed

Your assistant can now move across inbox, calendar, search results, and live webpages. Tomorrow you expand beyond these core tools and start installing the Skills that match your own workflow.