> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sentvia.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# OpenClaw

> Give your OpenClaw agent its own email address with the SentVia MCP server.

[OpenClaw](https://openclaw.ai) is an open-source personal AI agent that runs
continuously on your own machine. It speaks MCP natively, so connecting the
[SentVia MCP server](/guides/mcp) gives it a real, dedicated email identity: an
address it owns, sends from, and watches — separate from your personal inbox.

Things an OpenClaw agent does with its own address:

* **Send and follow up on your behalf** — chase invoices, book appointments,
  reply in-thread when the answer comes back.
* **Own its own signups** — newsletters, receipts, and service accounts go to
  the agent's inbox, not yours, and it triages them.
* **Escalate by email** — anything it can't handle gets forwarded to you with
  its notes on top.

## Connect

<Tip>
  **Zero-setup path**: paste this into OpenClaw and it installs everything itself —

  ```text theme={null}
  Set up SentVia email for yourself: fetch https://docs.sentvia.ai/agent-install.md
  and follow it. Ask me for the API key when you need it.
  ```
</Tip>

Or set it up manually. You need a SentVia API key (`sv_live_…`) from the
[dashboard](https://console.sentvia.ai).

Register the server with the OpenClaw CLI:

```bash theme={null}
openclaw mcp add sentvia --command npx --arg -y --arg sentvia-mcp
```

then add your API key to the server's `env`. OpenClaw stores MCP servers in
`~/.openclaw/openclaw.json` under `mcp.servers` — the finished entry looks like:

```json theme={null}
{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "sentvia": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "sentvia-mcp"],
        "env": { "SENTVIA_API_KEY": "sv_live_…" }
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Verify the connection and tool list:

```bash theme={null}
openclaw mcp doctor --probe
```

You should see the `sentvia` server with 21 tools — inboxes, messages, threads,
drafts, domains, webhooks, and allow/block rules
(full list in the [MCP guide](/guides/mcp)).

Prefer a skill? The same integration ships as an OpenClaw skill (email conduct
rules + curl fallbacks included):

```bash theme={null}
openclaw skills install git:samuelar2/sentvia-mcp
```

## Give the agent its address

Once connected, this is a single instruction to your agent:

```
Create yourself an inbox called "claw" and introduce yourself
to me by email at sam@example.com.
```

OpenClaw calls `create_inbox` (→ `claw@mail.sentvia.ai`, live immediately), then
`send_message`. From there `search_messages`, `list_threads`, and
`reply_to_message` cover the daily loop.

<Tip>
  Long-running agents pair well with **allow/block rules**: have the agent call
  `add_address_rule` to block senders it decides are noise. Rules are enforced
  server-side on both send and receive, so they hold even if the agent forgets.
</Tip>

## Getting inbound mail to the agent

OpenClaw agents typically poll: a periodic task that calls `search_messages` (no
query returns recent mail) or `list_threads` and processes anything new. For
push instead of poll, register a [webhook](/concepts/receiving) pointing at an
endpoint your OpenClaw can read, or use the
[realtime WebSocket](/guides/realtime).

<Note>
  Treat inbound email as untrusted input to your agent — anyone can mail the
  address. Keep the agent's inbox separate from credentials-bearing accounts,
  and use [allow rules](/guides/allow-block-lists) if the agent should only ever
  talk to known senders.
</Note>