OpenClaw

OpenClaw is an open-source MCP-compatible AI assistant. Unlike Claude Desktop and Cursor, OpenClaw nests its server configuration under mcp.servers in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json. faz handles the nesting automatically when you pass --target openclaw.

For the prerequisites and the conceptual "what's MCP" answer, see Integrations overview.

Prerequisites

• faz installed (pip install faz-core — see Install).
• A faz.yaml with at least one database connection and a permissions block.
• OpenClaw installed.

Option 1 — Write the config directly

faz mcp install --target openclaw

uv run faz mcp install --target openclaw

python -m faz mcp install --target openclaw

Output:

[openclaw] /Users/you/.openclaw/openclaw.json: written

The resulting block:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "faz": {
        "command": "/usr/local/bin/faz",
        "args": ["mcp"],
        "env": {
          "FAZ_CONFIG": "/Users/you/projects/myapp/faz.yaml"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Note the nesting: mcp.servers (OpenClaw's convention), not the flat mcpServers (Claude/Cursor).

Option 2 — Pipe through openclaw mcp set

If you'd rather hand the entry to OpenClaw's own CLI, generate a portable file first and extract just the server block with jq:

faz mcp install --target openclaw --path /tmp/faz.json

uv run faz mcp install --target openclaw --path /tmp/faz.json

python -m faz mcp install --target openclaw --path /tmp/faz.json

openclaw mcp set faz "$(jq -c '.mcp.servers.faz' /tmp/faz.json)"
openclaw mcp list

faz mcp install --path writes the standalone file with OpenClaw's nesting. jq -c '.mcp.servers.faz' extracts the inner command / args / env block — which is the shape openclaw mcp set expects. openclaw mcp list confirms the registration.

Use this option when you want OpenClaw's own validation to run on the entry, or when you're running OpenClaw inside a container that should manage its own config.

Restart OpenClaw

OpenClaw reads its server registry at startup. Restart the app for the entry to take effect.

Verify

Open OpenClaw's chat panel and ask:

What databases do you have access to?

OpenClaw calls list_databases and replies with your configured databases.

You can also confirm via the CLI:

openclaw mcp list                  # should include "faz"
openclaw mcp show faz              # prints the registered config

Common patterns

OpenClaw's MCP support is identical to Claude Desktop's at the protocol level, so the same patterns apply: schema exploration, ad-hoc aggregations, federated joins. The four MCP tools and the safety pipeline work the same way regardless of which client is calling them.

Troubleshooting

If openclaw mcp list doesn't show faz, or OpenClaw can't call it:

• Confirm ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json parses: jq . ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.
• Confirm the entry lives at mcp.servers.faz, not mcpServers.faz. OpenClaw won't see flat-keyed entries.
• Confirm command is an absolute path that exists.
• Confirm FAZ_CONFIG points at a valid faz.yaml.
• Restart OpenClaw fully — entries don't reload mid-session.

If you used Option 2 and openclaw mcp set complained about the JSON, double-check the jq extraction. The argument to mcp set should be just the inner object ({"command": ..., "args": ..., "env": ...}), not the wrapping mcp.servers.faz structure.

Full diagnostic flow on MCP not loading.

Related

• Integrations overview — the cross-client comparison.
• Verifying the connection — diagnostic checks.
• MCP tools — the four tools OpenClaw can call.