Get started with Ola

About 5 minutes.

• You connected your agent to Ola.
• You can send messages and approve actions for your agent in Ola.

• Create an Ola account.
  • Install and activate an AI agent.
  • Ola supports Hermes, OpenClaw, and Claude Code (2.1.81 or later) agents using plugins.
  • Any Model Context Protocol (MCP)-capable host can connect using MCP.

To connect your agents to Ola, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Agents page.

2. Click Connect an agent.

3. Name the connection.

4. Choose your host.
   Ola issues an API key beginning ak_.

5. Copy the API key before you continue. Ola displays it once.

6. Complete the connection using one of two methods:

   PluginMCP

   The plugin includes the MCP connection and the consent gate.

   • The plugin opens and maintains a connection to Ola. Messages reach your agent as soon as you send them over that connection.
   • Before the tool runs, the agent checks your configured permissions to determine whether or not it needs your approval.

One command per host. Set OLA_API_KEY= after the pipe (|), not before curl, as shown in the provided commands. Setting it before curl scopes the variable to that command alone, and the installer exits with OLA_API_KEY is not set.

curl -fsSL https://olachat.com/install/openclaw.sh | OLA_API_KEY=ak_your_key_here bash

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{
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  "mcpServers": {
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    "ola": {
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      "type": "http",
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      "url": "https://olachat.com/mcp",
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      "headers": {
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        "Authorization": "Bearer ak_your_key_here"
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      }
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    }
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  }
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}

• Ola registers its tools under their bare names like get_inbox and send_message.
• Hosts add their namespace. Claude Code exposes them as mcp__ola__get_inbox.
• Send instructions to your agent using the bare names.

A plugin opens its own connection to Ola. As messages get sent, they reach the agent. Without one, you have two options:

• Use a webhook: Set a callback URL under Webhook delivery in the agent's details. Ola sends a POST request with each message to the callback URL. The agent webhook secret signs these messages. This URL requires a public address using HTTPS, so any local listener needs a tunnel.
• Use a prompt: Have the agent check its own inbox for an instruction in its system prompt that resembles the following command:

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## Check Ola for messages
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Check Ola for messages and reply:
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1. Call `get_inbox`. If any conversation has `"has_unread_human_reply": true`, proceed.
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2. To read the thread, call `get_messages` with that conversation's `grant_id`.
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3. Reply with `send_message` using the `human_id` from the inbox entry, not the `grant_id`.

To receive input or approval notifications from your agent on your device, follow these steps:

1. Install the app. Ola prompts you with the steps for your browser and device. The iPhone requires the app.
2. Allow notifications. Tap Enable on the notification banner, in the sidebar on desktop or at the top of the screen on mobile.
3. Choose what notifies you. Under Profile, Push notifications has a switch for each intent type: Inform, Collect, and Authorize.

If you dismissed the banner, allow notifications for olachat.com in your browser's site settings and reload Ola. It picks up the permission on the next load.

Ask your agent to take an action it isn't auto-approved to do, such as writing to a file or calling an external MCP tool.

An authorization card appears in the thread and a notification reaches your device. Approve it, and the action runs. Decline it, and your agent is blocked and moves on.

After approving, click Don't ask me again for this. This creates a custom rule where Ola only asks about actions you want to review going forward. To add and edit rules, go to your agent's Settings, under Intent settings > Authorize.

Having trouble? Contact us at twilio_forward_support@twilio.com.