OpenClaw + ViralNote: Native MCP Setup (15 Tools)

TL;DR: OpenClaw 2026.3.22+ speaks MCP over Streamable HTTP. Connect ViralNote with openclaw mcp set viralnote pointing at https://dashboard.viralnote.app/api/mcp/mcp and header x-api-key: vnd_.... Alternative: ClawHub skill @viralnote/viralnote for REST workflows.

OpenClaw is an autonomous agent runtime — cron jobs, tool use, multi-step plans. ViralNote’s MCP server gives it 15 native tools for social scheduling without custom HTTP glue.

MCP vs skill on OpenClaw

Path	When
MCP HTTP (recommended)	You want create_post, list_analytics, etc. as first-class tools
ClawHub skill	You prefer REST + SKILL.md instructions

This guide covers MCP. For skill-only: clawhub install @viralnote/viralnote.

Prerequisites

• OpenClaw 2026.3.22 or newer
• ViralNote API key: dashboard → API keys
• Scopes: posts:read, posts:write (add webhooks if needed)

Install MCP (HTTP — recommended)

openclaw mcp set viralnote '{
  "url": "https://dashboard.viralnote.app/api/mcp/mcp",
  "transport": "streamable-http",
  "headers": { "x-api-key": "vnd_..." }
}'
openclaw mcp reload

Verify tools loaded:

openclaw mcp list

You should see ViralNote tools (list_posts, create_post, etc.).

Alternative: stdio npm package

openclaw mcp add viralnote \
  --command npx \
  --arg -y \
  --arg @viralnote/mcp-server \
  --env VIRALNOTE_API_KEY=vnd_...
openclaw mcp reload

Use HTTP unless you have a reason to prefer local stdio (air-gapped dev, custom npm mirror).

Example autonomous prompts

Weekly RSS pipeline:

Every Monday 8am: fetch my blog RSS, schedule the 3 newest posts to Instagram, LinkedIn, and X — one per day Tue–Thu 9am. Summarize post IDs.

Failure watch:

Every hour: list_post_results for posts in the last 24h. If any platform failed, log the error and retry once if rate-limited.

Run these as OpenClaw cron / heartbeat tasks with human review on the first two weeks.

Guardrails for production

1. Separate API key for OpenClaw vs your personal MCP in Cursor
2. No auto-publish — schedule only unless prompt explicitly allows publish_post
3. Log requestId from API errors for support
4. Start with three agent workflows before open-ended autonomy

ClawHub skill (REST path)

clawhub install @viralnote/viralnote
export VIRALNOTE_API_KEY="vnd_..."

Published as @viralnote/viralnote on ClawHub. Good when you want skill-based REST calls instead of MCP tool discovery.

Deeper API guide

For REST patterns, batch jobs, and observability beyond MCP: Using the ViralNote API with AI agents (long-form technical guide).

Links

• viralnote.app/agents#openclaw
• MCP vs skill vs API
• Smithery listing (for other MCP clients)

OpenClaw plans; ViralNote executes the social calendar. Keep humans in the loop on publish and delete.