openclaw/docs/brave-search.md

summary	read_when	title
Brave Search API setup for web_search	You want to use Brave Search for web_search You need a BRAVE_API_KEY or plan details	Brave Search

Brave Search API

OpenClaw supports Brave Search API as a web_search provider.

Get an API key

1. Create a Brave Search API account at https://brave.com/search/api/
2. In the dashboard, choose the Search plan and generate an API key.
3. Store the key in config or set BRAVE_API_KEY in the Gateway environment.

Config example

{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      brave: {
        config: {
          webSearch: {
            apiKey: "BRAVE_API_KEY_HERE",
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
  tools: {
    web: {
      search: {
        provider: "brave",
        maxResults: 5,
        timeoutSeconds: 30,
      },
    },
  },
}

Provider-specific Brave search settings now live under plugins.entries.brave.config.webSearch.*. Legacy tools.web.search.apiKey still loads through the compatibility shim, but it is no longer the canonical config path.

Tool parameters

Parameter	Description
query	Search query (required)
count	Number of results to return (1-10, default: 5)
country	2-letter ISO country code (e.g., "US", "DE")
language	ISO 639-1 language code for search results (e.g., "en", "de", "fr")
ui_lang	ISO language code for UI elements
freshness	Time filter: day (24h), week, month, or year
date_after	Only results published after this date (YYYY-MM-DD)
date_before	Only results published before this date (YYYY-MM-DD)

Examples:

// Country and language-specific search
await web_search({
  query: "renewable energy",
  country: "DE",
  language: "de",
});

// Recent results (past week)
await web_search({
  query: "AI news",
  freshness: "week",
});

// Date range search
await web_search({
  query: "AI developments",
  date_after: "2024-01-01",
  date_before: "2024-06-30",
});

Notes

• OpenClaw uses the Brave Search plan. If you have a legacy subscription (e.g. the original Free plan with 2,000 queries/month), it remains valid but does not include newer features like LLM Context or higher rate limits.
• Each Brave plan includes $5/month in free credit (renewing). The Search plan costs $5 per 1,000 requests, so the credit covers 1,000 queries/month. Set your usage limit in the Brave dashboard to avoid unexpected charges. See the Brave API portal for current plans.
• The Search plan includes the LLM Context endpoint and AI inference rights. Storing results to train or tune models requires a plan with explicit storage rights. See the Brave Terms of Service.
• Results are cached for 15 minutes by default (configurable via cacheTtlMinutes).

See Web tools for the full web_search configuration.