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Brave Search API setup for web_search provider in OpenClaw

This page explains how to set up the Brave Search API as a web_search provider in OpenClaw. It covers obtaining an API key, configuring transport modes, and using optional proxy endpoints.

Read this when

  • You want to use Brave Search for web_search
  • You need a BRAVE_API_KEY or plan details

OpenClaw supports the Brave Search API as an web_search provider.

Get an API key

  1. Create a Brave Search API account at https://brave.com/search/api/
  2. In the dashboard, select 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",
            mode: "web", // or "llm-context"
            baseUrl: "https://api.search.brave.com", // optional proxy/base URL override
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
  tools: {
    web: {
      search: {
        provider: "brave",
        maxResults: 5,
        timeoutSeconds: 30,
      },
    },
  },
}

Provider-specific Brave search settings are located under plugins.entries.brave.config.webSearch.*; this is the canonical config path.

webSearch.mode controls the Brave transport:

  • web (default): standard Brave web search returning titles, URLs, and snippets
  • llm-context: Brave LLM Context API delivering pre-extracted text chunks and sources for grounding

webSearch.baseUrl can direct Brave requests to a trusted Brave-compatible proxy or gateway. OpenClaw appends /res/v1/web/search or /res/v1/llm/context to the configured base URL and includes the base URL in the cache key. Public endpoints must use https://; http:// is accepted only for trusted loopback or private-network proxy hosts.

Tool parameters

  • query (string, required), Search query.

  • count (number, default: 5), Number of results to return (1, 10).

  • country (string), 2-letter ISO country code (e.g. US, DE).

  • language (string), ISO 639-1 language code for search results (e.g. en, de, fr).

  • search_lang (string), Brave search-language code (e.g. en, en-gb, zh-hans).

  • ui_lang (string), ISO language code for UI elements.

  • freshness (day' | 'week' | 'month' | 'year), Time filter, day is 24 hours.

  • date_after (string), Only results published after this date (YYYY-MM-DD).

  • date_before (string), 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.
  • llm-context mode returns grounded source entries instead of the normal web-search snippet shape.
  • llm-context mode supports freshness and bounded date_after + date_before ranges. It does not support ui_lang; date_before without date_after is rejected because Brave requires custom freshness ranges to include both start and end dates.
  • ui_lang must include a region subtag like en-US.
  • Results are cached for 15 minutes by default (configurable via cacheTtlMinutes).
  • Custom webSearch.baseUrl values are included in Brave cache identity, so proxy-specific responses do not collide.
  • Enable the brave.http diagnostics flag to log Brave request URLs/query params, response status/timing, and search-cache hit/miss/write events while troubleshooting. The flag never logs the API key or response bodies, but search queries can be sensitive.