3 Ways to Configure OpenClaw Web Search: Make Your Personal Assistant More Powerful

Author's Note: This article provides a detailed guide on configuring web search for OpenClaw, including Brave Search API, Tavily MCP, and the built-in WebSearch tool, helping you build a smart assistant capable of accessing real-time information.

An AI assistant without web search capabilities is like a room without windows—it can only rely on the old knowledge in its memory. This article will introduce the 3 core methods for OpenClaw web search configuration, helping your personal AI assistant stay up-to-date with the latest information.

Core Value: By the end of this post, you'll master the configuration of web search tools like Brave Search and Tavily MCP, making OpenClaw a truly intelligent assistant that understands today's world.

Core Highlights of OpenClaw Web Search

Why Web Search Matters for OpenClaw

OpenClaw is a personal AI assistant that runs locally on your device. By default, it relies solely on the Large Language Model's training data to answer questions. This means the AI can't know about the latest news, real-time data, or information published after its knowledge cutoff date.

Once web search is configured, OpenClaw can query the internet in real-time to gather the latest information for its answers. This is crucial for scenarios like:

• Real-time Info Queries: Weather, stocks, news, sports scores
• Technical Documentation: Latest API docs, version update notes
• Fact-checking: Verifying information accuracy to avoid AI hallucinations
• Knowledge Expansion: Accessing specialized knowledge beyond the training data

Comparison of OpenClaw Search Tools

OpenClaw Web Search Quick Start

Method 1: Brave Search API (Official Recommendation)

Brave Search is the recommended web search solution for OpenClaw. It features an independent web index that doesn't rely on Google or Bing, making it perform exceptionally well in RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) scenarios for AI applications.

Step 1: Get your API Key

Visit the Brave Search API official website at api-dashboard.search.brave.com to register an account. The free plan offers 2,000 search requests per month.

Step 2: Configure OpenClaw

Run the configuration wizard for an interactive setup:

openclaw configure --section web

The wizard will prompt you to enter your Brave Search API Key. Once configured, it'll be automatically saved to tools.web.search.apiKey.

{
  "tools": {
    "web": {
      "search": {
        "provider": "brave",
        "apiKey": "YOUR_BRAVE_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

export BRAVE_API_KEY="YOUR_BRAVE_API_KEY"

Pro Tip: The free tier of the Brave Search API is usually enough for personal use. If you need a higher call frequency, consider upgrading to a paid plan or use APIYI (apiyi.com) to get unified access to multi-model APIs, which can help lower your overall costs.

Method 2: Tavily MCP (Exclusive for AI Agents)

Tavily is a search tool specifically designed for AI Agents, integrating with OpenClaw via the MCP (Model Context Protocol). It doesn't just search the web; it also automatically extracts core content from pages, making it perfect for scenarios that require a deep understanding of web information.

Step 1: Get your Tavily API Key

Visit the Tavily official website at tavily.com to register. The free plan provides 1,000 searches per month.

Step 2: Configure Tavily MCP

The easiest way is to use the remote MCP configuration:

# Replace <your-api-key> with your actual Tavily API Key
openclaw mcp add --transport http tavily https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/?tavilyApiKey=<your-api-key>

Add the --scope user parameter to make the configuration effective globally:

openclaw mcp add --transport http --scope user tavily https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/?tavilyApiKey=<your-api-key>

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tavily-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "tavily-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "TAVILY_API_KEY": "tvly-YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tavily-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "tavily-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "TAVILY_API_KEY": "tvly-YOUR_API_KEY",
        "DEFAULT_PARAMETERS": "{\"include_images\": true, \"max_results\": 15, \"search_depth\": \"advanced\"}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Verify the configuration

Run the following command to check if the MCP server is connected properly:

openclaw mcp list

You should see tavily appearing in the list of connected MCP servers.

Method 3: Built-in WebSearch Tool

If you're using models based on Anthropic's Claude, OpenClaw comes with built-in WebSearch and WebFetch tools. These two work slightly differently:

This design means WebSearch relies on the Anthropic API, while WebFetch can work independently on your local machine.

OpenClaw Web Search Comparison

Web Search Solution Comparison

🦁 Brave Search

Free Tier 2000/mo

{
  "tools": {
    "web": {
      "search": {
        "provider": "brave",
        "apiKey": "YOUR_BRAVE_API_KEY",
        "fallback": {
          "provider": "duckduckgo"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "one-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "one-search-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SEARCH_PROVIDER": "tavily",
        "TAVILY_API_KEY": "YOUR_TAVILY_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "tools": {
    "web": {
      "search": {
        "cache": {
          "enabled": true,
          "ttl": 900
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

When the user asks for real-time information, the latest news, or facts you're unsure about, please use web search to get the most up-to-date info before answering.