Configure Web Search Capability

Why Configure Web Search Capability

Although OpenClaw's local models are powerful, their knowledge is static and only includes data from training. This means:

• ❌ Cannot answer the latest news and events
• ❌ Doesn't know today's weather
• ❌ Cannot search for information
• ❌ Cannot access the latest technical documentation

By configuring web search capability, OpenClaw can:

• ✅ Search the internet in real-time
• ✅ Get the latest news and information
• ✅ Query real-time data (weather, stocks, etc.)
• ✅ Access the latest technical documentation and tutorials
• ✅ Conduct in-depth research and fact-checking

This section will configure OpenClaw's web search capability. OpenClaw supports multiple search engines, and the default web_search uses Brave API. However, as of the publication of this tutorial, Brave API has cancelled its free plan. Therefore, we use Tavily Web Search as an alternative.

Tavily Web Search is a search engine optimized specifically for AI agents, providing structured search results.

Preparation

Before starting, please ensure:

1. ✅ OpenClaw is installed and running normally
2. ✅ At least one model is configured (Ollama or cloud model)
3. ✅ Network connection is available
4. ✅ You have a valid email (for registering with Tavily)

Step 1: Get Tavily API Key

Tavily is an AI-optimized search engine that provides a free tier, with 1000 searches per month free of charge, sufficient for daily use. (Policies may change; actual quotas should be based on the actual situation.)

1.1 Visit Tavily Official Website

Open in your browser: https://tavily.com

1.2 Register an Account

Click the "Sign Up" or "Register" button on the page:

Fill in the registration information:

• Email Address: Fill in your real email
• Code: Graphic verification code

Click "Continue" to create an account.

1.3 Verify Email

Tavily will send a verification email to your inbox. Open your email, find the email from Tavily, and click the verification link. After successful verification, you will be automatically redirected to the Tavily console.

1.4 Get API Key

After logging in, go to the API Keys page:

You will see an API Key with a format similar to:

tvly-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

⚠️ Important Note:

• Please keep this key safe and do not share it with others
• Do not submit the key to code repositories or public platforms

Copy this API key. We will use it later.

Step 2: Install Tavily Web Search Skill

OpenClaw uses ClawHub to manage skills. We can install this plugin by simply talking to OpenClaw.

2.1 Open Terminal

Open the terminal on the S600 device and ensure a terminal has openclaw gateway running.

2.2 Install Skill

Before installing the skill, we need to log in to ClawHub first. This is an open-source OpenClaw skill publishing center. You can think of it as the "App Store" on your phone.

If you don't log in, you may encounter rate limiting when downloading.

Open the terminal and enter:

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npm i -g clawhub

Then open the ClawHub official website https://clawhub.ai/, click to log in with GitHub (you need to log in to GitHub first. This is not demonstrated here. To avoid network issues logging into GitHub, we have already pre-downloaded this Skill in our factory image. You can directly see Step 3: Configure API Key).

Redirect to the authorization page and click authorize:

Click on your username and go to settings:

Scroll down to API tokens and click Create token:

Copy the generated Token. We will use it below.

Next, run the following command on the server, replacing your Token with the one you just copied. Note that there is a space after -- token:

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clawhub login --token your Token

You can see that the login was successful.

Next, we need to install the tavily-web-search Skill. There are many ways to install it. Here we use one of the more common methods. Enter in the terminal:

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npx clawhub@latest install tavily-search

If you see ✖ Rate limit exceeded, it means there was an error in the login step from the previous step. Please log in again.

2.3 Verify Installation

View the list of installed skills:

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npx clawhub@latest list

You should see tavily-web-search in the list.

Step 3: Configure API Key

Now we need to configure the Tavily API Key in OpenClaw.

3.1 Method 1: Configure via Environment Variable (Temporary)

Set the environment variable in the terminal:

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export TAVILY_API_KEY=tvly-your-api-key-here

Note: Replace tvly-your-api-key-here with the real API key you obtained in Step 1.

3.2 Method 2: Make Environment Variable Permanent

If you want the API key to be automatically set every time you open the terminal, you can add it to the Shell configuration file.

For users using Bash:

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echo 'export TAVILY_API_KEY=tvly-your-api-key-here' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

3.3 Restart to Take Effect

Restart OpenClaw Gateway to make the configuration effective:

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openclaw gateway restart

Step 4: Test Web Search Function

Now let's test if the web search is working properly.

4.1 Test Using TUI

Start TUI in the terminal:

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openclaw tui

4.2 Test Basic Search

Enter a question requiring the latest information in TUI, for example:

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Show me important news today?

OpenClaw will:

1. Identify the need to search for the latest information
2. Call Tavily API to search
3. Get search results
4. Answer your question based on the search results

Advanced Usage Tips

Tip 1: Limit Search Sources

If you only want to search content from specific websites:

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Search only on Zhihu: How to learn Python
Search only in MDN docs: CSS Flexbox usage

Tip 2: Get Original Content

If you need to get the complete content of a webpage:

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Extract and summarize the full content of this page: [https://www.yahboom.com/study/K230]

Common Issues

Issue 1: Search Prompt Invalid API Key

Error Message:

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Error: Invalid API key

Possible Causes:

1. API key entered incorrectly
2. Environment variable not set correctly
3. API key has expired

Solutions:

1. Check if the API key is correctly copied:

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echo $TAVILY_API_KEY

2. Reset the environment variable:

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export TAVILY_API_KEY=tvly-your-api-key-here

3. If the key has expired, log in to Tavily official website to get a new one.

Issue 2: No Search Results

Symptoms: After sending a search request, the AI replies "Unable to find relevant information".

Possible Causes:

1. Network connection issue
2. Tavily service temporarily unavailable
3. Search keywords too vague

Solutions:

1. Check network connection:

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ping tavily.com

2. Try more specific search keywords.
3. Try again later.

Issue 3: Search is Very Slow

Symptoms: Search requests take a long time to return results.

Possible Causes:

1. Using deep search mode
2. High network latency
3. High Tavily server load

Solutions:

1. Use fast search mode:

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Fast search: [your question]

2. Check network speed:

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curl -o /dev/null -s -w "%{time_total}\n" https://tavily.com

3. If it continues to be slow, try changing the network environment.

Issue 4: Quota Exhausted

Error Message:

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Error: API quota exceeded

Possible Cause: Free quota (1000 per month) has been used up.

Solution:

1. Log in to Tavily console to check usage.
2. Wait for quota reset next month.

Issue 5: Skill Installation Failed

Error Message:

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Error: Failed to install skill

Possible Causes:

1. Network connection issue
2. npm version too old
3. Insufficient permissions (rate limited due to not logging in)

Solutions:

1. Check network connection.
2. Update npm:

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npm install -g npm@latest

3. Use sudo permission to install (if needed):

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sudo npx clawhub@latest install tavily-web-search

Search Mode Comparison

Best Practices

1. Use Search Quota Wisely

• ✅ Prioritize using fast search mode
• ✅ Avoid repeatedly searching the same content
• ✅ Leverage AI's memory capability to avoid repeated queries
• ❌ Don't frequently test the search function

2. Optimize Search Keywords

• ✅ Use specific, clear questions
• ✅ Include key information (time, location, object)
• ✅ Use natural language to describe needs
• ❌ Avoid overly vague queries

3. Verify Search Results

• ✅ Cross-verify important information
• ✅ Check the reliability of search result sources
• ✅ Pay attention to the timeliness of information
• ❌ Don't rely entirely on a single source

4. Combine with Local Knowledge

• ✅ For static knowledge, prioritize using local models
• ✅ For dynamic information, use web search
• ✅ Combine both for the best answer
• ❌ Don't use search for every question

Advanced Configuration

Configuration 1: Adjust Search Depth

In the OpenClaw configuration file, you can adjust the default search depth:

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{
  "skills": {
    "entries": {
      "tavily-web-search": {
        "enabled": true,
        "apiKey": "tvly-your-api-key-here",
        "config": {
          "searchDepth": "basic",
          "maxResults": 10,
          "includeAnswer": true,
          "includeRawContent": false
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration Description:

• searchDepth: basic or advanced
• maxResults: Maximum number of results returned (1-10)
• includeAnswer: Whether to include AI-generated answer summary
• includeRawContent: Whether to include raw page content

Configuration 2: Set Domain Filtering

If you only want to search content from specific websites:

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{
  "skills": {
    "entries": {
      "tavily-web-search": {
        "enabled": true,
        "apiKey": "tvly-your-api-key-here",
        "config": {
          "includeDomains": ["github.com", "stackoverflow.com"],
          "excludeDomains": ["ads.example.com"]
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration 3: Configure News Mode

Set to use news mode by default:

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{
  "skills": {
    "entries": {
      "tavily-web-search": {
        "enabled": true,
        "apiKey": "tvly-your-api-key-here",
        "config": {
          "searchDepth": "basic",
          "topic": "news",
          "days": 7
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration Description:

• topic: general or news
• days: Number of days for news search range (1-30)

Practical Scenario Examples

Scenario 1: Learning New Technology

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Search for the latest React tutorials suitable for beginners

OpenClaw:

• Search for the latest React beginner tutorials
• Filter content suitable for beginners from multiple sources
• Provide tutorial links and brief descriptions
• Give learning suggestions

Scenario 2: Shopping Decisions

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Search for detailed comparison of iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, including price and performance

OpenClaw:

• Search for the latest product comparison information
• Summarize price, performance, and feature differences
• Provide purchase suggestions
• Give official purchase links

Scenario 3: Travel Planning

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Search for comparison of transportation from Beijing to Shanghai, including time, price, and comfort

OpenClaw:

• Search for the latest transportation information
• Compare airplane, high-speed rail, car, etc.
• Provide price and time references
• Give recommended solutions

Scenario 4: Health Consultation

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Search for natural methods to relieve insomnia, based on authoritative medical websites

OpenClaw:

• Search for information from authoritative medical websites
• Provide scientifically verified methods
• Give precautions
• Recommend consulting a professional doctor

Scenario 5: Programming Questions

You:

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Search for how to implement async programming in Python, including code examples

OpenClaw:

• Search for the latest programming tutorials
• Provide detailed code examples
• Explain key concepts
• Give best practice suggestions

Security and Privacy

Data Privacy

Tavily's privacy policy:

• ✅ Zero data retention: Search data is not permanently stored
• ✅ SOC 2 certified: Complies with international security standards
• ✅ Prompt injection protection: Prevents malicious queries
• ✅ Does not record personal identity information

Security Suggestions

1. Protect API Keys

   • Do not include keys in public code
   • Replace keys periodically
   • Use environment variables or key managers

2. Verify Search Results

   • Check the reliability of information sources
   • Cross-verify important information
   • Pay attention to the timeliness of information

3. Reasonable Use

   • Comply with Tavily's terms of use
   • Do not abuse the search function
   • Respect website content policies

Final

Congratulations! You have successfully configured the web search capability. OpenClaw can now access real-time internet information!

Next steps you can take:

• 📖 Continue learning other skill configurations
• 🎮 Explore more practical scenarios
• 🔧 Learn more about OpenClaw's advanced features
• 💡 Use your creativity to create more applications

Tip: If you encounter problems, you can run openclaw doctor for diagnosis at any time, or visit Tavily Official Documentation for more help.