Search Guide
OpenClaw Web Search — Complete Guide to AI Agent Search
Your OpenClaw AI agent can search the web, check facts, and pull real-time information from across the internet. This guide covers every search provider available — from the zero-config built-in browser to advanced options like Tavily, Brave Search, SearXNG, Perplexity, and Firecrawl. Learn which one fits your needs and how to set it up.
Why Web Search Matters for AI Agents
AI models are trained on data with a knowledge cutoff date. Without web search, your OpenClaw agent can't access anything that happened after that date — no breaking news, no updated documentation, no current prices or weather. Web search transforms a static AI into a real-time research assistant.
With web search enabled, your OpenClaw agent can:
- Answer questions about current events — news, sports scores, stock prices, weather forecasts
- Fact-check its own responses — verify claims against live sources before replying
- Research topics in depth — pull information from multiple websites and synthesize it into a clear summary
- Find specific data — product specs, API documentation, academic papers, government records
- Monitor changes — track website updates, price drops, or new releases
Every OpenClaw instance includes a built-in browser that works with zero configuration. For power users who need faster, more structured, or privacy-focused results, OpenClaw supports multiple third-party search providers through ClawHub skills.
Search Providers Compared
Here is a side-by-side comparison of every search option available for OpenClaw. Each provider has different strengths — the right choice depends on your priorities.
| Provider | Cost | API Key | Result Quality | Privacy | Self-Hosted | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in Browser | Free | No | Good | Standard | N/A | Quick lookups, zero setup |
| Tavily | Free tier (1,000/mo) | Yes | Excellent | Standard | No | AI-optimized research |
| Brave Search | Free tier (2,000/mo) | Yes | Very Good | High | No | Privacy-first search |
| SearXNG | Free (self-hosted) | No | Good | Maximum | Yes | Full control, no tracking |
| Perplexity | API pricing | Yes | Excellent | Standard | No | Deep research, cited answers |
| Firecrawl | Free tier (500/mo) | Yes | Excellent (extraction) | Standard | Yes | Web scraping, data extraction |
All of these providers can be installed as ClawHub skills and work alongside each other. Your agent will automatically choose the best tool for each query based on the task.
Built-in Browser (No Setup)
Every OpenClaw instance ships with a built-in browser that provides basic web search and page fetching out of the box. No API key, no configuration, no extra cost — it just works.
The built-in browser fetches web pages directly, extracts their text content, and passes it to your AI agent for analysis. It handles JavaScript-rendered pages, follows redirects, and can navigate multi-page sites. For most casual users, this is all you need.
When to use it: You want zero-setup web access, you have light search needs, or you're just getting started with OpenClaw and want to try web search before committing to a third-party provider.
Limitations: Results are raw page text (not AI-optimized), slower than API-based providers for multi-query research, and no structured answer extraction. For heavy research workflows, consider upgrading to Tavily or Brave Search.
Tavily — Best for AI-Optimized Results
Tavily is a search API built specifically for AI agents. Instead of returning raw HTML or page text, Tavily returns clean, structured content with direct answer extraction, relevance scoring, and JSON-formatted responses that your agent can immediately use.
Tavily is the most popular search skill on ClawHub. Its free tier includes 1,000 searches per month — enough for personal AI agent use. Install it with /skill install @anthropic/tavily-search.
Best for: Agents that do frequent web research, fact-checking, or need structured data from search results. If you want the best search quality and don't mind signing up for a free API key, Tavily is the top choice.
Read the full Tavily setup guide →
Brave Search — Privacy-First Search
Brave Search is an independent search engine that doesn't track users or profile their searches. It uses its own web index (not Google or Bing), making it a genuinely independent alternative.
The Brave Search API offers a generous free tier with 2,000 queries per month. Results are high-quality and include web pages, news, and video results. Install the skill with /skill install @anthropic/brave-search.
Best for: Users who prioritize privacy, want an independent search index, or need a reliable free-tier alternative to Tavily. Brave is particularly strong for general web queries and news searches.
Read the full Brave Search guide →
SearXNG — Self-Hosted & Free
SearXNG is a free, open-source metasearch engine that aggregates results from dozens of search engines (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and more) without tracking you. You host it yourself, giving you complete control over your search infrastructure.
Because SearXNG is self-hosted, there are no API limits, no monthly quotas, and no costs beyond your server. It's the ideal choice for users who want maximum privacy and unlimited searches.
Best for: Privacy-conscious users, organizations that can't send search queries to third-party APIs, or anyone who wants unlimited free searches. Requires a server to host the SearXNG instance.
Read the full SearXNG setup guide →
Perplexity — AI-Powered Answers
Perplexity is an AI-powered search engine that doesn't just find web pages — it reads them, synthesizes the information, and returns fully cited answers with source links. Think of it as having a research assistant that reads every result for you.
The Perplexity API integrates with OpenClaw as a search skill, giving your agent access to deep research capabilities. It excels at complex questions that require understanding and combining information from multiple sources.
Best for: Deep research tasks, academic inquiries, complex multi-source questions, and situations where you need cited, authoritative answers rather than raw search results.
Read the full Perplexity guide →
Firecrawl — Web Scraping & Extraction
Firecrawl is different from the other providers on this list. While the others are search engines, Firecrawl is a web scraping and data extraction tool. It converts any web page into clean, structured markdown or JSON that your AI agent can process.
Firecrawl excels at extracting specific data from websites — product details, pricing tables, documentation, article content, and more. It handles JavaScript-rendered pages, pagination, and complex site structures. The free tier includes 500 pages per month.
Best for: Extracting structured data from specific websites, scraping product catalogs, converting documentation to markdown, and any task where you need to process the full content of known URLs rather than discover new ones.
Read the full Firecrawl guide →
How to Choose the Right Search Provider
Not sure which provider to pick? Use this decision guide:
- Just want it to work with zero setup? — Use the built-in browser. It's already enabled on every OpenClaw instance, no API key required.
- Want the best search quality? — Install Tavily. It returns AI-optimized, structured results with answer extraction. Free for 1,000 searches/month.
- Privacy is your top priority? — Choose Brave Search for a no-tracking search API, or SearXNG for a fully self-hosted solution with maximum privacy.
- Need deep, cited research? — Use Perplexity. It synthesizes information from multiple sources and provides cited answers.
- Need to scrape or extract data from specific pages? — Use Firecrawl. It turns any web page into clean, structured data your agent can process.
- Want unlimited free searches? — Self-host SearXNG. No API limits, no quotas, no cost beyond your server.
You can also combine multiple providers. For example, install both Tavily for general searches and Firecrawl for page extraction. Your OpenClaw agent will intelligently choose the right tool based on the task.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does OpenClaw need a search API to search the web?
No. Every OpenClaw instance includes a built-in browser that can search the web and fetch pages without any API key or additional setup. Third-party search providers like Tavily and Brave Search are optional upgrades that provide faster, more structured, or more private results.
Which search provider is best for OpenClaw?
It depends on your needs. Tavily is the best all-around choice for AI-optimized search quality. Brave Search is ideal for privacy-focused users. SearXNG is best for unlimited, self-hosted search. Perplexity excels at deep research. For most users, Tavily or the built-in browser is the right starting point.
Can I use multiple search providers at the same time?
Yes. You can install multiple search skills from ClawHub and your OpenClaw agent will choose the best provider for each query. For example, it might use Tavily for general searches and Firecrawl when it needs to extract data from a specific URL.
Is the built-in web search good enough?
For casual use — quick lookups, checking facts, reading a specific web page — the built-in browser works well. If your agent does heavy research, needs structured results, or you want faster multi-query searches, upgrading to Tavily or another provider is worth it. The free tiers on Tavily (1,000/mo) and Brave Search (2,000/mo) make it easy to try without any cost.
What's Next?
- Explore all skills — Browse 3,200+ skills beyond search — coding, automation, image generation, and more
- Compare AI models — Choose the best model to pair with your search provider
- See pricing — Deploy with search pre-configured, starting at $3/month
- Tavily setup guide — Step-by-step instructions for the most popular search skill