A comprehensive guide to setting up Brave Search API and resolving network connectivity or proxy issues for Openclaw web tools.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install brave-search-setup
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install brave-search-setup using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is Brave Search & Proxy Configuration?
This skill provides a structured workflow for integrating the Brave Search API into your AI agent environment. It specifically addresses common networking hurdles encountered by developers, such as "fetch failed" errors and regional network restrictions. By utilizing these Openclaw Skills, users can ensure their agents have reliable, real-time access to web data.
The guide covers everything from initial API key injection to advanced system-level proxy configurations using tools like launchctl or proxychains-ng. This ensures that the underlying gateway process properly inherits the necessary network environment variables, making it an essential resource for maintaining robust web-connected agent workflows on macOS.
Brave Search & Proxy Configuration Use Cases
- Initializing Brave Search API for web-enabled AI agent tasks.
- Resolving "fetch failed" errors when using web_search or web_fetch tools.
- Configuring system-wide or session-specific proxies for macOS users behind restrictive networks.
- Automating the restart of the Openclaw gateway to apply network configuration changes.
How Brave Search & Proxy Configuration Works
- User provides a valid Brave Search API key via the Openclaw configuration patcher.
- The system attempts a direct connection to verify API reachability.
- If a connection failure is detected, the skill identifies local proxy ports used by clients like Clash, Surge, or V2Ray.
- Environment variables (HTTP_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY) are set at the system level via launchctl or shell profiles.
- The Openclaw gateway is enabled for restarts and triggered to inherit the new network environment.
- Verification tests are executed to ensure both web search and raw web fetching are fully operational.
Brave Search & Proxy Configuration Setup
Configure API Key
# Via config.patch to store the key securely
openclaw gateway config.patch --raw '{"tools":{"web":{"search":{"apiKey":"YOUR_BRAVE_API_KEY","enabled":true,"provider":"brave"}}}}'
Set macOS Proxy (Standard Clash Port)
# Set for current and future sessions
launchctl setenv HTTPS_PROXY http://127.0.0.1:7897
launchctl setenv HTTP_PROXY http://127.0.0.1:7897
Restart Gateway
# Enable restart command
openclaw gateway config.patch --raw '{"commands":{"restart":true}}'
# Perform restart
openclaw gateway restart
Brave Search & Proxy Configuration Data Schema & Taxonomy
| Component | Configuration Key | Description |
|---|---|---|
| API Key | tools.web.search.apiKey |
Your unique Brave Search subscription token. |
| Provider | tools.web.search.provider |
Set to "brave" for this specific search integration. |
| Network | HTTPS_PROXY |
Environment variable used by the gateway for external requests. |
| Local Config | ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json |
The primary storage file for these Openclaw Skills settings. |
Brave Search & Proxy Configuration Advanced Features
- Persistent environment variable configuration using launchctl to survive system restarts.
- Per-tool proxy isolation using proxychains-ng for granular network control.
- Automatic gateway process signaling via SIGUSR1 for config reloads.
- Multi-port detection scripts to identify active proxy tunnels across different clients (Clash/Surge/V2Ray).
SKILL.md
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