> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tavily.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# OpenClaw
> Integrate Tavily with OpenClaw to give your AI agents real-time web search and content extraction across WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, iMessage, and more.
## Introduction
[OpenClaw](https://docs.openclaw.ai/) is an open-source, self-hosted gateway that connects messaging apps — WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, iMessage, and more — to AI agents. You run a single Gateway process on your own machine or server, and it becomes the bridge between your chat apps and an always-available AI assistant.
Tavily is available in OpenClaw as both a web search provider and a dedicated plugin, giving your agents real-time web search and content extraction capabilities across every connected channel. Whether a user asks a question on WhatsApp or shares a link in Telegram, the agent can search the web and extract page content to provide accurate, up-to-date answers.
## How to set up Tavily with OpenClaw
Go to the [Tavily Dashboard](https://app.tavily.com/home) to obtain your **API key**. Sign up for free if you don't have an account.
You can configure Tavily using the interactive CLI or by editing your config file directly.
**Option 1: Interactive CLI**
Run the onboarding wizard and select Tavily when prompted for a search provider:
```bash theme={null}
openclaw configure --section web
```
**Option 2: Manual configuration**
Add the following to your `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`:
```json theme={null}
{
"plugins": {
"entries": {
"tavily": {
"enabled": true,
"config": {
"webSearch": {
"apiKey": "tvly-YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}
},
"tools": {
"web": {
"search": {
"provider": "tavily"
}
}
}
}
```
**Option 3: Environment variable**
Set the `TAVILY_API_KEY` environment variable, or add it to `~/.openclaw/.env`:
```bash theme={null}
export TAVILY_API_KEY="tvly-YOUR_API_KEY"
```
If `TAVILY_API_KEY` is set and no other search provider key is configured, OpenClaw will auto-detect and select Tavily automatically.
Once configured, your agents can use Tavily across all connected channels. Open the Control UI or send a message from any connected chat app:
```bash theme={null}
openclaw dashboard
```
OpenClaw supports Tavily in two ways: `web_search` uses Tavily as the default web provider for simple searches, while Tavily-native tools like `tavily_search` and `tavily_extract` expose advanced controls such as topic selection, domain filters, search depth, and URL extraction.
## Search modes in OpenClaw
Once Tavily is configured, OpenClaw can use it in two ways.
### 1. `web_search` for simple, provider-backed search
If Tavily is set as your web search provider, OpenClaw's built-in `web_search` tool routes searches through Tavily.
Use this when:
* You want a simple search interface
* Your agent only needs a query and result count
* You want Tavily to power the default OpenClaw web search flow
#### `web_search` parameters
| Parameter | Description |
| --------- | --------------------------- |
| `query` | Search query |
| `count` | Number of results to return |
### 2. Tavily-native tools for advanced controls
Use Tavily-native tools when you need Tavily-specific capabilities beyond the generic `web_search` interface.
| Tool | Use when you need |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `tavily_search` | Search depth, topic filtering, domain includes/excludes, recency filters, or AI-generated answers |
| `tavily_extract` | Clean extraction from one or more URLs |
#### `tavily_search` parameters
| Parameter | Description |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| `query` | Search query (keep under 400 characters) |
| `search_depth` | `basic` (default, fast) or `advanced` (highest relevance) |
| `topic` | `general` (default), `news`, or `finance` |
| `max_results` | Number of results, 1–20 (default: 5) |
| `include_answer` | Include an AI-generated answer summary |
| `time_range` | Filter by recency: `day`, `week`, `month`, or `year` |
| `include_domains` | Array of domains to restrict results to |
| `exclude_domains` | Array of domains to exclude |
#### `tavily_extract` parameters
| Parameter | Description |
| ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| `urls` | Array of URLs to extract (1–20 per request) |
| `query` | Rerank extracted chunks by relevance to this query |
| `extract_depth` | `basic` (default) or `advanced` (for JS-heavy pages) |
| `chunks_per_source` | Chunks per URL, 1–5 (requires `query`) |
| `include_images` | Include image URLs in results |
## Use cases
Leverage Tavily through OpenClaw to enhance your AI assistant across every messaging channel:
* **Research on the go** — Ask your agent on WhatsApp to research a topic and get a summarized answer with sources
* **Link analysis** — Share a URL in Telegram and have the agent extract and summarize its content
* **News monitoring** — Use `tavily_search` with `topic: "news"` and `time_range: "day"` to set up heartbeat alerts and get daily updates via your preferred channels
* **Competitive intelligence** — Run domain-filtered searches from any channel to track competitor activity
* **Content curation** — Gather and organize information from multiple sources for reports or newsletters
## Learn more
* [OpenClaw documentation](https://docs.openclaw.ai/)
* [OpenClaw Tavily plugin docs](https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/tavily)
* [OpenClaw Web Search overview](https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/web)
* [OpenClaw on GitHub](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw)
* [Tavily API documentation](/documentation/api-reference/introduction)