Web tools
Clawdia ships two lightweight web tools:web_search— Search the web via Brave Search API (default) or Perplexity Sonar (direct or via OpenRouter).web_fetch— HTTP fetch + readable extraction (HTML → markdown/text).
How it works
web_searchcalls your configured provider and returns results.- Brave (default): returns structured results (title, URL, snippet).
- Perplexity: returns AI-synthesized answers with citations from real-time web search.
- Results are cached by query for 15 minutes (configurable).
web_fetchdoes a plain HTTP GET and extracts readable content (HTML → markdown/text). It does not execute JavaScript.web_fetchis enabled by default (unless explicitly disabled).
Choosing a search provider
| Provider | Pros | Cons | API Key |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brave (default) | Fast, structured results, free tier | Traditional search results | BRAVE_API_KEY |
| Perplexity | AI-synthesized answers, citations, real-time | Requires Perplexity or OpenRouter access | OPENROUTER_API_KEY or PERPLEXITY_API_KEY |
Getting a Brave API key
- Create a Brave Search API account at https://brave.com/search/api/
- In the dashboard, choose the Data for Search plan (not “Data for AI”) and generate an API key.
- Run
clawdia configure --section webto store the key in config (recommended), or setBRAVE_API_KEYin your environment.
Where to set the key (recommended)
Recommended: runclawdia configure --section web. It stores the key in
~/.nelsonmuntz-c/clawdia.json under tools.web.search.apiKey.
Environment alternative: set BRAVE_API_KEY in the Gateway process
environment. For a gateway install, put it in ~/.clawdia/.env (or your
service environment). See Env vars.
Using Perplexity (direct or via OpenRouter)
Perplexity Sonar models have built-in web search capabilities and return AI-synthesized answers with citations. You can use them via OpenRouter (no credit card required - supports crypto/prepaid).Getting an OpenRouter API key
- Create an account at https://openrouter.ai/
- Add credits (supports crypto, prepaid, or credit card)
- Generate an API key in your account settings
Setting up Perplexity search
OPENROUTER_API_KEY or PERPLEXITY_API_KEY in the Gateway
environment. For a gateway install, put it in ~/.clawdia/.env.
If no base URL is set, Clawdia chooses a default based on the API key source:
PERPLEXITY_API_KEYorpplx-...→https://api.perplexity.aiOPENROUTER_API_KEYorsk-or-...→https://openrouter.ai/api/v1- Unknown key formats → OpenRouter (safe fallback)
Available Perplexity models
| Model | Description | Best for |
|---|---|---|
perplexity/sonar | Fast Q&A with web search | Quick lookups |
perplexity/sonar-pro (default) | Multi-step reasoning with web search | Complex questions |
perplexity/sonar-reasoning-pro | Chain-of-thought analysis | Deep research |
web_search
Search the web using your configured provider.Requirements
tools.web.search.enabledmust not befalse(default: enabled)- API key for your chosen provider:
- Brave:
BRAVE_API_KEYortools.web.search.apiKey - Perplexity:
OPENROUTER_API_KEY,PERPLEXITY_API_KEY, ortools.web.search.perplexity.apiKey
- Brave:
Config
Tool parameters
query(required)count(1–10; default from config)country(optional): 2-letter country code for region-specific results (e.g., “DE”, “US”, “ALL”). If omitted, Brave chooses its default region.search_lang(optional): ISO language code for search results (e.g., “de”, “en”, “fr”)ui_lang(optional): ISO language code for UI elementsfreshness(optional, Brave only): filter by discovery time (pd,pw,pm,py, orYYYY-MM-DDtoYYYY-MM-DD)
web_fetch
Fetch a URL and extract readable content.Requirements
tools.web.fetch.enabledmust not befalse(default: enabled)- Optional Firecrawl fallback: set
tools.web.fetch.firecrawl.apiKeyorFIRECRAWL_API_KEY.
Config
Tool parameters
url(required, http/https only)extractMode(markdown|text)maxChars(truncate long pages)
web_fetchuses Readability (main-content extraction) first, then Firecrawl (if configured). If both fail, the tool returns an error.- Firecrawl requests use bot-circumvention mode and cache results by default.
web_fetchsends a Chrome-like User-Agent andAccept-Languageby default; overrideuserAgentif needed.web_fetchblocks private/internal hostnames and re-checks redirects (limit withmaxRedirects).web_fetchis best-effort extraction; some sites will need the browser tool.- See Firecrawl for key setup and service details.
- Responses are cached (default 15 minutes) to reduce repeated fetches.
- If you use tool profiles/allowlists, add
web_search/web_fetchorgroup:web. - If the Brave key is missing,
web_searchreturns a short setup hint with a docs link.
