Tools & SkillsWeb Search

Web Search

The web_search tool uses the Brave Search API to find information on the web. The web_fetch tool can then retrieve full page content from URLs.

Setup

  1. Get a free API key at brave.com/search/api
  2. Add it to your config:
{
  "tools": {
    "web": {
      "search": {
        "apiKey": "YOUR_BRAVE_API_KEY",
        "maxResults": 5
      }
    }
  }
}

Fields

FieldTypeDefaultDescription
apiKeystring""Brave Search API key
maxResultsnumber5Maximum number of search results to return

Usage

The agent uses web search automatically when it needs current information. You can also ask directly:

  • “Search for the latest Python release”
  • “What’s happening with [topic]?”
  • “Find documentation for [library]“

Web fetch

The web_fetch tool works without any API key. It fetches a URL and extracts the readable content (using readability). The agent uses it to:

  • Read articles and documentation
  • Summarize web pages
  • Extract data from URLs you share

Without an API key

If no Brave API key is configured, web_search is unavailable but web_fetch still works. The agent can fetch specific URLs but can’t search the open web.

Built-in ToolsShell Execution