---
name: tavily-search
description: "Web search via Tavily API (alternative to Brave). Use when the user asks to search the web / look up sources / find links and Brave web_search is unavailable or undesired. Returns a small set of relevant results (title, url, snippet) and can optionally include short answer summaries."
---

# Tavily Search

Use the bundled script to search the web with Tavily.

## Requirements

- Provide API key via either:
  - environment variable: `TAVILY_API_KEY`, or
  - `~/.openclaw/.env` line: `TAVILY_API_KEY=...`

## Commands

Run from the OpenClaw workspace:

```bash
# raw JSON (default)
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/tavily_search.py --query "..." --max-results 5

# include short answer (if available)
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/tavily_search.py --query "..." --max-results 5 --include-answer

# stable schema (closer to web_search): {query, results:[{title,url,snippet}], answer?}
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/tavily_search.py --query "..." --max-results 5 --format brave

# human-readable Markdown list
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/tavily_search.py --query "..." --max-results 5 --format md
```

## Output

### raw (default)
- JSON: `query`, optional `answer`, `results: [{title,url,content}]`

### brave
- JSON: `query`, optional `answer`, `results: [{title,url,snippet}]`

### md
- A compact Markdown list with title/url/snippet.

## Notes

- Keep `max-results` small by default (3–5) to reduce token/reading load.
- Prefer returning URLs + snippets; fetch full pages only when needed.